Cancer in first-degree relatives and risk of testicular cancer in Denmark

PubMed Central

Nordsborg, Rikke Baastrup; Meliker, Jaymie R.; Wohlfahrt, Jan; Melbye, Mads; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole

2011-01-01

Familial aggregation of testicular cancer has been reported consistently, but it is less clear if there is any association between risk of testicular cancer and other cancers in the family. We conducted a population based case-control study to examine the relationship between risk of testicular cancer and 22 different cancers in first-degree relatives. We included 3297 cases of testicular cancer notified to the Danish Cancer Registry between 1991 and 2003. 6594 matched controls were selected from the Danish Civil Registration System, which also provided the identity of 40,104 first-degree relatives of case and controls. Familial cancer was identified by linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry, and we used conditional logistic regression to analyse whether cancer among first-degree relatives was associated with higher risk of testicular cancer. Rate ratio (RR) for testicular cancer was 4.63 (95% CI: 2.41–8.87) when a father, 8.30(95% CI: 3.81–18.10) when a brother and 5.23 (95% CI: 1.35–20.26) when a son had testicular cancer compared with no familial testicular cancer. Results were similar when analyses were stratified by histologic subtypes of testicular cancer. Familial Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and oesophageal cancer were associated with testicular cancer; however these may be chance findings. The familial aggregation of testicular and possibly other cancers may be explained by shared genes and/or shared environmental factors, but the mutual importance of each of these is difficult to determine. PMID:21207375

Denmark's National Family Guidance Program: A Preventive Mental Health Program for Children and Families.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Marsden

This document describes Denmark's 10-year (1965-75) program of cost-effective provision of social services to crisis families with children under the Danish 1964 Child and Youth Welfare Act. The program, voluntary and open to all families, provided preventive psychosocial services for children based on a family support system. The background to…

Family Aggregation and Risk Factors in Phobic Disorders over Three-Generations in a Nation-Wide Study

PubMed Central

Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Jakobsen, Helle; Meyer, Andrea; Jørgensen, Povl Munk; Lieb, Roselind

2016-01-01

Objective This nation-wide register-based study investigated how often phobic disorders (PHO) and co-morbid disorders occur in affected families compared to control families. Furthermore, the study addressed the impact of sex, year of birth, and degree of urbanization in terms of risk factors. Method A total of N = 746 child and adolescent psychiatric participants born between 1969 and 1986 and registered in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register (DPCRR) with a diagnosis of a mental disorder before the age of 18, and developed PHO at some point during their life-time until a maximum age of 40 years were included. In addition, N = 2229 controls without any diagnosis of mental disorders before age 18 and that were matched for age, sex, and residential region were included. Diagnoses of mental disorders were also obtained from the first- degree relatives as a part of the Danish Three Generation Study (3GS). A family load component was obtained by using various mixed regression models. Results PHO occurred significantly more often in case than in control families, in particular, in mothers and siblings. Substance use disorders (SUD), Depressive disorders (DEP), anxiety disorders (ANX) and personality disorders (PERS) in the family were significantly associated with specific phobia in the case-probands. After controlling for various mental disorders comorbid to PHO it was found that some of the family transmission could be caused by various other mental disorders in family members rather than the PHO itself. Female sex and more recent year of birth were further risk factors while region of residence was not related to the manifestation of PHO. Case-relatives did not develop PHO earlier than control relatives. After adjusting for various additional explanatory variables, the family load explained only 0.0013% of the variance in the manifestation of PHO in the case-probands Discussion These findings, based on a very large and representative dataset, provide evidence for the family aggregation and further risk factors in PHO. In contrast to anxiety disorders and other major mental disorders the family load of PHO in this nation-wide study was rather low. PMID:26785257

Family Aggregation and Risk Factors in Phobic Disorders over Three-Generations in a Nation-Wide Study.

PubMed

Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Jakobsen, Helle; Meyer, Andrea; Jørgensen, Povl Munk; Lieb, Roselind

2016-01-01

This nation-wide register-based study investigated how often phobic disorders (PHO) and co-morbid disorders occur in affected families compared to control families. Furthermore, the study addressed the impact of sex, year of birth, and degree of urbanization in terms of risk factors. A total of N = 746 child and adolescent psychiatric participants born between 1969 and 1986 and registered in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register (DPCRR) with a diagnosis of a mental disorder before the age of 18, and developed PHO at some point during their life-time until a maximum age of 40 years were included. In addition, N = 2229 controls without any diagnosis of mental disorders before age 18 and that were matched for age, sex, and residential region were included. Diagnoses of mental disorders were also obtained from the first- degree relatives as a part of the Danish Three Generation Study (3GS). A family load component was obtained by using various mixed regression models. PHO occurred significantly more often in case than in control families, in particular, in mothers and siblings. Substance use disorders (SUD), Depressive disorders (DEP), anxiety disorders (ANX) and personality disorders (PERS) in the family were significantly associated with specific phobia in the case-probands. After controlling for various mental disorders comorbid to PHO it was found that some of the family transmission could be caused by various other mental disorders in family members rather than the PHO itself. Female sex and more recent year of birth were further risk factors while region of residence was not related to the manifestation of PHO. Case-relatives did not develop PHO earlier than control relatives. After adjusting for various additional explanatory variables, the family load explained only 0.0013% of the variance in the manifestation of PHO in the case-probands. These findings, based on a very large and representative dataset, provide evidence for the family aggregation and further risk factors in PHO. In contrast to anxiety disorders and other major mental disorders the family load of PHO in this nation-wide study was rather low.

Young People's Risk of Suicide Attempts after Contact with a Psychiatric Department--A Nested Case-Control Design Using Danish Register Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christiansen, Erik; Larsen, Kim Juul

2012-01-01

Background: There seems to be an increased risk of children and adolescents committing or attempting suicide after contact with a psychiatric department. Children and adolescents living in families with low socio-economic status (SES) might have an especially increased suicide attempt risk. Methods: A complete extraction of Danish register data…

A decamer duplication in the 3′ region of the BRI gene originates an amyloid peptide that is associated with dementia in a Danish kindred

PubMed Central

Vidal, Ruben; Révész, Tamas; Rostagno, Agueda; Kim, Eugene; Holton, Janice L.; Bek, Toke; Bojsen-Møller, Marie; Braendgaard, Hans; Plant, Gordon; Ghiso, Jorge; Frangione, Blas

2000-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD), also known as heredopathia ophthalmo-oto-encephalica, is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by cataracts, deafness, progressive ataxia, and dementia. Neuropathological findings include severe widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy, hippocampal plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles, similar to Alzheimer's disease. N-terminal sequence analysis of isolated leptomeningeal amyloid fibrils revealed homology to ABri, the peptide originated by a point mutation at the stop codon of gene BRI in familial British dementia. Molecular genetic analysis of the BRI gene in the Danish kindred showed a different defect, namely the presence of a 10-nt duplication (795–796insTTTAATTTGT) between codons 265 and 266, one codon before the normal stop codon 267. The decamer duplication mutation produces a frame-shift in the BRI sequence generating a larger-than-normal precursor protein, of which the amyloid subunit (designated ADan) comprises the last 34 C-terminal amino acids. This de novo-created amyloidogenic peptide, associated with a genetic defect in the Danish kindred, stresses the importance of amyloid formation as a causative factor in neurodegeneration and dementia. PMID:10781099

First Outbreak with MRSA in a Danish Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Risk Factors and Control Procedures

PubMed Central

Ramsing, Benedicte Grenness Utke; Arpi, Magnus; Andersen, Erik Arthur; Knabe, Niels; Mogensen, Dorthe; Buhl, Dorte; Westh, Henrik; Østergaard, Christian

2013-01-01

Introduction The purpose of the study was to describe demographic and clinical characteristics and outbreak handling of a large methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Denmark June 25th–August 8th 2008, and to identify risk factors for MRSA transmission. Methods Data were collected retrospectively from medical records and the Danish Neobase database. All MRSA isolates obtained from neonates, relatives and NICU health care workers (HCW) as well as environmental cultures were typed. Results During the 46 day outbreak period, 102 neonates were admitted to the two neonatal wards. Ninety-nine neonates were subsequently sampled, and 32 neonates (32%) from 25 families were colonized with MRSA (spa-type t127, SCCmec V, PVL negative). Thirteen family members from 11 of those families (44%) and two of 161 HCWs (1%) were colonized with the same MRSA. No one was infected. Five environmental cultures were MRSA positive. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nCPAP) treatment (p = 0.006) and Caesarean section (p = 0.016) were independent risk factors for MRSA acquisition, whereas days of exposure to MRSA was a risk factors in the unadjusted analysis (p = 0.04). Conclusions MRSA transmission occurs with high frequency in the NICU during hospitalization with unidentified MRSA neonates. Caesarean section and nCPAP treatment were identified as risk factors for MRSA colonization. The MRSA outbreak was controlled through infection control procedures. PMID:23825581

Modeling familial Danish dementia in mice supports the concept of the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease

PubMed Central

Coomaraswamy, Janaky; Kilger, Ellen; Wölfing, Heidrun; Schäfer, Claudia; Kaeser, Stephan A.; Wegenast-Braun, Bettina M.; Hefendehl, Jasmin K.; Wolburg, Hartwig; Mazzella, Matthew; Ghiso, Jorge; Goedert, Michel; Akiyama, Haruhiko; Garcia-Sierra, Francisco; Wolfer, David P.; Mathews, Paul M.; Jucker, Mathias

2010-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with cerebral deposition of Dan-amyloid (ADan), neuroinflammation, and neurofibrillary tangles, hallmark characteristics remarkably similar to those in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have generated transgenic (tg) mouse models of familial Danish dementia that exhibit the age-dependent deposition of ADan throughout the brain with associated amyloid angiopathy, microhemorrhage, neuritic dystrophy, and neuroinflammation. Tg mice are impaired in the Morris water maze and exhibit increased anxiety in the open field. When crossed with TauP301S tg mice, ADan accumulation promotes neurofibrillary lesions, in all aspects similar to the Tau lesions observed in crosses between β-amyloid (Aβ)-depositing tg mice and TauP301S tg mice. Although these observations argue for shared mechanisms of downstream pathophysiology for the sequence-unrelated ADan and Aβ peptides, the lack of codeposition of the two peptides in crosses between ADan- and Aβ-depositing mice points also to distinguishing properties of the peptides. Our results support the concept of the amyloid hypothesis for AD and related dementias, and suggest that different proteins prone to amyloid formation can drive strikingly similar pathogenic pathways in the brain. PMID:20385796

Effects of Familial Risk Factors and Place of Birth on the Risk of Autism: A Nationwide Register-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lauritsen, Marlene Briciet; Pedersen, Carsten Bocker; Mortensen, Preben Bo

2005-01-01

Background: The etiology of autism is unknown. A strong genetic component has been detected but non-genetic factors may also be involved in the etiology. Methods: We used data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register and the Danish Civil Registration System to study some risk factors of autism, including place of birth, parental place of…

The Danish Youth Cohort: characteristics of participants and non-participants and determinants of attrition.

PubMed

Vinther-Larsen, Mathilde; Riegels, Mette; Rod, Morten Hulvej; Schiøtz, Michaela; Curtis, Tine; Grønbaek, Morten

2010-08-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the design and methods used in the Danish Youth Cohort and to give a description of the study participants with special attention to a comparison between participants and non-participants regarding sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 1,945 schools were invited, out of which 506 participated. The participating 7th grades comprised a total of 12,498 responding adolescents. The response rate for the Danish Youth Cohort established in 2005 was 63%. The sample of 12,498 adolescents represents 18.2% of all pupils (n = 68,764) in the 7th grade (mean age: 13.4 years) in Danish schools in 2005. The cohort was followed up in spring 2006 and spring 2007, where the adolescents were in the 8th (mean age: 14.4 years) and 9th (mean age: 15.3 years) grades, respectively. We found that compared with non-participants the participants were significantly more likely to be girls, to be of Danish ethnicity, and to live in one-family houses. Furthermore, participants more often came from families with two or three children, were more likely to have parents with a high occupational status, parents who were married and parents with a higher total income. Loss to follow-up was only associated with adolescents' higher probability of drinking and use of tobacco, and none of the other factors were associated with attrition. The participants in the Danish Youth Cohort represent a great variety of different groups of socio-demographic factors, although they differ from non-participants as regards a range of socio-demographic factors. This should be taken into account in future analyses.

Family occurrence of autoimmune hepatitis: A Danish nationwide registry-based cohort study.

PubMed

Grønbæk, Lisbet; Vilstrup, Hendrik; Pedersen, Lars; Christensen, Kaare; Jepsen, Peter

2018-06-06

It is widely believed that autoimmune hepatitis accumulates in families, but the degree of familial clustering has not been clarified. We conducted a population-based study on the family occurrence of autoimmune hepatitis. Through Danish nationwide registries we identified 8,582 first-degree and 9,230 second-degree relatives of index patients diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in 1994-2015; and 64 co-twins of index patients diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in 1977-2011. For first- and second-degree relatives we calculated the sex- and age-adjusted standardized incidence ratio of autoimmune hepatitis relative to the general population, and we calculated the cumulative risk, i.e. the cumulative incidence, of developing autoimmune hepatitis from the time of the index patient's diagnosis. For co-twins, we estimated the standardized incidence ratio and the concordance rate of autoimmune hepatitis. In first-degree relatives, there were six incident autoimmune hepatitis diagnoses during 64,020 years of follow-up: the standardized incidence ratio was 4.9 (95% CI 1.8-10.7), and the 10-year cumulative risk was 0.10% (95% CI 0.04-0.23). In the second-degree relatives, there were no incident autoimmune hepatitis diagnoses (expected number assuming incidence rate as in the Danish general population = 0.8). In the co-twins, there was one incident autoimmune hepatitis diagnosis during 1,112 years of follow-up, and the standardized incidence ratio was 53.9 (95% CI 1.4-300.4). The probandwise concordance rate, a measure of heritability, was higher in monozygotic than in dizygotic twins (8.7% [95% CI 1.1-28.0] vs. 0%). This nationwide study indicates that only first-degree relatives of index patients with autoimmune hepatitis are at increased risk of autoimmune hepatitis from the time of the index patient's diagnosis, but the absolute risk is very low. Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic liver disease caused by a dysfunctional immune system. It is widely believed that autoimmune hepatitis accumulates in families. We studied the family members of patients with autoimmune hepatitis from the entire Danish population. We found that autoimmune hepatitis does accumulate in families, but the risk of autoimmune hepatitis in the family members is very low. Copyright © 2018 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Caspase-9 mediates synaptic plasticity and memory deficits of Danish dementia knock-in mice: caspase-9 inhibition provides therapeutic protection.

PubMed

Tamayev, Robert; Akpan, Nsikan; Arancio, Ottavio; Troy, Carol M; D'Adamio, Luciano

2012-12-10

Mutations in either Aβ Precursor protein (APP) or genes that regulate APP processing, such as BRI2/ITM2B and PSEN1/PSEN2, cause familial dementias. Although dementias due to APP/PSEN1/PSEN2 mutations are classified as familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) and those due to mutations in BRI2/ITM2B as British and Danish dementias (FBD, FDD), data suggest that these diseases have a common pathogenesis involving toxic APP metabolites. It was previously shown that FAD mutations in APP and PSENs promote activation of caspases leading to the hypothesis that aberrant caspase activation could participate in AD pathogenesis. Here, we tested whether a similar mechanism applies to the Danish BRI2/ITM2B mutation. We have generated a genetically congruous mouse model of FDD, called FDD(KI), which presents memory and synaptic plasticity deficits. We found that caspase-9 is activated in hippocampal synaptic fractions of FDD(KI) mice and inhibition of caspase-9 activity rescues both synaptic plasticity and memory deficits. These data directly implicate caspase-9 in the pathogenesis of Danish dementia and suggest that reducing caspase-9 activity is a valid therapeutic approach to treating human dementias.

Caspase-9 mediates synaptic plasticity and memory deficits of Danish dementia knock-in mice: caspase-9 inhibition provides therapeutic protection

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Mutations in either Aβ Precursor protein (APP) or genes that regulate APP processing, such as BRI2/ITM2B and PSEN1/PSEN2, cause familial dementias. Although dementias due to APP/PSEN1/PSEN2 mutations are classified as familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) and those due to mutations in BRI2/ITM2B as British and Danish dementias (FBD, FDD), data suggest that these diseases have a common pathogenesis involving toxic APP metabolites. It was previously shown that FAD mutations in APP and PSENs promote activation of caspases leading to the hypothesis that aberrant caspase activation could participate in AD pathogenesis. Results Here, we tested whether a similar mechanism applies to the Danish BRI2/ITM2B mutation. We have generated a genetically congruous mouse model of FDD, called FDDKI, which presents memory and synaptic plasticity deficits. We found that caspase-9 is activated in hippocampal synaptic fractions of FDDKI mice and inhibition of caspase-9 activity rescues both synaptic plasticity and memory deficits. Conclusion These data directly implicate caspase-9 in the pathogenesis of Danish dementia and suggest that reducing caspase-9 activity is a valid therapeutic approach to treating human dementias. PMID:23217200

Danish dementia mice suggest that loss of function and not the amyloid cascade causes synaptic plasticity and memory deficits

PubMed Central

Tamayev, Robert; Matsuda, Shuji; Fà, Mauro; Arancio, Ottavio; D’Adamio, Luciano

2010-01-01

According to the prevailing “amyloid cascade hypothesis,” genetic dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are caused by amyloid deposits that trigger tauopathy, neurodegeneration, and behavioral/cognitive alterations. To efficiently reproduce amyloid lesions, murine models of human dementias invariably use transgenic expression systems. However, recent FDD transgenic models showed that Danish amyloidosis does not cause memory defects, suggesting that other mechanisms cause Danish dementia. We studied an animal knock-in model of FDD (FDDKI/+) genetically congruous with human cases. FDDKI/+ mice present reduced Bri2 levels, impaired synaptic plasticity and severe hippocampal memory deficits. These animals show no cerebral lesions that are reputed characteristics of human dementia, such as tangles or amyloid plaques. Bri2+/− mice exhibit synaptic and memory deficits similar to FDDKI/+ mice, and memory loss of FDDKI/+ mice is prevented by expression of WT BRI2, indicating that Danish dementia is caused by loss of BRI2 function. Together, the data suggest that clinical dementia in Danish patients occurs via a loss of function mechanism and not as a result of amyloidosis and tauopathy. PMID:21098268

Danish dementia mice suggest that loss of function and not the amyloid cascade causes synaptic plasticity and memory deficits.

PubMed

Tamayev, Robert; Matsuda, Shuji; Fà, Mauro; Arancio, Ottavio; D'Adamio, Luciano

2010-11-30

According to the prevailing "amyloid cascade hypothesis," genetic dementias such as Alzheimer's disease and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are caused by amyloid deposits that trigger tauopathy, neurodegeneration, and behavioral/cognitive alterations. To efficiently reproduce amyloid lesions, murine models of human dementias invariably use transgenic expression systems. However, recent FDD transgenic models showed that Danish amyloidosis does not cause memory defects, suggesting that other mechanisms cause Danish dementia. We studied an animal knock-in model of FDD (FDD(KI/+)) genetically congruous with human cases. FDD(KI/+) mice present reduced Bri2 levels, impaired synaptic plasticity and severe hippocampal memory deficits. These animals show no cerebral lesions that are reputed characteristics of human dementia, such as tangles or amyloid plaques. Bri2(+/-) mice exhibit synaptic and memory deficits similar to FDD(KI/+) mice, and memory loss of FDD(KI/+) mice is prevented by expression of WT BRI2, indicating that Danish dementia is caused by loss of BRI2 function. Together, the data suggest that clinical dementia in Danish patients occurs via a loss of function mechanism and not as a result of amyloidosis and tauopathy.

Population and Family Planning Education, Report of a Seminar (Holte, Denmark, July 3-28, 1972).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1972

In July 1972, DANIDA and the Danish Family Planning Association provided delegations from selected countries the opportunity to devise teaching programs on population and family planning topics for 9-to 11-year-olds. Participants from the Arab Republic of Egypt, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines attended the meeting with Danish…

Bovine renal lipofuscinosis: prevalence, genetics and impact on milk production and weight at slaughter in Danish cattle.

PubMed

Agerholm, Jørgen S; Christensen, Knud; Nielsen, Søren Saxmose; Flagstad, Pia

2009-02-12

Bovine renal lipofuscinosis (BRL) is an incidental finding in cattle at slaughter. Condemnation of the kidneys as unfit for human consumption was until recently considered the only implication of BRL. Recent studies have indicated a negative influence on the health of affected animals. The present study investigated the prevalence, genetics and effect of BRL on milk yield and weight at slaughter. BRL status of slaughter cattle was recorded at four abattoirs during a 2-year-period. Data regarding breed, age, genetic descent, milk yield and weight at slaughter were extracted from the Danish Cattle Database. The prevalence of BRL was estimated stratified by breed and age-group. Furthermore, total milk yield, milk yield in last full lactation and weight at slaughter were compared for BRL-affected and non-affected Danish Holsteins and Danish Red cattle. 433,759 bovines were slaughtered and 787 of these had BRL. BRL was mainly diagnosed in Danish Red, Danish Holstein and crossbreds. The age of BRL affected animals varied from 11 months to 13 years, but BRL was rarely diagnosed in cattle less than 2 years of age.The total lifelong energy corrected milk (ECM) yields were 3,136 and 4,083 kg higher for BRL affected Danish Red and Danish Holsteins, respectively. However, the median life span of affected animals was 4.9 months longer, and age-corrected total milk yield was 1,284 kg lower for BRL affected Danish Red cows. These cows produced 318 kg ECM less in their last full lactation. Weight at slaughter was not affected by BRL status.The cases occurred in patterns consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance and several family clusters of BRL were found. Analysis of segregation ratios demonstrated the expected ratio for Danish Red cattle, but not for Danish Holsteins. The study confirmed that BRL is a common finding in Danish Holsteins and Danish Red cattle at slaughter. The disorder is associated with increased total milk yield due to a longer production life. However, a reduced milk yield was detected in the end of the production life in Danish Red. The study supports that BRL is inherited autosomal recessively in the Danish Red breed and Danish Holsteins, but with incomplete penetrance of the genotype in Danish Holsteins.

Social Origin and Graduation Age: A Cohort Comparison of Danish University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klausen, Trond Beldo

2016-01-01

This paper investigates whether social origin has an impact on graduation age among university students. A large number of social background factors are applied on a large data set of 4 successive cohorts of Danish university graduates born 1960-1975. These are cohorts for whom university attendance increased steeply. Contrary to recent findings…

Sharing reference data and including cows in the reference population improve genomic predictions in Danish Jersey.

PubMed

Su, G; Ma, P; Nielsen, U S; Aamand, G P; Wiggans, G; Guldbrandtsen, B; Lund, M S

2016-06-01

Small reference populations limit the accuracy of genomic prediction in numerically small breeds, such like Danish Jersey. The objective of this study was to investigate two approaches to improve genomic prediction by increasing size of reference population in Danish Jersey. The first approach was to include North American Jersey bulls in Danish Jersey reference population. The second was to genotype cows and use them as reference animals. The validation of genomic prediction was carried out on bulls and cows, respectively. In validation on bulls, about 300 Danish bulls (depending on traits) born in 2005 and later were used as validation data, and the reference populations were: (1) about 1050 Danish bulls, (2) about 1050 Danish bulls and about 1150 US bulls. In validation on cows, about 3000 Danish cows from 87 young half-sib families were used as validation data, and the reference populations were: (1) about 1250 Danish bulls, (2) about 1250 Danish bulls and about 1150 US bulls, (3) about 1250 Danish bulls and about 4800 cows, (4) about 1250 Danish bulls, 1150 US bulls and 4800 Danish cows. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction model was used to predict breeding values. De-regressed proofs were used as response variables. In the validation on bulls for eight traits, the joint DK-US bull reference population led to higher reliability of genomic prediction than the DK bull reference population for six traits, but not for fertility and longevity. Averaged over the eight traits, the gain was 3 percentage points. In the validation on cows for six traits (fertility and longevity were not available), the gain from inclusion of US bull in reference population was 6.6 percentage points in average over the six traits, and the gain from inclusion of cows was 8.2 percentage points. However, the gains from cows and US bulls were not accumulative. The total gain of including both US bulls and Danish cows was 10.5 percentage points. The results indicate that sharing reference data and including cows in reference population are efficient approaches to increase reliability of genomic prediction. Therefore, genomic selection is promising for numerically small population.

Family history, place and season of birth as risk factors for schizophrenia in Denmark: a replication and reanalysis.

PubMed

Pedersen, C B; Mortensen, P B

2001-07-01

Although a family history of schizophrenia is the strongest individual risk factor for schizophrenia, environmental factors related to urbanicity may contribute to a substantial proportion of the population occurrence of the disease. This study replicates previous findings in four mutually exclusive Danish study populations, including out-patient information, ICD-10 diagnoses of schizophrenia, and a broader adjustment for mental illness in family members. We established a population-based cohort of 2.66 million Danish people using data from the Civil Registration System linked with the Psychiatric Case Register. Overall, 10 264 persons developed schizophrenia during the 50.7 million person-years of follow-up. The risk of schizophrenia was increased by urbanicity of place of birth and by family history of schizophrenia or other mental disorders. Urban-rural differences of schizophrenia risk were replicated and could not be associated with the potential sources of bias we assessed. Environmental factors underlying the effect of place of birth are major determinants of schizophrenia occurrence at the population level, although the effect of family history is the strongest at the individual level.

Chronic family stress moderates the association between a TOMM40 variant and triglyceride levels in two independent Caucasian samples.

PubMed

Jiang, Rong; Brummett, Beverly H; Hauser, Elizabeth R; Babyak, Michael A; Siegler, Ilene C; Singh, Abanish; Astrup, Arne; Pedersen, Oluf; Hansen, Torben; Holst, Claus; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Williams, Redford B

2013-04-01

TOMM40 SNP rs157580 has been associated with triglyceride levels in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Chronic caregiving stress moderates the association between triglyceride levels and a nearby SNP rs439401 that is associated with triglyceride levels in GWAS. Here, we report data from two independent Caucasian samples (242 U.S. women and men; 466 Danish men) testing the hypothesis that chronic family stress also moderates the association between rs157580 and triglyceride levels. The interaction of rs157580 and family stress in predicting triglyceride levels was statistically significant in the U.S. sample (p=0.004) and marginally significant (p=0.075) in the Danish sample. The G allele of rs157580 was associated with increased triglyceride levels among family stressed cases in both samples compared with A/A cases, but not among controls. Chronic family stress moderates the association of rs157580 variants with triglyceride levels and should be taken into account for disease risk assessment and potential intervention. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Danish dairy farmers' perception of biosecurity.

PubMed

Kristensen, Erling; Jakobsen, Esben B

2011-05-01

To implement biosecurity measures at farm-level is a motivational challenge to dairy farmers as emerging diseases and their consequences largely are unpredictable. One of the reasons for this challenge is that outcomes are more likely to benefit society than the individual farmer. From the individual farmer's point of view the impacts of zoonotic risk, international trade and welfare concerns appear less obvious than the direct costs at farm-level. Consequently, a social dilemma may arise where collective interests are at odds with private interests. To improve biosecurity at farm-level farmers must be motivated to change behavior in the 'right' direction which could provide selfish farmers with unintended possibilities to exploit the level of biosecurity provided by other dairy farmers' collective actions. Farmers' perception of risk of disease introduction into a dairy herd was explored by means of Q-methodology. Participating farmers owned very large dairy herds and were selected for this study because Danish legislation since 2008 has required that larger farms develop and implement a farm specific biosecurity plan. However, a year from introduction of this requirement, none of the participating farmers had developed a biosecurity plan. Farmers' perception of biosecurity could meaningfully be described by four families of perspectives, labeled: cooperatives; confused; defectors, and introvert. Interestingly, all families of perspectives agreed that sourcing of animals from established dealers represented the highest risk to biosecurity at farm-level. Farmers and policy-makers are faced with important questions about biosecurity at farm-level related to the sanctioning system within the contextual framework of social dilemmas. To solve these challenges we propose the development of a market-mediated system to (1) reduce the risk of free-riders, and (2) provide farmers with incentives to improve biosecurity at farm-level. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Patterns of Family Instability and Crime: The Association of Timing of the Family's Disruption with Subsequent Adolescent and Young Adult Criminality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mednick, Birgitte R.; And Others

1990-01-01

Data from 408 males, aged 19 to 21 years, who participated in an 18-year follow-up study of a Danish Prospective Perinatal Cohort were analyzed to assess correlates of family disruption/instability and criminality/delinquency. Age, gender, divorce-related, socioeconomic, and parental influences were assessed. (TJH)

[Interpretation in the Danish health-care system].

PubMed

Lund Hansen, Marianne Taulo; Nielsen, Signe Smith

2013-03-04

Communication between health professional and patient is central for treatment and patient safety in the health-care system. This systematic review examines the last ten years of specialist literature concerning interpretation in the Danish health-care system. Structural search in two databases, screening of references and recommended literature from two scientists led to identification of seven relevant articles. The review showed that professional interpreters were not used consistently when needed. Family members were also used as interpreters. These results were supported by international investigations.

"Dieu a cree la femelle, l'homme a fait la femme." En rekognoscering i dansk og undenlandsk konssprogsforskning ("God Created the Female, Man Created Woman." A Reconnaissance in Danish and Foreign Research on Sex Differences and Language). ROLIG papir 32.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennicke, Annette

Research on sex differences and language includes the following (many titles are English translations): "Language--The Child, the Women, the Family"; "Woman and Man"; "In Society's Words"; "The Life of Words"; "Verbs and Women"; "Lines from a Ladies Luncheon"; "The History of the Danish Language"; "How Sex Roles Are Represented and Conserved in…

Coronary heart disease incidence among non-Western immigrants compared to Danish-born people: effect of country of birth, migrant status, and income.

PubMed

Bo, Anne; Zinckernagel, Line; Krasnik, Allan; Petersen, Jorgen H; Norredam, Marie

2015-10-01

Increasing global migration has made immigrants' health an important topic worldwide. We examined the effect of country of birth, migrant status (refugee/family-reunified) and income on coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence. This was a historical prospective register-based cohort study. The study cohort consisted of immigrants above 18 years from non-Western countries who had obtained a residence permit in Denmark as a refugee (n = 29,045) or as a family-reunified immigrant (n = 28,435) from 1 January 1993-31 December 1999 and a Danish-born reference population (n = 229,918). First-time CHD incidence was identified from 1 January 1993-31 December 2007. Incidence ratios for 11 immigrant groups were estimated using Cox regression analysis. Immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, the Former Yugoslavia, and the Middle East and North Africa had significantly higher incidences of CHD (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-1.75 to HR = 2.86; 95% CI: 2.01-4.08) compared with Danish-born people. Immigrants from Somalia, South and Middle America, Sub-Saharan Africa and women from East Asia and the Pacific did not differ significantly from Danish-born people, whereas immigrant men from East Asia and the Pacific had a significantly lower incidence (HR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.17-0.62). When also including migrant status, the higher incidences were reduced. Refugee men (HR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.11-1.65) and women (HR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.08-1.65) had a significantly higher incidence of CHD than family-reunified immigrants. When migrant status and income were included simultaneously, the incidences decreased to an insignificant level for most immigrant groups. Most non-Western immigrant groups had a higher incidence of CHD than Danish-born people. The study revealed that migrant status and income are important underlying mechanisms of the effect of country of birth on CHD. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Genetic and familial environmental effects on suicide attempts: a study of Danish adoptees and their biological and adoptive siblings.

PubMed

Petersen, Liselotte; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Kragh Andersen, Per; Mortensen, Preben Bo; Hawton, Keith

2014-02-01

Genetic factors have been found to influence the risk of suicide. It is less clear if this also applies to attempted suicide. We have investigated genetic and familial environmental factors by studying the occurrence of suicide attempts in biological and adoptive siblings of adoptees who attempted suicide compared to siblings of adoptees with no suicide attempts. We used a random sample of 1933 adoptees from the Danish Adoption Register, a register of non-familial adoptions of Danish children, i.e. the adoptive parents are biologically unrelated to the adoptee. Analyses were conducted on incidence rates of attempted suicide in biological and adoptive siblings given occurrence of attempted suicide in the adoptees while also taking into account psychiatric disorders. Information about suicidal attempt and history of psychiatric disorder was based on hospital admissions. The rate of attempted suicide in full siblings of adoptees who attempted suicide before age 60 years was higher than in full siblings of adoptees who had not attempted suicide (incidence rate ratios (IRR)=3.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.94-12.7). After adjustment for history of psychiatric admission of siblings the increased rate was statistically significant (IRR=3.88; 95% CI-1.42-10.6). Information on attempted suicide and psychiatric history was limited to that which involved hospitalisation. Genetic factors influence risk of suicide attempts. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Differences in hospital attendance for anaphylaxis between immigrants and non-immigrants: a cohort study.

PubMed

Norredam, M; Sheikh, A; Dynnes Svendsen, K; Holm Petersen, J; Garvey, L H; Kristiansen, M

2016-07-01

The impact of migration on the risk of anaphylaxis remains unknown. We hypothesized that non-Western immigrants have a lower incidence of anaphylaxis compared to Danish-born. We investigated variations in hospital attendance for anaphylaxis between immigrants and Danish-born including time- and age- trends. A register-based, historical prospective cohort design. Refugees or family reunified immigrants (n = 127 250) who, between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2010, obtained residency permits in Denmark were included and matched in a 1 : 6 ratio on age and sex with Danish-born individuals (n = 740 600). Personal identification numbers were cross-linked to the Danish National Patient Registry identifying all first-time hospital attendances for anaphylaxis from January 1, 1994 and December 31, 2010. Incidence rate ratios were estimated, stratified for sex and region of birth, adjusting for age using a Cox regression model including the influence of duration of residence and age when residence was obtained. In total 1053 hospital attendances for anaphylaxis were identified: 89 among non-Western immigrants, 9 among Western immigrants and 955 among Danish-born patients. Both male (RR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.46;0.90) and female (RR = 0.64; 95%CI: 0.48;0.85) non-Western immigrants had a significantly lower risk ratio of hospital attendance for anaphylaxis compared to Danish-born. Compared to Danish-born, non-Western immigrants living in Denmark during the entire follow-up period also showed a decreased risk (RR = 0.65; 95%CI: 0.34;1.25). Compared to Danish-born, non-Western immigrants who obtained residence permission as children had a decreased risk of hospital attendance for anaphylaxis (RR = 0.48; 95%CI: 0.25;0.91). This Danish register-based study using nationwide data revealed fewer hospital attendances for anaphylaxis among non-Western immigrants compared to Danish-born; however this protection was lost over time. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Abdullah's Genuine Indonesian Curry Powder--about Early Readers and Differentiated Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Vagn Rabol; Robenhagen, Ole

A study established some characteristics of early readers and their homes and families, how they learned to read, and how their surroundings, and particularly the school, reacted. Approximately 300 Danish early readers and their families were interviewed and completed questionnaires. Results indicated that: (1) half the early readers had either a…

Assessment of exposure to EMF in a Danish case-control study of childhood cancer.

PubMed

Jensen, J K; Olsen, J H; Folkersen, E

1994-01-01

In Denmark it is permitted to draw overhead lines across residential areas. In connection with a Danish case-control study we developed a method for estimating the historical values of magnetic fields at residences. The study included 1,707 cases with childhood cancer and 4,788 matched population controls. A total of 16,082 different addresses had been occupied by the families from the time of conception until the date of diagnosis. The values of the extreme, maximum, middle and minimum 50 Hz magnetic field strengths originating from a 50-400 kV high-voltage installation were estimated for each of the dwellings included in a potential exposure area. 30 children were exposed to an average level of magnetic fields of 0.1 microT or more. The evaluated Danish method of exposure assessment was compared with the method for residential wiring codes developed by Wertheimer and Leeper /1/. We concluded that the US wiring codes are inappropriate for use in connection with the Danish electricity transmission system.

Familial resemblance in religiousness in a secular society: a twin study.

PubMed

Hvidtjørn, Dorte; Petersen, Inge; Hjelmborg, Jacob; Skytthe, Axel; Christensen, Kaare; Hvidt, Niels C

2013-04-01

It is well known that human behavior and individual psychological traits are moderately to substantially heritable. Over the past decade, an increasing number of studies have explored the genetic and environmental influence on religiousness. These studies originate predominantly from countries generally considered more religious than the very secular northern European countries. Comparisons of the results are complicated by diverse definitions of religiousness, but several studies indicate that the influence of the family environment is most predominant in early life, whereas genetic influences increase with age. We performed a population-based twin study of religiousness in a secular society using data from a Web-based survey sent to 6,707 Danish twins born 1970-1989, who were identified in the Danish Twin Registry. We applied Fishman's three conceptual dimensions of religiousness: cognition, practice, and importance. In all polygenic models and biometric analyses, we controlled for gender and age. The study sample comprised 2,237 same sex twins, a response rate of 45%. We found high correlations within both monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs in most items of religiousness, indicating a large influence from shared environmental factors. Personal religiousness such as praying to God, believing in God, and finding strength and comfort in religion were more influenced by genetic factors than were social forms of religiousness such as church attendance. We found a small tendency for increasing genetic influence with increasing age for some religious items, but not for all.

Modeling familial British and Danish dementia.

PubMed

Garringer, Holly J; Murrell, Jill; D'Adamio, Luciano; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben

2010-03-01

Familial British dementia (FBD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are two autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases caused by mutations in the BRI ( 2 ) gene. FBD and FDD are characterized by widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), parenchymal amyloid deposition, and neurofibrillary tangles. Transgenic mice expressing wild-type and mutant forms of the BRI(2) protein, Bri ( 2 ) knock-in mutant mice, and Bri ( 2 ) gene knock-out mice have been developed. Transgenic mice expressing a human FDD-mutated form of the BRI ( 2 ) gene have partially reproduced the neuropathological lesions observed in FDD. These mice develop extensive CAA, parenchymal amyloid deposition, and neuroinflammation in the central nervous system. These animal models allow the study of the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the neuronal dysfunction in these diseases and allow the development of potential therapeutic approaches for these and related neurodegenerative conditions. In this review, a comprehensive account of the advances in the development of animal models for FBD and FDD and of their relevance to the study of Alzheimer disease is presented.

Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis: A Danish population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Nielsen, Nete M; Westergaard, Tine; Frisch, Morten; Rostgaard, Klaus; Wohlfahrt, Jan; Koch-Henriksen, Nils; Melbye, Mads; Hjalgrim, Henrik

2006-07-01

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and multiple sclerosis (MS) contribute considerably to the burden of autoimmune diseases in young adults. Although HLA patterns of T1D and MS are considered mutually exclusive, individual and familial co-occurrence of the 2 diseases has been reported. To assess the co-occurrence of T1D and MS by estimating the risk for MS in patients with T1D and the risk for T1D in first-degree relatives of patients with MS. Two population-based disease registers, the Danish Hospital Discharge Register and the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Register were used to identify patients with T1D, defined as patients in whom diabetes was diagnosed before age 20 years (N = 6078), and patients with MS (N = 11 862). First-degree relatives (N = 14,771) of patients with MS were identified from family information in the Danish Civil Registration System. Patients with T1D and first-degree relatives of patients with MS were followed up for occurrence of MS and T1D, respectively, and the relative risks were expressed as standardized incidence ratios, that is, ratios of observed to expected numbers of outcomes based on national age, sex, and period-specific MS and T1D incidence rates. Patients with T1D were at more than 3-fold increased risk for development of MS (relative risk, 3.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.80-5.88; n = 11). First-degree relatives of patients with MS were at 63% increased risk (relative risk, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.26-2.12; n = 56) for development of T1D. However, adjusting for familial relationship to patients with T1D reduced the excess risk to 44% (relative risk, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.88; n = 56). The present nationwide cohort study demonstrates an intraindividual and, to a lesser degree, an intrafamilial co-occurrence of MS and T1D.

Does educational status impact adult mortality in Denmark? A twin approach.

PubMed

Madsen, Mia; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Christensen, Kaare; Andersen, Per Kragh; Osler, Merete

2010-07-15

To disentangle an independent effect of educational status on mortality risk from direct and indirect selection mechanisms, the authors used a discordant twin pair design, which allowed them to isolate the effect of education by means of adjustment for genetic and environmental confounding per design. The study is based on data from the Danish Twin Registry and Statistics Denmark. Using Cox regression, they estimated hazard ratios for mortality according to the highest attained education among 5,260 monozygotic and 11,088 dizygotic same-sex twin pairs born during 1921-1950 and followed during 1980-2008. Both standard cohort and intrapair analyses were conducted separately for zygosity, gender, and birth cohort. Educational differences in mortality were demonstrated in the standard cohort analyses but attenuated in the intrapair analyses in all subgroups but men born during 1921-1935, and no effect modification by zygosity was observed. Hence, the results are most compatible with an effect of early family environment in explaining the educational inequality in mortality. However, large educational differences were still reflected in mortality risk differences within twin pairs, thus supporting some degree of independent effect of education. In addition, the effect of education may be more pronounced in older cohorts of Danish men.

A genetic basis for infectious mononucleosis: evidence from a family study of hospitalized cases in Denmark.

PubMed

Rostgaard, Klaus; Wohlfahrt, Jan; Hjalgrim, Henrik

2014-06-01

Circumstantial evidence from genome-wide association and family studies of various Epstein-Barr virus-associated diseases suggests a substantial genetic component in infectious mononucleosis (IM) etiology. However, familial aggregation of IM has scarcely been studied. We used data from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register to study rate ratios of IM in a cohort of 2 823 583 Danish children born between 1971 and 2011. Specifically, we investigated the risk of IM in twins and in first-, second-, and third-degree relatives of patients with IM. In the analyses, IM was defined as a diagnosis of IM in a hospital contact. Effects of contagion between family members were dealt with by excluding follow-up time the first year after the occurrence of IM in a relative. A total of 16 870 cases of IM were observed during 40.4 million person-years of follow-up from 1977 to 2011. The rate ratios and the associated 95% confidence intervals were 9.3 (3.0-29) in same-sex twins, 3.0 (2.6-3.5) in siblings, 1.9 (1.6-2.2) in children, 1.4 (1.3-1.6) in second-degree relatives, and 1.0 (0.9-1.2) in third-degree relatives of IM patients. The rate ratios were very similar for IM in children (aged 0-6 years) and older children/adolescents (aged 7-19 years). We found evidence of familial aggregation of IM that warrants genome-wide association studies on IM disease etiology, especially to examine commonalities with causal pathways in other Epstein-Barr virus-related diseases. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Daily Report, Supplement, East Europe.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-28

science, technological strategic research, and humanistic , regional, innovative research for the needs of the Federal Assembly and federal...histories (Swedish, Danish, Nor- wegian...), but through certain " existential " characteris- tics. For example, how time was determined, what the family

Becoming a client of the Danish social service system increases stress in parents of disabled infants.

PubMed

Graungaard, Anette Hauskov; Skov, Liselotte; Andersen, John Sahl

2011-06-01

Parents of a young child with severe disabilities are facing a large range of new challenges; furthermore, most of these families have extended social needs regarding information, financial support, day care facilities, disability aids, etc. Many parents with disabled children have been found to be dissatisfied with social services. This study explores parents' experiences with Danish social services during their transition to a new daily life after the birth of a severely disabled child. Repeated qualitative interviews were performed individually with 16 parents of a severely disabled young child during the first two years after the diagnosis of the child's disabilities. Data were analysed using grounded theory. We found that the encounter with the social services increased stress in the families. Parental expectations were not met, especially regarding information; parents felt clientized, and obtaining social support was very resource consuming. Parents' needs regarding practical support and empathic case-working were not met and they spent much time and effort due to lacking continuity between sectors. Parents have specific needs when becoming clients in the social service system whose organisation of social services needs improvement. Health care professionals are advised to identify problems and support cooperation between the parents and the social service system, as well as to report the health-related consequences of prolonged and inefficient case-working for the child and its parents. was received from Socialministeriet, Landsforeningen LEV, Ronald McDonalds Børnefond, Susie og Peter Robinsohns fond, Rosalie Petersens fond, PLU-fonden, Ville Heises fond, Sygesikringens forskningsfond, Helsefonden, Elsass fonden. not relevant.

Autism spectrum disorder in individuals with anorexia nervosa and in their first- and second-degree relatives: Danish nationwide register-based cohort-study.

PubMed

Koch, Susanne V; Larsen, Janne T; Mouridsen, Svend E; Bentz, Mette; Petersen, Liselotte; Bulik, Cynthia; Mortensen, Preben B; Plessen, Kerstin J

2015-05-01

Clinical and population-based studies report increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in individuals with anorexia nervosa and in their relatives. No nationwide study has yet been published on co-occurrence of these disorders. To investigate comorbidity of ASD in individuals with anorexia nervosa, and aggregation of ASD and anorexia nervosa in their relatives. In Danish registers we identified all individuals born in 1981-2008, their parents, and full and half siblings, and linked them to data on hospital admissions for psychiatric disorders. Risk of comorbidity of ASD in probands with anorexia nervosa and aggregation of ASD in families of anorexia nervosa probands were increased. However, the risk of comorbid and familial ASD did not differ significantly from comorbid and familial major depression or any psychiatric disorder in anorexia nervosa probands. We confirm aggregation of ASD in probands with anorexia nervosa and in their relatives; however, the relationship between anorexia nervosa and ASD appears to be non-specific. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Heritability of the Number of Teeth in Middle-Aged and Older Danish Twins.

PubMed

Kurushima, Y; Silventoinen, K; Dokkedal, U; Skytthe, A; Mucci, L A; Christensen, K; Hjelmborg, J V B

2017-12-01

Tooth loss is a common health concern in older adults. We aimed to estimate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the variation in the number of teeth in middle-aged and older populations using a population-based cohort of Danish twins. The study included 5,269 Danish middle-aged or older twins who provided data on the number of teeth at baseline by structured interviews. The data were analyzed using univariate liability threshold modeling, stratified by sex and age, to estimate familial risk of tooth loss as well as estimates of heritability. In the whole cohorts, 23% of participants were edentate and 53% had retained 20 or more teeth. A statistical model including additive genetic factors and environmental factors partly shared by co-twins and partly unique to each individual twin gave the best statistical fit for the number of teeth in both age categories as well as in men and women. Overall, additive genetic factors explained 36% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 23% to 49%), common environmental factors 20% (95% CI: 9% to 31%), and unique environmental factors 44% (95% CI: 40% to 48%) of the total variation of the number of teeth. This study indicates that a substantial part of the variation in tooth loss is explained by genetic as well as environmental factors shared by co-twins. Our results implied that family background importantly affects tooth loss in both the middle-aged and the older populations. Family history is thus an important factor to take into account in dental health care.

Chronic Neurodegenerative Illnesses and Epilepsy in Danish Adventists and Baptists: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

PubMed

Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Gimsing, Louise NØrreslet; Bautz, Andrea; Hvidt, Niels Christian; Johansen, Christoffer

2017-01-01

Limited knowledge of the influence of lifestyle risk factors and religious living on chronic neurological diseases exists. Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) do not consume tobacco, alcohol, or pork, and many adhere to lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, and Baptists discourage excessive use of alcohol and tobacco. We investigated whether the incidence of four common chronic neurological illnesses: dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy in a large cohort of Danish Adventists and Baptists was different compared to the general Danish population. Three of the illnesses are neurodegenerative, whereas epilepsy can occur at any age. We compared hospital admission rates for some major neurological diseases among members of the Danish Religious Societies Health Study comprising 6,532 SDA and 3,720 Baptists with the general Danish population. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) stratified by sex, age, and calendar time were calculated. SIR of dementia or Alzheimer's disease was significantly decreased for members of both communities (SDA, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-#x2013;0.90 and Baptists, 0.59; 0.47-#x2013;0.73). The SIRs of Parkinson's disease and epilepsy were not significantly different compared to the general population. We observe reduced incidence for dementia or Alzheimer's disease in a large cohort of members of two religious communities characterized by lifestyle recommendations. More studies are needed to disentangle the interaction between such lifestyle and other components of the religious belief system.

Measuring Perceptions of the Learning Environment and Approaches to Learning: Validation of the Learn Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herrmann, Kim Jesper; Bager-Elsborg, Anna; Parpala, Anna

2017-01-01

While focus on quality in Danish higher education has been growing in recent years, limited attention has been devoted to developing and thoroughly validating instruments that allow collecting data about university students' perceptions of the teaching-learning environment. Based on data from a large sample of Danish university students, a Danish…

Children of Parents With Serious Mental Illness: With Whom Do They Grow Up? A Prospective, Population-Based Study.

PubMed

Ranning, Anne; Munk Laursen, Thomas; Thorup, Anne; Hjorthøj, Carsten; Nordentoft, Merete

2016-11-01

To provide an overview of living arrangements during childhood for children of parents with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Information was obtained from Danish registers on children's addresses and used to calculate the proportion living in different household living arrangements. The study was conducted as a prospective, register-based cohort study covering all children in the entire Danish population born after 1982 (N = 1,823,625) and their parents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or none of these disorders. Regression analyses were performed assessing the risk of dissolution of the conjugal family. Children's living arrangements were characterized by fewer nuclear families and more single-parent-headed households when parents had serious mental illness (SMI). From birth, 15% to 20% of children lived with a single mother with SMI. Conjugal families were dissolved at higher rates if a parent had SMI, especially if the mother (incidence rate ratio 2.98; 95% CI 2.80-3.17) or the father (incidence rate ratio 2.60; 95% CI 2.47-2.74) had schizophrenia. Risks for family dissolution varied greatly with parents' socioeconomic position in all diagnostic groups. Parents' SMI affects children's family living arrangements because fewer children live with both parents and more children live with a single parent or are separated from both parents. Family cohesion seems especially difficult to maintain when parents have schizophrenia. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does Educational Status Impact Adult Mortality in Denmark? A Twin Approach

PubMed Central

Madsen, Mia; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Christensen, Kaare; Andersen, Per Kragh; Osler, Merete

2010-01-01

To disentangle an independent effect of educational status on mortality risk from direct and indirect selection mechanisms, the authors used a discordant twin pair design, which allowed them to isolate the effect of education by means of adjustment for genetic and environmental confounding per design. The study is based on data from the Danish Twin Registry and Statistics Denmark. Using Cox regression, they estimated hazard ratios for mortality according to the highest attained education among 5,260 monozygotic and 11,088 dizygotic same-sex twin pairs born during 1921–1950 and followed during 1980–2008. Both standard cohort and intrapair analyses were conducted separately for zygosity, gender, and birth cohort. Educational differences in mortality were demonstrated in the standard cohort analyses but attenuated in the intrapair analyses in all subgroups but men born during 1921–1935, and no effect modification by zygosity was observed. Hence, the results are most compatible with an effect of early family environment in explaining the educational inequality in mortality. However, large educational differences were still reflected in mortality risk differences within twin pairs, thus supporting some degree of independent effect of education. In addition, the effect of education may be more pronounced in older cohorts of Danish men. PMID:20530466

Comparison of the organic waste management systems in the Danish-German border region using life cycle assessment (LCA).

PubMed

Jensen, Morten Bang; Møller, Jacob; Scheutz, Charlotte

2016-03-01

This study assessed the management of the organic household waste in the Danish-German border region and points out major differences between the systems and their potential effects on the environment using life cycle assessment (LCA). The treatment of organic waste from households in the Danish-German border region is very different on each side of the border; the Danish region only uses incineration for the treatment of organic household waste while the German region includes combined biogas production and composting, mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) and incineration. Data on all parts of the organic waste treatment was collected including waste composition data and data from treatment facilities and their respective energy systems. Based on that the organic waste management systems in the border region were modelled using the EASETECH waste management LCA-model. The main output is a life cycle assessment showing large differences in the environmental performance of the two different regions with the Danish region performing better in 10 out of 14 impact categories. Furthermore, the importance of the substituted district heating systems was investigated showing an impact up to 34% of the entire system for one impact category and showing large difference between each heating system substituted, e.g. in "Global Warming" the impact was from -16 to -1.1 milli person equivalent/tonne treated waste from substitution of centralised hard coal and decentralised natural gas, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differences in stage of disease between migrant women and native Danish women diagnosed with cancer: results from a population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Norredam, Marie; Krasnik, Allan; Pipper, Christian; Keiding, Niels

2008-06-01

The aim of the study is to compare differences in cancer stage at diagnosis between migrant women and native Danish women. The stage is used as a clinical indicator of access to healthcare until the point of diagnosis. Refugees and family reunited migrants who received residence permits in Denmark from 1 January 1993 to 31 December 1999 were included and matched 1 : 4 on age and sex with a Danish-born reference population. Our final female population included 24 734 migrants and 123 670 controls. Civil registration numbers of the cohort were linked to the Danish Cancer Registry whereby cases were identified in the period 1.1.1993-31.12.2002. Only women from Eastern Europe and the Middle East were included. This amounted to 269 migrants and 1608 native Danes. Data from the Danish Cancer Registry included diagnosis, time of diagnosis and disease stage at diagnosis. Our initial analyses of migrant subgroups showed that migrant women had decreased odds ratios of being diagnosed at the local stage and increased odds of having unknown stage, although these tendencies were mainly not statistically significant. A subsequent analysis of an overall migrant effect on all cancer sites emphasized these tendencies. This analysis reached borderline significance for local versus nonlocal stage and significance for unknown versus known stage. Our results indicate that migrant women may experience barriers in access to healthcare until cancer diagnosis compared with Danish women. More research is, however, needed to confirm our results and to find out if they indicate general problems concerning migrants' access to healthcare in Denmark.

Proteomic characterization of a mouse model of familial Danish dementia.

PubMed

Vitale, Monica; Renzone, Giovanni; Matsuda, Shuji; Scaloni, Andrea; D'Adamio, Luciano; Zambrano, Nicola

2012-01-01

A dominant mutation in the ITM2B/BRI2 gene causes familial Danish dementia (FDD) in humans. To model FDD in animal systems, a knock-in approach was recently implemented in mice expressing a wild-type and mutant allele, which bears the FDD-associated mutation. Since these FDD(KI) mice show behavioural alterations and impaired synaptic function, we characterized their synaptosomal proteome via two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis. After identification by nanoliquid chromatography coupled to electrospray-linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry, the differentially expressed proteins were classified according to their gene ontology descriptions and their predicted functional interactions. The Dlg4/Psd95 scaffold protein and additional signalling proteins, including protein phosphatases, were revealed by STRING analysis as potential players in the altered synaptic function of FDD(KI) mice. Immunoblotting analysis finally demonstrated the actual downregulation of the synaptosomal scaffold protein Dlg4/Psd95 and of the dual-specificity phosphatase Dusp3 in the synaptosomes of FDD(KI) mice.

Proteomic Characterization of a Mouse Model of Familial Danish Dementia

PubMed Central

Vitale, Monica; Renzone, Giovanni; Matsuda, Shuji; Scaloni, Andrea; D'Adamio, Luciano; Zambrano, Nicola

2012-01-01

A dominant mutation in the ITM2B/BRI2 gene causes familial Danish dementia (FDD) in humans. To model FDD in animal systems, a knock-in approach was recently implemented in mice expressing a wild-type and mutant allele, which bears the FDD-associated mutation. Since these FDDKI mice show behavioural alterations and impaired synaptic function, we characterized their synaptosomal proteome via two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis. After identification by nanoliquid chromatography coupled to electrospray-linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometry, the differentially expressed proteins were classified according to their gene ontology descriptions and their predicted functional interactions. The Dlg4/Psd95 scaffold protein and additional signalling proteins, including protein phosphatases, were revealed by STRING analysis as potential players in the altered synaptic function of FDDKI mice. Immunoblotting analysis finally demonstrated the actual downregulation of the synaptosomal scaffold protein Dlg4/Psd95 and of the dual-specificity phosphatase Dusp3 in the synaptosomes of FDDKI mice. PMID:22619496

[Early achievements of the Danish pharmaceutical industry--3. Alfred Benzon].

PubMed

Grevsen, Jørgen V; Kirkegaard, Hanne; Kruse, Edith; Kruse, Poul R

2011-01-01

The article series provides a written and pictorial account of the Danish pharmaceutical industry's products from their introduction until about 1950. Part 3 deals with products from the company founded by Alfred Benzon in 1849. Alfred Nicolai Benzon owned the Swan Pharmacy in Copenhagen. In 1863 he started an independent company manufacturing branded pharmaceuticals, thus combining the pharmacy's activities with the wholesale business. The family owned the company until 1952, when it was converted into a foundation. After several restructuring rounds, the medicine production business continued as Benzon Pharma A/S until 1990, when Nycomed Pharma A/S bought up all the branded pharmaceuticals. As the first pharmaceutical company in Denmark, Alfred Benzon was an industrial frontrunner in the country at the time, supplying not only the domestic market but foreign markets as well. Alfred Benzon was the first Danish company to produce ether for anesthesia, and malt extract, a dietetic preparation. The high quality of both products made them valuable export articles. In the early 1890s, Alfred Benzon became the first Danish company to start the research-based production of extract of thyroid glands from slaughtered cattle. This was the beginning of a long-standing specialization in producing organotherapeutic substances from animal organs originating from Danish animal husbandry. In 1932 the company had 26 preparations of this type in its range, many of them on the market for several years. These medicine substances included iron preparations and effervescent salts followed by sulfonamides, synthetic hormones and a substance to counteract motion sickness.

The association between fluoride in drinking water and dental caries in Danish children. Linking data from health registers, environmental registers and administrative registers.

PubMed

Kirkeskov, Lilli; Kristiansen, Eva; Bøggild, Henrik; von Platen-Hallermund, Frants; Sckerl, Halfdan; Carlsen, Anders; Larsen, M Joost; Poulsen, Sven

2010-06-01

To study the association between fluoride concentration in drinking water and dental caries in Danish children. The study linked registry data on fluoride concentration in drinking water over a 10-year period with data on dental caries from the Danish National Board of Health database on child dental health for 5-year-old children born in 1989 and 1999, and for 15-year-old children born in 1979 and 1989. The number of children included in the cohorts varied between 41.000 and 48.000. Logistic regression was used to assess the correlations, adjusting for gender and taxable family income as a proxy variable for socioeconomic status.   Fluoride concentration in drinking water varied considerably within the country from very low (<0.10 mg/l) to more than 1.5 mg/l. Only little variation was found over the 10-year study period. Dental caries in both 5-year-olds and 15-year-olds decreased over the study period. An inverse relation between the risk of dental caries and fluoride concentration in drinking water was found in both primary and permanent teeth. The risk was reduced by approximately 20% already at the lowest level of fluoride exposure (0.125-0.25mg/l). At the highest level of fluoride exposure (>1 mg/l), a reduction of approximately 50% was found. Similar findings were found if analysis was limited to children residing in the same place during the entire study period. The study confirmed previous findings of an inverse relation between fluoride concentration in the drinking water and dental caries in children. This correlation was found in spite of the extensive use of fluoridated toothpaste and caries-preventive programs implemented by the municipal dental services in Denmark. Linking Danish health registers with environmental and administrative registers offers an opportunity for obtaining sample sizes large enough to identify health effect, which otherwise could not be identified. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy and parenchymal amyloid deposition in transgenic mice expressing the Danish mutant form of human BRI2.

PubMed

Vidal, Ruben; Barbeito, Ana G; Miravalle, Leticia; Ghetti, Bernardino

2009-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by the presence of cataracts, hearing impairment, cerebellar ataxia and dementia. Neuropathologically, FDD is characterized by the presence of widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), parenchymal amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles. FDD is caused by a 10-nucleotide duplication-insertion in the BRI(2) gene that generates a larger-than-normal precursor protein, of which the Danish amyloid subunit (ADan) comprises the last 34 amino acids. Here, we describe a transgenic mouse model for FDD (Tg-FDD) in which the mouse Prnp (prion protein) promoter drives the expression of the Danish mutant form of human BRI(2). The main neuropathological findings in Tg-FDD mice are the presence of widespread CAA and parenchymal deposition of ADan. In addition, we observe the presence of amyloid-associated gliosis, an inflammatory response and deposition of oligomeric ADan. As the animals aged, they showed abnormal grooming behavior, an arched back, and walked with a wide-based gait and shorter steps. This mouse model may give insights on the pathogenesis of FDD and will prove useful for the development of therapeutics. Moreover, the study of Tg-FDD mice may offer new insights into the role of amyloid in neurodegeneration in other disorders, including Alzheimer disease.

Breast implants and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma: a danish population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Vase, Maja Ølholm; Friis, Søren; Bautz, Andrea; Bendix, Knud; Sørensen, Henrik Toft; d'Amore, Francesco

2013-11-01

A potential link between breast implants and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) has been suggested. We examined lymphoma occurrence in a nationwide cohort of 19,885 Danish women who underwent breast implant surgery during 1973-2010. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR), with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for ALCL and lymphoma overall associated with breast implantation were calculated. During 179,246 person-years of follow-up, we observed 31 cases of lymphoma among cohort members. No cases of ALCL were identified. SIRs for ALCL and lymphoma overall were zero (95% CI, 0-10.3) and 1.20 (95% CI, 0.82-1.70), respectively. In our nationwide cohort study, we did not find an increased risk of lymphoma in general, or ALCL in particular, among Danish women who underwent breast implantation. However, our evaluation of ALCL risk was limited by the rarity of the disease. Our results do not support an association between breast implants and ALCL and are consistent with other studies on cancer risk and breast implants. ©2013 AACR.

In-utero exposure to bereavement and offspring IQ: a Danish national cohort study.

PubMed

Virk, Jasveer; Obel, Carsten; Li, Jiong; Olsen, Jørn

2014-01-01

Intelligence is a life-long trait that has strong influences on lifestyle, adult morbidity and life expectancy. Hence, lower cognitive abilities are therefore of public health interest. Our primary aim was to examine if prenatal bereavement measured as exposure to death of a close family member is associated with the intelligence quotient (IQ) scores at 18-years of age of adult Danish males completing a military cognitive screening examination. We extracted records for the Danish military screening test and found kinship links with biological parents, siblings, and maternal grandparents using the Danish Civil Registration System (N = 167,900). The prenatal exposure period was defined as 12 months before conception until birth of the child. We categorized children as exposed in utero to severe stress (bereavement) during prenatal life if their mothers lost an elder child, husband, parent or sibling during the prenatal period; the remaining children were included in the unexposed cohort. Mean score estimates were adjusted for maternal and paternal age at birth, residence, income, maternal education, gestational age at birth and birth weight. When exposure was due to death of a father the offsprings' mean IQ scores were lower among men completing the military recruitment exam compared to their unexposed counterparts, adjusted difference of 6.5 standard IQ points (p-value = 0.01). We did not observe a clinically significant association between exposure to prenatal maternal bereavement caused by death of a sibling, maternal uncle/aunt or maternal grandparent even after stratifying deaths only due to traumatic events. We found maternal bereavement to be adversely associated with IQ in male offspring, which could be related to prenatal stress exposure though more likely is due to changes in family conditions after death of the father. This finding supports other literature on maternal adversity during fetal life and cognitive development in the offspring.

Using "Number the Stars" as a Springboard for Doing Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Putman, Errol

2003-01-01

The Danish experience during the German occupation, presented through the experiences of the Rosen and Johansen families, provides the literary and historical background for the activities the author presents in this article. He designed the four activities for maximum student involvement, with each requiring students to respond to Lois Lowry's…

Functional examination of MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6 intronic mutations identified in Danish colorectal cancer patients.

PubMed

Petersen, Sanne M; Dandanell, Mette; Rasmussen, Lene J; Gerdes, Anne-Marie; Krogh, Lotte N; Bernstein, Inge; Okkels, Henrik; Wikman, Friedrik; Nielsen, Finn C; Hansen, Thomas V O

2013-10-03

Germ-line mutations in the DNA mismatch repair genes MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6 predispose to the development of colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer). These mutations include disease-causing frame-shift, nonsense, and splicing mutations as well as large genomic rearrangements. However, a large number of mutations, including missense, silent, and intronic variants, are classified as variants of unknown clinical significance. Intronic MLH1, MSH2, or MSH6 variants were investigated using in silico prediction tools and mini-gene assay to asses the effect on splicing. We describe in silico and in vitro characterization of nine intronic MLH1, MSH2, or MSH6 mutations identified in Danish colorectal cancer patients, of which four mutations are novel. The analysis revealed aberrant splicing of five mutations (MLH1 c.588 + 5G > A, MLH1 c.677 + 3A > T, MLH1 c.1732-2A > T, MSH2 c.1276 + 1G > T, and MSH2 c.1662-2A > C), while four mutations had no effect on splicing compared to wild type (MLH1 c.117-34A > T, MLH1 c.1039-8 T > A, MSH2 c.2459-18delT, and MSH6 c.3439-16C > T). In conclusion, we classify five MLH1/MSH2 mutations as pathogenic, whereas four MLH1/MSH2/MSH6 mutations are classified as neutral. This study supports the notion that in silico prediction tools and mini-gene assays are important for the classification of intronic variants, and thereby crucial for the genetic counseling of patients and their family members.

The Last Descendant of Tycho Brahe Lives in Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stavinschi, M.

On 24 October 1601 passed away, in the 55th year of his life, the great astronomer Tycho Brahe. Now, four centuries since his death, his last descendant is living in Romania: Lydia Baroness Løvendal-Papae. An encyclopedic culture and training as hers can rarely be found today; she also is an excellent specialist in genealogy and heraldry. She has not only the merit of studying the cosmic symbols in heraldry, but especially that of establishing the genealogical tree of the famous Danish astronomer. She also holds a genealogical record: as the last descendant of the old Danish dynasty, she descends from all European dynasties, including the founders of the Romanian countries. We shall dwell here neither upon the great personality of Tycho Brahe, nor on his role in the modern astronomy. We shall not refer to the Tycho catalogue resulted from the space mission Hipparcos. We shall dwell upon the ancient aristocratic family Brahe. The oldest firm mention goes as far back as in 1364, but there are data enough on the existence of some members of this family in the 13th century. The Brahe family was related to a no less famous family, that of the Barons Løvendal. One of the ancestors of Lydia Baroness Løvendal is the renowned Ulrik Frederik Voldemar, Baron, then Count Lovendal, marshal of France (1700-1755), whose name was assigned to one of the most important boulevards of Paris.

Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and Parenchymal Amyloid Deposition in Transgenic Mice Expressing the Danish Mutant Form of Human BRI2

PubMed Central

Vidal, Ruben; Barbeito, Ana G; Miravalle, Leticia; Ghetti, Bernardino

2009-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by the presence of cataracts, hearing impairment, cerebellar ataxia and dementia. Neuropathologically, FDD is characterized by the presence of widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), parenchymal amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles. FDD is caused by a 10-nucleotide duplication-insertion in the BRI2 gene that generates a larger-than-normal precursor protein, of which the Danish amyloid subunit (ADan) comprises the last 34 amino acids. Here, we describe a transgenic mouse model for FDD (Tg-FDD) in which the mouse Prnp (prion protein) promoter drives the expression of the Danish mutant form of human BRI2. The main neuropathological findings in Tg-FDD mice are the presence of widespread CAA and parenchymal deposition of ADan. In addition, we observe the presence of amyloid-associated gliosis, an inflammatory response and deposition of oligomeric ADan. As the animals aged, they showed abnormal grooming behavior, an arched back, and walked with a wide-based gait and shorter steps. This mouse model may give insights on the pathogenesis of FDD and will prove useful for the development of therapeutics. Moreover, the study of Tg-FDD mice may offer new insights into the role of amyloid in neurodegeneration in other disorders, including Alzheimer disease. PMID:18410407

The effects of becoming an entrepreneur on the use of psychotropics among entrepreneurs and their spouses.

PubMed

Dahl, Michael S; Nielsen, Jimmi; Mojtabai, Ramin

2010-12-01

Entering entrepreneurship (i.e. becoming an entrepreneur) is known to be a demanding activity with increased workload, financial uncertainty and increased levels of stress. However, there are no systematic studies on how entering entrepreneurship affects the people involved. The authors investigated prescriptions of psychotropics for 6,221 first-time entrepreneurs from 2001-2004 and their 2,381 spouses in the first two years after becoming entrepreneurs in a matched case-control study using linked data from three Danish national registries: The Danish database for Labor Market Research, the Danish Entrepreneurship database and the Danish Prescription database. Entrepreneurs were more likely to fill prescriptions at pharmacies for sedatives/hypnotics (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.45 [95% CI: 1.26-1.66], p < .0001). However, they were less likely to fill prescriptions for antidepressants (AOR: 0.74 [95% CI: 0.59-0.92] p = 0.007). Spouses of these entrepreneurs were also more likely to fill prescriptions for sedatives/hypnotics (AOR: 1.36 [95% CI: 1.10-1.67], p = 0.005). No difference in prescription of antidepressants was found for spouses. This study showed that there was a significant relation between entering entrepreneurship and receiving prescriptions for sedative/ hypnotics both among the entrepreneurs themselves and their spouses, suggesting that entering entrepreneurship may be associated with increased stress for both the entrepreneurs and their families.

The Family Startup Program: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a universal group-based parenting support program.

PubMed

Trillingsgaard, Tea; Maimburg, Rikke Damkjær; Simonsen, Marianne

2015-04-21

Inadequate parenting is an important public health problem with possible severe and long-term consequences related to child development. We have solid theoretical and political arguments in favor of efforts enhancing the quality of the early family environment in the population at large. However, little is known about effect of universal approaches to parenting support during the transition to parenthood. This protocol describes an experimental evaluation of group based parenting support, the Family Startup Program (FSP), currently implemented large scale in Denmark. Participants will be approximately 2500 pregnant women and partners. Inclusion criteria are parental age above 18 and the mother expecting first child. Families are recruited when attending routine pregnancy scans provided as a part of the publicly available prenatal care program at Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby. Families are randomized within four geographically defined strata to one of two conditions a) participation in FSP or b) Treatment As Usual (TAU). FSP aims to prepare new families for their roles as parents and enhance parental access to informal sources of support, i.e. social network and community resources. The program consists of twelve group sessions, with nine families in each group, continuing from pregnancy until the child is 15 months old. TAU is the publicly available pre- and postnatal care available to families in both conditions. Analyses will employ survey data, administrative data from health visitors, and administrative register based data from Statistics Denmark. All data sources will be linked via the unique Danish Civil Registration Register (CPR) identifier. Data will be obtained at four time points, during pregnancy, when the child is nine months, 18 months and seven years. The primary study outcome is measured by the Parenting Sense of Competence scale (PSOC) J Clin Child Psychol 18:167-75, 1989. Other outcomes include parenting and couple relationship quality, utility of primary sector service and child physical health, socio-emotional and cognitive development. The protocol describes an ambitious experimental evaluation of a universal group-based parenting support program; an evaluation that has not yet been made either in Denmark or internationally. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02294968. Registered November 14 2014.

Treatment strategies and outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma among 1011 patients aged 75 years or older: A Danish population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Juul, Maja Bech; Jensen, Pernille Hammershoej; Engberg, Henriette; Wehberg, Sonja; Dessau-Arp, Andriette; Haziri, Donika; Kristensen, Helene Bjoerg; Baech, Joachim; Schurmann, Lene; Clausen, Michael Roost; Valentin, Rebecca; Knudsen, Lene Meldgaard; Munksgaard, Lars; El-Galaly, Tarec Christoffer; Frederiksen, Henrik; Larsen, Thomas Stauffer

2018-06-20

Optimal treatment strategy for the oldest patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial, as this group often is precluded from clinical trials, and population-based studies are limited. All Danish DLBCL-patients ≥75 years diagnosed from 2003 to 2012 were identified, using the Danish National Lymphoma Registry (LYFO). Information regarding baseline characteristics, treatment, comorbidities and outcomes was retrieved from LYFO, the Danish National health registries and medical records. Patients were stratified by age (75-79; 80-84 and 85 + years), comorbidity score and treatment modality (standard treatment [R-CHOP/CHOP-like], less intensive regimens or palliative treatment). A total of 1011 patients were included. Standard treatment was initiated in 64%, ranging from 83% among patients aged 75-79 years to 32% among patient aged 85 + years. With standard treatment, median overall survival (OS) estimates were 4·6, 2·6, and 1·9 years for the age groups 75-79, 80-84 and 85+ years. Among patient aged 75-79 and 80-84 years, OS was superior with standard treatment, although high comorbidity scores attenuated this association. Among patients aged 85+ years, survival was not influenced by treatment intensity. Patients ≥80 years had similar OS regardless of intended (R-)CHOP dosing, whereas patients of 75-79 years scheduled for full dose had higher OS. Standard treatment was not associated with increased hospitalisation. Standard treatment is feasible with good outcomes in a large proportion of elderly DLBCL-patients. Planned dose reduction in patients aged ≥80 years had no negative impact on OS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Lauritz Toft and DUMEX--the man, the idea and the way to its realization].

PubMed

Overø, Knud

2009-01-01

Lauritz Toft (1920-1991), also known as Lau, graduated with a MSc degree in pharmacy at the Royal Danish School of Pharmacy in 1944. During the education and parallel activities Lau had shown gifts for intuition and improvisation, together with special talents for leadership and large-scale working. In 1945 he got the idea during the organization of the East Asiatic Company Ltd. to sell the best of the products from the Danish pharmaceutical companies in India under a common trade mark: DUMEX (Danish United Medical Export). The article describes Lau's difficulties and problems in realizing this idea. The adventure peaks in the mid-1950's with about 40 pharmacists in DUMEX-departments in India as well as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China etc.

Ground truth and detection threshold from WWII naval clean-up in Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Tine B.; Dahl-Jensen, Trine; Voss, Peter

2013-04-01

The sea bed below the Danish territorial waters is still littered with unexploded mines and other ammunition from World War II. The mines were air dropped by the RAF and the positions of the mines are unknown. As the mines still pose a potential threat to fishery and other marine activities, the Admiral Danish Fleet under the Danish Navy searches for the mines and destroy them by detonation, where they are found. The largest mines destroyed in this manner in 2012 are equivalent to 800 kg TNT each. The Seismological Service at the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland is notified by the navy when ammunition in excess of 100 kg TNT is detonated. The notifications include information about position, detonation time and the estimated amount of explosives. The larger explosions are clearly registered not only on the Danish seismographs, but also on seismographs in the neighbouring countries. This includes the large seismograph arrays in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Until recently the information from the Danish navy was only utilized to rid the Danish earthquake catalogue of explosions. But the high quality information provided by the navy enables us to use these ground truth events to assess the quality of our earthquake catalogue. The mines are scattered though out the Danish territorial waters, thus we can use the explosions to test the accuracy of the determined epicentres in all parts of the country. E.g. a detonation of 135 kg in Begstrup Vig in the central part of Denmark was located using Danish, Norwegian and Swedish stations with an accuracy of less than 2 km from ground truth. A systematic study of the explosions will sharpen our understanding of the seismicity in Denmark, and result in a more detailed understanding of the detection threshold. Furthermore the study will shed light on the sensitivity of the network to various seismograph outages.

Nutrient pressures and ecological responses to nutrient loading reductions in Danish streams, lakes and coastal waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kronvang, Brian; Jeppesen, Erik; Conley, Daniel J.; Søndergaard, Martin; Larsen, Søren E.; Ovesen, Niels B.; Carstensen, Jacob

2005-03-01

The Danish National Aquatic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (NOVA) was launched in 1988 following the adoption of the first Danish Action Plan on the Aquatic Environment in 1987 with the aim to reduce by 50% the nitrogen (N) loading and by 80% the phosphorus (P) loading to the aquatic environment. The 14 years of experience gathered from NOVA have shown that discharges of total N (TN) and P (TP) from point sources to the Danish Aquatic Environment have been reduced by 69% (N) and 82% (P) during the period 1989 2002. Consequently, the P concentration has decreased markedly in most Danish lakes and estuaries. Considerable changes in agricultural practice have resulted in a reduction of the net N-surplus from 136 to 88 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (41%) and the net P-surplus from 19 to 11 kg P ha-1 yr-1 (42%) during the period 1985 2002. Despite these efforts Danish agriculture is today the major source of both N (>80%) and P (>50%) in Danish streams, lakes and coastal waters. A non-parametric statistical trend analysis of TN concentrations in streams draining dominantly agricultural catchments has shown a significant (p<0.05) downward trend in 48 streams with the downward trend being stronger in loamy compared to sandy catchments, and more pronounced with increasing dominance of agricultural exploitation in the catchments. In contrast, a statistical trend analysis of TP concentrations in streams draining agricultural catchments did not reveal any significant trends. The large reduction in nutrient loading from point and non-point sources has in general improved the ecological conditions of Danish lakes in the form of increased summer Secchi depth, decreased chlorophyll a and reduced phytoplankton biomass. Major changes have also occurred in the fish communities in lakes, with positive cascading effects on water quality. In Danish estuaries and coastal waters only a few significant improvements in the ecological quality have been observed, although it is expected that the observed reduced nutrient concentrations are likely to improve the ecological quality of estuaries and coastal waters in Denmark in the long term.

Noticeable Variations in the Educational Exposure During Residency in Danish Orthopedic Departments.

PubMed

Brand, Eske; Fridberg, Marie; Knudsen, Ulrik Kragegaard; Barfod, Kristoffer Weisskirchner

The objective of the study was to examine the educational exposure during residency in Danish orthopedic departments. Questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. Data were gathered from January 1, 2014 to April 30, 2014 through a nationwide web-based questionnaire containing 15 questions within the areas of workload, surgical procedures, outpatient clinic, and research activities. The residents targeted worked at small-to-large hospitals and in tertiary care centers. Every resident in Denmark (n = 163) with at least 3 active months at a department was included. Questionnaires with less than 80% completion were excluded. In total, 152 entries were registered. Among those, 27 did not meet the inclusion criteria and 29 were excluded, leaving 96 participants, representing 22 of 26 departments, for further analysis. The average number of operative procedures as primary surgeon was 16 (range: 8-35) per month. In all, 18 of 22 (81%) departments offered the possibility to participate in research facilitated by the department and 38 of 96 (40%) worked for free (an average of 10h a month [range: 3-60]) to increase the amount of surgical procedures. A large variation in the educational exposure was found among the Danish orthopedic departments. Numbers indicate that Danish residents, compared with their US counterparts, operate considerably less during residency. Most residents work overtime and many of them work for free to participate in more surgical procedures. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deletion of the γ-secretase subunits Aph1B/C impairs memory and worsens the deficits of knock-in mice modeling the Alzheimer-like familial Danish dementia

PubMed Central

Biundo, Fabrizio; Ishiwari, Keita; Del Prete, Dolores; D'Adamio, Luciano

2016-01-01

Mutations in BRI2/ITM2b genes cause Familial British and Danish Dementias (FBD and FDD), which are pathogenically similar to Familial Alzheimer Disease (FAD). BRI2 inhibits processing of Amyloid precursor protein (APP), a protein involved in FAD pathogenesis. Accumulation of a carboxyl-terminal APP metabolite –β-CTF- causes memory deficits in a knock-in mouse model of FDD, called FDDKI. We have investigated further the pathogenic function of β-CTF studying the effect of Aph1B/C deletion on FDDKI mice. This strategy is based on the evidence that deletion of Aph1B/C proteins, which are components of the γ-secretase that cleaves β-CTF, results in stabilization of β-CTF and a reduction of Aβ. We found that both the FDD mutation and the Aph1B/C deficiency mildly interfered with spatial long term memory, spatial working/short-term memory and long-term contextual fear memory. In addition, the Aph1BC deficiency induced deficits in long-term cued fear memory. Moreover, the two mutations have additive adverse effects as they compromise the accuracy of spatial long-term memory and induce spatial memory retention deficits in young mice. Overall, the data are consistent with a role for β-CTF in the genesis of memory deficits. PMID:26942869

Deletion of the γ-secretase subunits Aph1B/C impairs memory and worsens the deficits of knock-in mice modeling the Alzheimer-like familial Danish dementia.

PubMed

Biundo, Fabrizio; Ishiwari, Keita; Del Prete, Dolores; D'Adamio, Luciano

2016-03-15

Mutations in BRI2/ITM2b genes cause Familial British and Danish Dementias (FBD and FDD), which are pathogenically similar to Familial Alzheimer Disease (FAD). BRI2 inhibits processing of Amyloid precursor protein (APP), a protein involved in FAD pathogenesis. Accumulation of a carboxyl-terminal APP metabolite -ß-CTF- causes memory deficits in a knock-in mouse model of FDD, called FDDKI.We have investigated further the pathogenic function of ß-CTF studying the effect of Aph1B/C deletion on FDDKI mice. This strategy is based on the evidence that deletion of Aph1B/C proteins, which are components of the γ-secretase that cleaves ß-CTF, results in stabilization of ß-CTF and a reduction of Aβ. We found that both the FDD mutation and the Aph1B/C deficiency mildly interfered with spatial long term memory, spatial working/short-term memory and long-term contextual fear memory. In addition, the Aph1BC deficiency induced deficits in long-term cued fear memory. Moreover, the two mutations have additive adverse effects as they compromise the accuracy of spatial long-term memory and induce spatial memory retention deficits in young mice. Overall, the data are consistent with a role for β-CTF in the genesis of memory deficits.

Comparison of cohort smoking intensities in Denmark and the Netherlands.

PubMed Central

Barendregt, Jan J.; Looman, Caspar W. N.; Brønnum-Hansen, Henrik

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of the general framework of the smoking epidemic. METHODS: We use lung cancer mortality as an indicator for smoking intensity and employ an age-cohort model to accommodate the long-lasting and cumulative effects. RESULTS: Dutch males have higher risks than Danish males, but the risks for the younger cohorts have been declining faster in the Netherlands than in Denmark. Danish women have about twice the risk of Dutch women, and in both countries the risks for the younger cohorts are increasing. The smoking epidemic began at about the same time in Denmark and the Netherlands. Dutch males, however, seem to have smoked more but to have given up smoking more quickly than Danish males. Danish females were quicker to take up smoking than Dutch females. CONCLUSIONS: Within the general framework of the smoking epidemic, differences in timing and levels can produce large differences between countries. For the purposes of assessing smoking-related risks, including projections, the smoking epidemic framework therefore has to be tailored to each study population. PMID:11884970

Possibilities for near-term bioenergy production and GHG-mitigation through sustainable intensification of agriculture and forestry in Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Søren; Bentsen, Niclas S.; Dalgaard, Tommy; Jørgensen, Uffe; Olesen, Jørgen E.; Felby, Claus

2017-11-01

To mitigate climate change it is necessary to further increase the deployment of renewable energy, including bioenergy. This analysis shows how this can be achieved in Danish agriculture and forestry before 2020. The key is a sustainable intensification and we show through three scenarios how it is possible to increase production while at the same time decreasing environmental impact and with only minor consequences on food and feed production. An additional ~10 Tg biomass can be available in 2020 for the Danish energy sector. By converting the biomass in a biorefinery concept it is possible to supply relevant, domestically produced energy carriers that amounts to ~5%-13% of 2020 Danish energy consumption. This has the potential to reduce the GHG emissions with 13%-21% of 2020 emissions. These results are possible because Danish net primary production and the human appropriation hereof can be increased. We show that biomass for bioenergy has a large near-term potential to supply relevant energy carriers to the society while at the same time achieving significant GHG emission mitigation.

Long-term effects of organized violence on young Middle Eastern refugees' mental health.

PubMed

Montgomery, Edith

2008-11-01

The pre- and post-displacement factors associated with psychological problems among young refugees are not clear. From the existing research it appears that refugee children and adolescents are vulnerable to the effects of pre-migration exposure to trauma, but the long-term effects of such exposure are mediated by certain risk and protective factors at the individual, family and community level. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of traumatic experiences before emigration, as well as social life after immigration, on the mental health of young Middle Eastern refugees 8-9 years after immigration into Denmark. The study group comprises 131 young refugees (76 girls and 55 boys; mean age 15.3 years) from 67 families. They were assessed in 2000-2001 as part of a follow-up study of 311 children, who in 1992-1993 were consecutively registered in Denmark as asylum seekers with at least one parent. Predictors of more externalizing behaviour were: witnessing attack on others after arrival, more schools attended, less attending school or work, lower mother's education in the home country and lower age. Predictors of more internalizing behaviour were: numbers of types of traumatic events before arrival, numbers of types of stressful events after arrival, and numbers of types of experiences of discrimination, lower mother's education in the home country, fewer Danish friends, not Muslim or Christian religion, less Danish proficiency and female gender. It is concluded that aspects of social life in Denmark, including mother's education and indicators of adaptation, as well as a stressful life context in exile, including discrimination, predicted psychological problems 8-9 years after arrival, more than traumatic experiences before arrival. Thus, the prevention of psychopathology in young refugees depends to a large extent on the political will to make provision for the necessary changes regarding reception and treatment of refugees.

Strengths and resources used by Australian and Danish adult patients and their family caregivers during treatment for cancer.

PubMed

Coyne, E; Dieperink, K B; Østergaard, B; Creedy, D K

2017-08-01

Family plays an essential role in supporting the patient with cancer, however, relatively little attention has been given to understanding the strengths and resources of the family unit across different settings and countries. This study aims to investigate the strengths and resources of patients and family members in Australia and Denmark. Using a descriptive, cross-sectional design, 232 patient and family participants from inpatient and outpatient oncology services in Australia and Denmark completed paper based surveys that included the Family Hardiness Index (FHI) and Family Crisis Orientated Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES), together with demographic and health information. The family's appraisal of the cancer and ways the family worked together predicted the level of external resources used to manage their circumstances. After a cancer diagnosis patients and family respond in different ways related to their family functioning. There is a need for nurses to work closely with the family to understand their strengths and resources, and tailor support and information for family to promote optimal patient outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abundant pyroglutamate-modified ABri and ADan peptides in extracellular and vascular amyloid deposits in familial British and Danish dementias.

PubMed

Saul, Anika; Lashley, Tammaryn; Revesz, Tamas; Holton, Janice; Ghiso, Jorge A; Coomaraswamy, Janaky; Wirths, Oliver

2013-05-01

Familial British and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by cerebral deposition of the amyloidogenic peptides ABri and ADan, respectively. These amyloid peptides start with an N-terminal glutamate residue, which can be posttranslationally converted into a pyroglutamate (pGlu) modified form, a mechanism which has been extensively described to be relevant for amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides in Alzheimer's disease. Like pGlu-Aβ peptides, pGlu-ABri peptides have an increased aggregation propensity and show higher toxicity on human neuroblastoma cells as their nonmodified counterparts. We have generated novel N-terminal specific antibodies detecting the pGlu-modified forms of ABri and ADan peptides. With these antibodies we were able to identify abundant extracellular amyloid plaques, vascular, and parenchymal deposits in human familial British dementia and FDD brain tissue, and in a mouse model for FDD. Double-stainings using C-terminal specific antibodies in human samples revealed that highly aggregated pGlu-ABri and pGlu-ADan peptides are mainly present in plaque cores and central vascular deposits, leading to the assumption that these peptides have seeding properties. Furthermore, in an FDD-mouse model ADan peptides were detected in presynaptic terminals of the hippocampus where they might contribute to impaired synaptic transmission. These similarities of ABri and ADan to Aβ in Alzheimer's disease suggest that the posttranslational pGlu-modification of amyloid peptides might represent a general pathological mechanism leading to increased aggregation and toxicity in these forms of degenerative dementias. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cancer incidence among Danish Seventh-day Adventists and Baptists.

PubMed

Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Hvidt, Niels Christian; Hansen, Helle Ploug; Hoff, Andreas; Ross, Lone; Johansen, Christoffer

2012-12-01

American Seventh-day Adventists have been reported to have lower cancer mortality and incidence than the general population. Adventists do not consume tobacco, alcohol or pork, and many adhere to a lacto-ovo-vegetarian lifestyle. Baptists discourage excessive use of alcohol and tobacco. In this study, we investigated whether the incidence of cancer in a large cohort of Danish Adventists and Baptists was different compared to the general Danish population. We followed 11,580 Danish Adventists and Baptists in the nationwide Danish Cancer Registry, which contains information on cases of cancer for 1943-2008. Cancer incidence in the cohort was compared with that in the general Danish population as standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and within-cohort comparisons were made with a Cox model. Lower cancer incidences were observed for both Seventh-day Adventist men (SIR, 66; 95% CI, 60-72) and women (85; 80-91). The same result was observed for Baptists although not as low. The differences were most pronounced for smoking-related cancers such as those of the buccal cavity and lung (SIR, 20; 13-30 for Seventh-day Adventist men and 33; 22-49 for Seventh-day Adventist women). The incidences of other lifestyle-related cancers, such as of stomach, rectum, liver and cervix, were also decreased. In general, the SIRs were lower for men than for women, and Adventists had lower hazard rates than Baptists. Our findings point to the benefits of compliance with public health recommendations and indicate that lifestyle changes in the population might change the cancer risks of individuals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"In Family Way": Guarding Indigenous Women's Children in Washington Territory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jagodinsky, Katrina

2013-01-01

Just two years after losing her Danish father, Coast Salish mother, and metis sisters to an undocumented tragedy in 1877, Nora Jewell faced another tragic ordeal. The twelve-year-old cleared fields and mended fences for James Smith, a guardian appointed by the court to protect her body and estate until she reached eighteen or married. As Nora…

The Odense University Pharmacoepidemiological Database (OPED)

Cancer.gov

The Odense University Pharmacoepidemiological Database is one of two large prescription registries in Denmark and covers a stable population that is representative of the Danish population as a whole.

Opportunities for healthier child feeding. Does ethnic position matter? - self-reported evaluation of family diet and impediments to change among parents with majority and minority status in Denmark.

PubMed

Nielsen, Annemette; Krasnik, Allan; Vassard, Ditte; Holm, Lotte

2014-07-01

Health inequality between ethnic groups is expressed in differences in the prevalence of diet related diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate and compare barriers toward eating healthier among ethnic majority and minority parents in Denmark. A postal survey was carried out among 2511 parents with either Danish or non-western ethnic minority descendant background, investigating barriers on cultural, structural, social, individual, and practical levels. The results showed that compared with parents of Danish origin, ethnic minority parents were more likely to evaluate their own diets negatively (OR 3.0, CI 1.7-5.3), and to evaluate their children's diets negatively (OR 4.6, CI 2.5-8.4). In addition, ethnic minority parents to a higher degree experienced barriers to eating healthier than Danish parents did. Most salient was ethnic minority parents' expression of a lack of control over their own food intake and the food given to their children in everyday life. Such a lack of control was identified on practical, social, structural and individual levels. Young age of the parents was found to explain some of the differences between ethnic groups. It is concluded that dietary interventions directed at parents of small children should address not only cultural background but also barriers operating on practical, social, structural, and individual levels, as some of these influence ethnic minorities and the majority population differently. Further exploration of the importance of young age and the interplay between structural and cultural factors in the lives of ethnic minority families is needed. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Calories and portion sizes in recipes throughout 100 years: an overlooked factor in the development of overweight and obesity?

PubMed

Eidner, Maj Bloch; Lund, Anne-Sofie Qvistgaard; Harboe, Bodil Schroll; Clemmensen, Inge Haunstrup

2013-12-01

Large portion sizes have been associated with large energy intake, which can contribute to the development of overweight and obesity. Portion sizes of non-home cooked food have increased in the past 20 years, however, less is known about portion sizes of home-cooked food. The aim of the study was to assess if the portion sizes measured in calories in Danish cookbook recipes have changed throughout the past 100 years. Portion size measured in calories was determined by content-analysis of 21 classic Danish recipes in 13 editions of the famous Danish cookbook "Food" from 1909 to 2009. Calorie content of the recipes was determined in standard nutritional software, and the changes in calories were examined by simple linear regression analyses. Mean portion size in calories increased significantly by 21% (β = 0.63; p < 0.01) over the past 100 years in the analyzed recipes. The mean portion size in calories from a composed homemade meal increased by 77% (β = 2.88; p < 0.01). The mean portion size in calories from meat increased by 27% (β = 0.85; p = 0.03), starchy products increased by 148% (β = 1.28; p < 0.01), vegetables increased by 37% (β = 0.21; p = 0.13) and sauce increased by 47% (β = 0.56; p = 0.02) throughout the years. Portion sizes measured in calories in classical Danish recipes have increased significantly in the past 100 years and can be an important factor in increased energy intake and the risk of developing overweight and obesity.

Risk of cancer among women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a Danish cohort study.

PubMed

Gottschau, Mathilde; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger; Jensen, Allan; Munk, Christian; Mellemkjaer, Lene

2015-01-01

To assess the association between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and cancer, especially of the endometrium, breast and ovary. The Danish National Patient Register was used to identify 12,070 in- and outpatients in whom PCOS was diagnosed when they were aged 9-49 years during 1977-2012. Using the Danish Cancer Registry, we followed the cohort through 2012 and compared the women's cancer incidence with that of the general Danish female population by means of standardized incidence ratios (SIRs). Cancer was diagnosed in 279 women with PCOS (SIR = 1.19; 95% CI = 1.06-1.34). We found an almost fourfold increased risk for endometrial cancer (numbers observed (N) = 16, SIR = 3.9; 95% CI = 2.2-6.3), the large majority of cases being type 1 (N = 14, SIR = 4.7; 95% CI = 2.6-7.9). We found no association between PCOS and breast (N = 59, SIR = 1.1; 95% CI = 0.8-1.4) or ovarian cancer (N = 10, SIR = 1.8; 95% CI = 0.8-3.2); however, significantly increased risks were found for kidney, colon and brain cancers. The results of this large cohort study support those of case-control studies showing that women with PCOS are at increased risk for endometrial cancer, whereas their risks for breast and ovarian cancer are similar to those of women in the general population. Our finding that women with PCOS also are at increased risk for cancers of the kidney, colon and brain requires further study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual and environmental risk factors for high blood lead concentrations in Danish indoor shooters.

PubMed

Grandahl, Kasper; Suadicani, Poul; Jacobsen, Peter

2012-08-01

International studies have shown blood lead at levels causing health concern in recreational indoor shooters. We hypothesized that Danish recreational indoor shooters would also have a high level of blood lead, and that this could be explained by shooting characteristics and the physical environment at the shooting range. This was an environmental case study of 58 male and female shooters from two indoor shooting ranges with assumed different ventilation and cleaning conditions. Information was obtained on general conditions including age, gender, tobacco and alcohol use, and shooting conditions: weapon type, number of shots fired, frequency of stays at the shooting range and hygiene habits. A venous blood sample was drawn to determine blood lead concentrations; 14 non-shooters were included as controls. Almost 60% of the shooters, hereof five out of 14 women, had a blood lead concentration above 0.48 micromol/l, a level causing long-term health concern. All controls had blood lead values below 0.17 micromol/l. Independent significant associations with blood lead concentrations above 0.48 micromol/l were found for shooting at a poorly ventilated range, use of heavy calibre weapons, number of shots and frequency of stays at the shooting range. A large proportion of Danish recreational indoor shooters had potentially harmful blood lead concentrations. Ventilation, amounts of shooting, use of heavy calibre weapons and stays at the shooting ranges were independently associated with increased blood lead. The technical check at the two ranges was performed by the Danish Technological Institute and costs were defrayed by the Danish Rifle Association. To pay for the analyses of blood lead, the study was supported by the The Else & Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborg Foundation. The Danish Regional Capital Scientific Ethics Committee approved the study, protocol number H-4-2010-130.

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

PubMed

David, H P; Morgall, J M; Osler, M; Rasmussen, N K; Jensen, B

1990-01-01

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.

Determinants related to gender differences in general practice utilization: Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort.

PubMed

Jørgensen, Jeanette Therming; Andersen, John Sahl; Tjønneland, Anne; Andersen, Zorana Jovanovic

2016-09-01

This study aims to describe the determinants related to gender differences in the GP utilization in Danish population aged 50-65 years. Cohort-based cross-sectional study. Danish general practice. Totally, 54,849 participants of the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort (50-65 years). The sum of cohort members' face-to-face consultations with general practitioner (GP) at the cohort baseline year (1993-1997). We obtained data on GP visits from the Danish National Health Service Register at the cohort baseline (1993-1997), when information on lifestyle (smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol use, physical activity), medical conditions (somatic and mental), employment, education, gravidity, and hormone therapy (HT) use was collected by questionnaire. Women had on average 4.1 and men 2.8 consultations per year. In a crude model, women had 47% higher rate of GP visits than men (incidence rate ratio: 1.47; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.45-1.50), which remained unchanged after adjustment for lifestyle, socio-demographic and medical factors, but attenuated to 18% (1.18; 1.13-1.24) after adjustment for female factors (gravidity and post-menopausal HT. In a fully adjusted model, subjects with hypertension (1.63; 1.59-1.67), mental illness (1.63; 1.61-1.66), diabetes (1.56; 1.47-1.65), angina pectoris (1.28; 1.21-1.34), and unemployed persons (1.19; 1.18-1.21) had highest rates of GP visits. Gravidity and HT use explain a large proportion, but not all of the gender difference in GP utilization. Medical conditions (somatic and mental) and unemployment are the main determinants of GP utilization in men and women, while lifestyle has minor effect. Key points Female gender remained a dominant determinant of GP utilization, after adjustment for lifestyle, socio-demography, medical and gender specific factors, with females consulting their GP 18% more often than males. Female reproductive factors (use of postmenopausal hormone therapy and gravidity) explained a large proportion of the gender variation in use of GP. Strongest determinants for GP use among Danish adults aged 50-65 years were the presence of medical conditions (somatic and mental) and unemployment, while lifestyle factors (e.g., body mass index, alcohol consumption and smoking) had minor effect.

Multiple myeloma among Danish women: employment history and workplace exposures.

PubMed

Pottern, L M; Heineman, E F; Olsen, J H; Raffn, E; Blair, A

1992-09-01

To investigate the role of employment history and workplace exposures as risk factors for multiple myeloma among women, a population-based case-control study using the Danish Cancer Registry data linkage system was conducted. All cases of myeloma diagnosed in Danish women between 1970 and 1984 (1,010 cases) and 4,040 age-matched women alive at the time of case-diagnosis were identified. Industrial histories from 1964 forward were obtained from the nationwide Pension Fund for 363 cases and 1,517 controls, and the most recent occupation on the tax record was available for 607 cases and 2,596 controls. Using industry/occupational-code combinations for the cases and controls who had industry employment, Danish industrial hygienists assessed the likelihood of exposure to 47 workplace substances. An increased myeloma risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.2, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = 1.0-1.5) was seen for women not in the Pension Fund, but who had an occupational title coded as 'Mrs/homemaker.' Nonsignificantly elevated risks of 1.3 or greater were observed for employment in: production of agricultural products; orchards/nurseries; spinning/weaving; other textile and plastics manufacturing; hotel, entertainment, and social services industries. Elevated, but nonsignificant risks were observed for possible and probable exposure to exhaust fumes, formaldehyde, wood dust, animals or animal products, and pesticides. The strongest association with myeloma was employment in the agricultural industry (OR = 1.5, CI = 0.8-2.8), however, the number of women who worked on family farms was unknown and could not be included in this risk estimate.

Increased Tau Phosphorylation and Tau Truncation, and Decreased Synaptophysin Levels in Mutant BRI2/Tau Transgenic Mice

PubMed Central

Garringer, Holly J.; Murrell, Jill; Sammeta, Neeraja; Gnezda, Anita; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben

2013-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a 10-nucleotide duplication-insertion in the BRI2 gene. FDD is clinically characterized by loss of vision, hearing impairment, cerebellar ataxia and dementia. The main neuropathologic findings in FDD are the deposition of Danish amyloid (ADan) and the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Here we investigated tau accumulation and truncation in double transgenic (Tg-FDD-Tau) mice generated by crossing transgenic mice expressing human Danish mutant BRI2 (Tg-FDD) with mice expressing human 4-repeat mutant Tau-P301S (Tg-Tau). Compared to Tg-Tau mice, we observed a significant enhancement of tau deposition in Tg-FDD-Tau mice. In addition, a significant increase in tau cleaved at aspartic acid (Asp) 421 was observed in Tg-FDD-Tau mice. Tg-FDD-Tau mice also showed a significant decrease in synaptophysin levels, occurring before widespread deposition of fibrillar ADan and tau can be observed. Thus, the presence of soluble ADan/mutant BRI2 can lead to significant changes in tau metabolism and synaptic dysfunction. Our data provide new in vivo insights into the pathogenesis of FDD and the pathogenic pathway(s) by which amyloidogenic peptides, regardless of their primary amino acid sequence, can cause neurodegeneration. PMID:23418567

Increased tau phosphorylation and tau truncation, and decreased synaptophysin levels in mutant BRI2/tau transgenic mice.

PubMed

Garringer, Holly J; Murrell, Jill; Sammeta, Neeraja; Gnezda, Anita; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben

2013-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease caused by a 10-nucleotide duplication-insertion in the BRI(2) gene. FDD is clinically characterized by loss of vision, hearing impairment, cerebellar ataxia and dementia. The main neuropathologic findings in FDD are the deposition of Danish amyloid (ADan) and the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Here we investigated tau accumulation and truncation in double transgenic (Tg-FDD-Tau) mice generated by crossing transgenic mice expressing human Danish mutant BRI(2) (Tg-FDD) with mice expressing human 4-repeat mutant Tau-P301S (Tg-Tau). Compared to Tg-Tau mice, we observed a significant enhancement of tau deposition in Tg-FDD-Tau mice. In addition, a significant increase in tau cleaved at aspartic acid (Asp) 421 was observed in Tg-FDD-Tau mice. Tg-FDD-Tau mice also showed a significant decrease in synaptophysin levels, occurring before widespread deposition of fibrillar ADan and tau can be observed. Thus, the presence of soluble ADan/mutant BRI(2) can lead to significant changes in tau metabolism and synaptic dysfunction. Our data provide new in vivo insights into the pathogenesis of FDD and the pathogenic pathway(s) by which amyloidogenic peptides, regardless of their primary amino acid sequence, can cause neurodegeneration.

Geodiversity of a large meander bend in the Little Belt strait in the inner Danish waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandbyge Ernstsen, Verner; Øbro Hansen, Lars; Becker, Marius; Brivio, Lara; Vang, Torben; Lynnerup Trinhammer, Per; Andresen, Katrine Juul; Seidenkrantz, Marit-Solveig; Boldreel, Lars Ole; Bartholdy, Jesper

2017-04-01

The Little Belt strait in the inner Danish waters is characterised by a high biodiversity, and continuous monitoring of flora and fauna and the water quality is undertaken by the authorities. However, the surface sedimentology and geomorphology, i.e. elements of the geodiversity, are less well-constrained. The aim of this study is to investigate the surface sediment and morphology of a large meander bend (with a channel width of 1 km) located between the two bridges crossing the strait (a channel reach of 4 km) in order to assess a potential coupling between geodiversity and biodiversity. More specifically, the objectives are 1) to identify and classify morphological units for creating a geomorphological map, 2) to quantify surface material characteristics for creating a surface material map, and 3) to develop a conceptual model of the substrate and the morphology and morphodynamics in the meander bend between the two bridges in the strait. Preliminary results reveal a diverse morphology in the meander bend; and the annual morphological changes reveal complex sediment transport patterns along and across the bend. Likewise significant sediment sorting trends exist along and across the meander bend. Hence, the preliminary results indicate a high geodiversity in the strait. Acknowledgements The data were collected as part of the MSc course Marine Geoscience, a joint MSc course between the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen and the Department of Geoscience at Aarhus University. Additional data were included from the research project Control in the Danish Straits 1 (CiDS-1) funded by the Danish Centre for Marine Research (PI Morten Holtegaard). Thanks to the crew on board RV Aurora.

Smaborns Dagpasning: Et Problem for Foraeldre og Kommuner. (Day-Care of Pre-School Children: A Problem to Parents and Local Authorities. With an English Summary). Publication No. 103.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronhoj, Bodil

Survey data were collected for the purposes of describing and comparing various forms of day care provision for preschool children within Danish municipalities with different day care provision and different degrees of urbanization. Information concerning the family background of subjects, parental assessment of different aspects of day care and…

Biomedical informatics as support to individual healthcare in hereditary colon cancer: the Danish HNPCC system.

PubMed

Bernstein, Inge T; Lindorff-Larsen, Karen; Timshel, Susanne; Brandt, Carsten A; Dinesen, Birger; Fenger, Mogens; Gerdes, Anne-Marie; Iversen, Lene H; Madsen, Mogens R; Okkels, Henrik; Sunde, Lone; Rahr, Hans B; Wikman, Friedrick P; Rossing, Niels

2011-05-01

The Danish HNPCC register is a publically financed national database. The register gathers epidemiological and genomic data in HNPCC families to improve prognosis by screening and identifying family members at risk. Diagnostic data are generated throughout the country and collected over several decades. Until recently, paper-based reports were sent to the register and typed into the database. In the EC cofunded-INFOBIOMED network of excellence, the register was a model for electronic exchange of epidemiological and genomic data between diagnosing/treating departments and the central database. The aim of digitization was to optimize the organization of screening by facilitating combination of genotype-phenotype information, and to generate IT-tools sufficiently usable and generic to be implemented in other countries and for other oncogenetic diseases. The focus was on integration of heterogeneous data, elaboration, and dissemination of classification systems and development of communication standards. At the conclusion of the EU project in 2007 the system was implemented in 12 pilot departments. In the surgical departments this resulted in a 192% increase of reports to the database. Several gaps were identified: lack of standards for data to be exchanged, lack of local databases suitable for direct communication, reporting being time-consuming and dependent on interest and feedback. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Oligomerization and neurotoxicity of the amyloid ADan peptide implicated in familial Danish dementia.

PubMed

Gibson, Gillian; Gunasekera, Nicola; Lee, Maria; Lelyveld, Victor; El-Agnaf, Omar M A; Wright, Andrew; Austen, Brian

2004-01-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder, which is pathologically characterized by widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy, parenchymal protein deposits and neurofibrillary degeneration. FDD is associated with mutation in the BRI gene. In FDD a decamer duplication between codons 265 and 266 in the 3' region of the BRI gene originates an amyloid peptide named ADan, 11 residues longer than the wild-type peptide produced from the normal BRI gene. ADan deposits have been found widely distributed in the CNS of FDD cases. The deposits of ADan are predominantly non-fibrillar aggregates. We show here that synthetic ADan forms oligomers in vitro, seen by Tricine-PAGE and gel filtration, and higher aggregates, which are seen by atomic force spectroscopy and electron microscopy as carrot-shaped objects that bunch together. Here we report that oligomeric ADan is toxic to neuronal cell lines. We find that the soluble non-fibrillar oligomeric species of both the reduced and oxidized forms of ADan are toxic. These results support the idea that the non-fibrillar soluble aggregates are the pathogenic species, which may play a central role in the pathogenesis of FDD, and imply that similar mechanism may also be involved in other neurodegenerative diseases associated with amyloid deposits.

Are characteristics of the school district associated with active transportation to school in Danish adolescents?

PubMed

Stock, Christiane; Bloomfield, Kim; Ejstrud, Bo; Vinther-Larsen, Mathilde; Meijer, Mathias; Grønbæk, Morten; Grittner, Ulrike

2012-06-01

This study sought to determine the influence of individual factors on active transportation to school among Danish seventh graders and whether school district factors are associated with such behaviour independently of individual factors. Mixed effects logistic regression models determined the effects of individual (gender, family affluence, enjoyment of school and academic performance) and school district factors (educational level, household savings, land use and size) on active transportation to school (by foot, bicycle or other active means) among 10 380 pupils aged 13-15 years nested in 407 school districts. Of all students, 64.4% used active transportation to school daily. Boys, those with perceived higher school performance and those with lower family affluence were more likely to use active transportation to school. After adjustment for all individual factors listed above, high household savings at the school district level was associated with higher odds of active transportation to school. As factors of land use, low level of farming land use and high proportion of single houses were associated with active transportation to school. Policies aiming at reducing social inequalities at the school district level may enhance active transportation to school. School districts with farming land use face barriers for active transportation to school, requiring special policy attention.

The Impact of Globalisation on SME-Subcontractors' Supply Chain Strategies: A Danish Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gammelgaard, Britta; Mathiasen, John Bang

2007-01-01

Globalisation and competition have impacted on not only large firms but also Small and Medium sizes Enterprises (SME) and these enterprises often act as subcontractors to larger firms operating in international markets. The impact of globalisation is severe on the SME-subcontractors due to supply chain linkages between large and SMEs through…

The Scandinavian Fantasy: The Sources of Intergenerational Mobility in Denmark and the US

PubMed Central

Landersø, Rasmus; Heckman, James J.

2017-01-01

This paper examines the sources of differences in social mobility between the U.S. and Denmark. Measured by income mobility, Denmark is a more mobile society, but not when measured by educational mobility. There are pronounced nonlinearities in income and educational mobility in both countries. Greater Danish income mobility is largely a consequence of redistributional tax, transfer, and wage compression policies. While Danish social policies for children produce more favorable cognitive test scores for disadvantaged children, these do not translate into more favorable educational outcomes, partly because of disincentives to acquire education arising from the redistributional policies that increase income mobility. PMID:28649168

The Danish health care system: it ain't broke... so don't fix it.

PubMed

Mooney, Gavin

2002-02-01

The organisation and financing of the Danish health care system was evaluated within a framework of analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (a SWOT analysis) by a panel of five members with a background in health economics. The evaluation was based on reading an extensive amount of selected documents and literature on the Danish health care system, and a 1 week-visit to health care authorities, providers and key persons. This paper includes the main findings by one of the panel members. The international competition 'wave' passed by Denmark, and the Danish might rightly say 'thank goodness'. Funding is very largely public and there is a single dominant authority, i.e. the county, which makes planning easier. Low levels of patient payments and the smaller size of the private sector reflect Danish 'solidarity' and promote equity. Planning is good. Exceptions to this are the over-concern with hospital waiting lists and the flirting with DRG based funding. Greater investment in planning approaches would make the system yet better. The GP blended remuneration system with capitation and fee for service is a major strength. The fact that the system has such potential for technical and allocative efficiency and also equity but is not fully exploited suggests the need for more investment in health services research. While there is scope for improving the health care system in Denmark, the rest of the world has as much to learn from the Danes as the Danes have from the rest of the world.

Abundant pyroglutamate-modified ABri and ADan peptides in extracellular and vascular amyloid deposits in familial British and Danish dementias

PubMed Central

Saul, Anika; Lashley, Tammaryn; Revesz, Tamas; Holton, Janice; Ghiso, Jorge A.; Coomaraswamy, Janaky; Wirths, Oliver

2013-01-01

Familial British (FBD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders characterized by cerebral deposition of the amyloidogenic peptides ABri and ADan. These amyloid peptides start with an N-terminal glutamate residue, which can be posttranslationally converted into a pyroglutamate (pGlu-) modified form, a mechanism which has been extensively described to be relevant for Aβ peptides in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Like pGlu-Aβ peptides, pGlu-ABri peptides have an increased aggregation propensity and show higher toxicity on human neuroblastoma cells as their non-modified counterparts. We have generated novel N-terminal specific antibodies detecting the pGlu-modified forms of ABri and ADan peptides. With these antibodies we were able to identify abundant extracellular amyloid plaques, vascular and parenchymal deposits in human FBD and FDD brain tissue, as well as in a mouse model for FDD. Double-stainings using C-terminal specific antibodies in human samples revealed that highly aggregated pGlu-ABri and pGlu-ADan peptides are mainly present in plaque cores and central vascular deposits, leading to the assumption that these peptides have seeding properties. Furthermore, in an FDD-mouse model ADan peptides were detected in pre-synaptic terminals of the hippocampus where they might contribute to impaired synaptic transmission. These similarities of ABri and ADan to Aβ in AD suggest that the posttranslational pGlu-modification of amyloid peptides might represent a general pathological mechanism leading to increased aggregation and toxicity in these forms of degenerative dementias. PMID:23261769

Polygenic Risk Score, Parental Socioeconomic Status, Family History of Psychiatric Disorders, and the Risk for Schizophrenia: A Danish Population-Based Study and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Agerbo, Esben; Sullivan, Patrick F; Vilhjálmsson, Bjarni J; Pedersen, Carsten B; Mors, Ole; Børglum, Anders D; Hougaard, David M; Hollegaard, Mads V; Meier, Sandra; Mattheisen, Manuel; Ripke, Stephan; Wray, Naomi R; Mortensen, Preben B

2015-07-01

Schizophrenia has a complex etiology influenced both by genetic and nongenetic factors but disentangling these factors is difficult. To estimate (1) how strongly the risk for schizophrenia relates to the mutual effect of the polygenic risk score, parental socioeconomic status, and family history of psychiatric disorders; (2) the fraction of cases that could be prevented if no one was exposed to these factors; (3) whether family background interacts with an individual's genetic liability so that specific subgroups are particularly risk prone; and (4) to what extent a proband's genetic makeup mediates the risk associated with familial background. We conducted a nested case-control study based on Danish population-based registers. The study consisted of 866 patients diagnosed as having schizophrenia between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2006, and 871 matched control individuals. Genome-wide data and family psychiatric and socioeconomic background information were obtained from neonatal biobanks and national registers. Results from a separate meta-analysis (34,600 cases and 45,968 control individuals) were applied to calculate polygenic risk scores. Polygenic risk scores, parental socioeconomic status, and family psychiatric history. Odds ratios (ORs), attributable risks, liability R2 values, and proportions mediated. Schizophrenia was associated with the polygenic risk score (OR, 8.01; 95% CI, 4.53-14.16 for highest vs lowest decile), socioeconomic status (OR, 8.10; 95% CI, 3.24-20.3 for 6 vs no exposures), and a history of schizophrenia/psychoses (OR, 4.18; 95% CI, 2.57-6.79). The R2 values were 3.4% (95% CI, 2.1-4.6) for the polygenic risk score, 3.1% (95% CI, 1.9-4.3) for parental socioeconomic status, and 3.4% (95% CI, 2.1-4.6) for family history. Socioeconomic status and psychiatric history accounted for 45.8% (95% CI, 36.1-55.5) and 25.8% (95% CI, 21.2-30.5) of cases, respectively. There was an interaction between the polygenic risk score and family history (P = .03). A total of 17.4% (95% CI, 9.1-26.6) of the effect associated with family history of schizophrenia/psychoses was mediated through the polygenic risk score. Schizophrenia was associated with the polygenic risk score, family psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. Our study demonstrated that family history of schizophrenia/psychoses is partly mediated through the individual's genetic liability.

Seasonal Variation of Dystocia in a Large Danish Cohort

PubMed Central

Rohr Thomsen, Christine; Uldbjerg, Niels; Hvidman, Lone; Atladóttir, Hjördís Ósk; Henriksen, Tine Brink; Milidou, Ioanna

2014-01-01

Background Dystocia is one of the most frequent causes of cesarean delivery in nulliparous women. Despite this, its causes are largely unknown. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been found in the myometrium. Thus, it is possible that vitamin D affects the contractility of the myometrium and may be involved in the pathogenesis of dystocia. Seasonal variation of dystocia in areas with distinct seasonal variation in sunlight exposure, like Denmark, could imply that vitamin D may play a role. This study examined whether there was seasonal variation in the incidence of dystocia in a Danish population. Method We used information from a cohort of 34,261 nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies, spontaneous onset of labor between 37 and 42 completed gestational weeks, and vertex fetal presentation. All women gave birth between 1992 and 2010 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby. Logistic regression combined with cubic spline was used to estimate the seasonal variation for each outcome after adjusting for calendar time. Results No evidence for seasonal variation was found for any of the outcomes: acute cesarean delivery due to dystocia (p = 0.44); instrumental vaginal delivery due to dystocia (p = 0.69); oxytocin augmentation due to dystocia (p = 0.46); and overall dystocia (p = 0.91). Conclusion No seasonal variation in the incidence of dystocia was observed in a large cohort of Danish women. This may reflect no association between vitamin D and dystocia, or alternatively that other factors with seasonal variation and influence on the occurrence of dystocia attenuate such an association. PMID:24736600

Seasonal variation of dystocia in a large Danish cohort.

PubMed

Rohr Thomsen, Christine; Uldbjerg, Niels; Hvidman, Lone; Atladóttir, Hjördís Ósk; Henriksen, Tine Brink; Milidou, Ioanna

2014-01-01

Dystocia is one of the most frequent causes of cesarean delivery in nulliparous women. Despite this, its causes are largely unknown. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) has been found in the myometrium. Thus, it is possible that vitamin D affects the contractility of the myometrium and may be involved in the pathogenesis of dystocia. Seasonal variation of dystocia in areas with distinct seasonal variation in sunlight exposure, like Denmark, could imply that vitamin D may play a role. This study examined whether there was seasonal variation in the incidence of dystocia in a Danish population. We used information from a cohort of 34,261 nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies, spontaneous onset of labor between 37 and 42 completed gestational weeks, and vertex fetal presentation. All women gave birth between 1992 and 2010 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby. Logistic regression combined with cubic spline was used to estimate the seasonal variation for each outcome after adjusting for calendar time. No evidence for seasonal variation was found for any of the outcomes: acute cesarean delivery due to dystocia (p = 0.44); instrumental vaginal delivery due to dystocia (p = 0.69); oxytocin augmentation due to dystocia (p = 0.46); and overall dystocia (p = 0.91). No seasonal variation in the incidence of dystocia was observed in a large cohort of Danish women. This may reflect no association between vitamin D and dystocia, or alternatively that other factors with seasonal variation and influence on the occurrence of dystocia attenuate such an association.

Fine particles and carbon monoxide from wood burning in 17th-19th century Danish kitchens: Measurements at two reconstructed farm houses at the Lejre Historical-Archaeological Experimental Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryhl-Svendsen, Morten; Clausen, Geo; Chowdhury, Zohir; Smith, Kirk R.

2010-02-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM 2.5) were measured in two reconstructed Danish farmhouses (17-19th century) during two weeks of summer. During the first week intensive measurements were performed while test cooking fires were burned, during the second week the houses were monitored while occupied by guest families. A masonry hearth was located in the middle of each house for open cooking fires and with heating stoves. One house had a chimney leading to the outside over the hearth; in the other, a brickwork hood led the smoke into an attic and through holes in the roof. During the first week the concentration of PM 2.5 averaged daily between 138 and 1650 μg m -3 inside the hearths and 21-160 μg m -3 in adjacent living rooms. CO averaged daily between 0.21 and 1.9 ppm in living areas, and up to 12 ppm in the hearths. Highest concentrations were measured when two fires were lit at the same time, which would cause high personal exposure for someone working in the kitchens. 15 min averages of up to 25 400 μg m -3 (PM 2.5) and 260 ppm CO were recorded. WHO air quality guidelines were occasionally exceeded for CO and constantly for PM 2.5. However, air exchange and air distribution measurements revealed a large draw in the chimney, which ensured a fast removal of wood smoke from the hearth area. The guest families were in average exposed to no more than 0.21 ppm CO during 48 h. Based on a hypothetical time-activity pattern, however, a woman living in this type of house during the 17-19th century would be exposed to daily averages of 1.1 ppm CO and 196 μg m -3 PM 2.5, which exceeds WHO guideline for PM 2.5, and is comparable to what is today observed for women in rural areas of developing countries.

Genetic and Environmental Regulation on Longitudinal Change of Metabolic Phenotypes in Danish and Chinese Adult Twins

PubMed Central

Li, Shuxia; Kyvik, Kirsten Ohm; Pang, Zengchang; Zhang, Dongfeng; Duan, Haiping; Tan, Qihua; Hjelmborg, Jacob; Kruse, Torben; Dalgård, Christine

2016-01-01

Objective The rate of change in metabolic phenotypes can be highly indicative of metabolic disorders and disorder-related modifications. We analyzed data from longitudinal twin studies on multiple metabolic phenotypes in Danish and Chinese twins representing two populations of distinct ethnic, cultural, social-economic backgrounds and geographical environments. Materials and Methods The study covered a relatively large sample of 502 pairs of Danish adult twins followed up for a long period of 12 years with a mean age at intake of 38 years (range: 18–65) and a total of 181 Chinese adult twin pairs traced for about 7 years with a mean baseline age of 39.5 years (range: 23–64). The classical twin models were fitted to the longitudinal change in each phenotype (Δphenotype) to estimate the genetic and environmental contributions to the variation in Δphenotype. Results Moderate to high contributions by the unique environment were estimated for all phenotypes in both Danish (from 0.51 for low density lipoprotein cholesterol up to 0.72 for triglycerides) and Chinese (from 0.41 for triglycerides up to 0.73 for diastolic blood pressure) twins; low to moderate genetic components were estimated for long-term change in most of the phenotypes in Danish twins except for triglycerides and hip circumference. Compared with Danish twins, the Chinese twins tended to have higher genetic control over the longitudinal changes in lipids (except high density lipoprotein cholesterol) and glucose, higher unique environmental contribution to blood pressure but no genetic contribution to longitudinal change in body mass traits. Conclusion Our results emphasize the major contribution of unique environment to the observed intra-individual variation in all metabolic phenotypes in both samples, and meanwhile reveal differential patterns of genetic and common environmental regulation on changes over time in metabolic phenotypes across the two samples. PMID:26862898

[Psychoeducation and multifamily groups for patients with first-episode psychosis].

PubMed

Lyse, Hanne-Grethe; Haahr, Ulrik Helt; Fjell, Anne; Dichmann, Bente; Flensborg, Estrid; Simonsen, Erik

2007-10-22

In spite of existing good evidence of the efficacy of extended intervention in families with a member diagnosed as schizophrenic, this intervention is not in general use in Denmark. This paper describes experiences of psychoeducation and multifamily group from the TIPS project (Early Intervention in Psychosis). 55 patients were enrolled in the Danish part of the project. The 2-year manualized treatment program consisted of pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy and family intervention. The family intervention included joining sessions, information days and multifamily group. Of the 55 enrolled 31 patients and their families had joining sessions; 20 completed the full treatment program. They were younger patients, more often living with their families, and differed diagnostically to some extent from the other patients. Lack of acceptance from the patients or families and too far to the treatment site were the main reasons for not participating. The study indicates the necessity to offer a more phase-specific family intervention to include more patients and their families. Due to the low incidence of first-episode psychosis it is necessary that treatment centres coordinate their treatment in order to facilitate the establishment of homogenous groups and to develop coordinated education and supervision.

Reduced risk of UC in families affected by appendicitis: a Danish national cohort study.

PubMed

Nyboe Andersen, Nynne; Gørtz, Sanne; Frisch, Morten; Jess, Tine

2017-08-01

The possible aetiological link between appendicitis and UC remains unclear. In order to investigate the hereditary component of the association, we studied the risk of UC in family members of individuals with appendicitis. A cohort of 7.1 million individuals was established by linkage of national registers in Denmark with data on kinship and diagnoses of appendicitis and UC. Poisson regression models were used to calculate first hospital contact rate ratios (RR) for UC with 95% CIs between individuals with or without relatives with a history of appendicitis. During 174 million person-years of follow-up between 1977 and 2011, a total of 190 004 cohort members developed appendicitis and 45 202 developed UC. Individuals having a first-degree relative with appendicitis before age 20 years had significantly reduced risk of UC (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.86 to 0.95); this association was stronger in individuals with a family predisposition to UC (RR 0.66; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.83). Individuals with a first-degree relative diagnosed with appendicitis before age 20 years are at reduced risk of UC, particularly when there is a family predisposition to UC. Our findings question a previously hypothesised direct protective influence of appendicitis on inflammation of the large bowel. Rather, genetic or environmental factors linked to an increased risk of appendicitis while being protective against UC may explain the repeatedly reported reduced relative risk of UC in individuals with a history of appendicitis. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Genetic analysis of predicted fatty acid profiles of milk from Danish Holstein and Danish Jersey cattle populations.

PubMed

Hein, L; Sørensen, L P; Kargo, M; Buitenhuis, A J

2018-03-01

The objective of this study was to assess the genetic variability of the detailed fatty acid (FA) profiles of Danish Holstein (DH) and Danish Jersey (DJ) cattle populations. We estimated genetic parameters for 11 FA or groups of FA in milk samples from the Danish milk control system between May 2015 and October 2016. Concentrations of different FA and FA groups in milk samples were measured by mid-infrared spectroscopy. Data used for parameter estimation were from 132,732 first-parity DH cows and 21,966 first-parity DJ cows. We found the highest heritabilities for test day measurements in both populations for short-chain FA (DH = 0.16; DJ = 0.16) and C16:0 (DH = 0.14; DJ = 0.16). In DH, the highest heritabilities were also found for saturated FA and monounsaturated FA (both populations: 0.15). Genetic correlations between the fatty acid traits showed large differences between DH and DJ for especially short-chain FA with the other FA traits measured. Furthermore, genetic correlations of total fat with monounsaturated FA, polyunsaturated FA, short-chain FA, and C16:0 differed markedly between DH and DJ populations. In conclusion, we found genetic variation in the mid-infrared spectroscopy-predicted FA and FA groups of the DH and DJ cattle populations. This finding opens the possibility of using genetic selection to change the FA profiles of dairy cattle. The Authors. Published by FASS Inc. and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Barriers among Danish women and general practitioners to raising the issue of intimate partner violence in general practice: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Mørk, Trine; Andersen, Pernille Tanggaard; Taket, Ann

2014-06-03

Thirty-five percent of Danish women experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. However, health care professionals are not in the practice of asking about intimate partner violence (IPV) in Denmark. It is currently unknown what hinders general practitioners from asking about partner violence and how Danish women would perceive such an inquiry. This aspect has not previously been explored in Denmark. An exploratory study was conducted to examine what hinders general practitioners (GPs) from asking and what Danish women's views and attitudes are regarding being asked about IPV. Data were collected through individual and group interviews with a sample of three GPs and a diverse sample of 13 women, including both survivors of partner violence and those without any history of partner violence. An interpretative analysis was performed with the data. This study provides important knowledge regarding the barriers and attitudes towards inquiry about IPV in primary care in Denmark. Results indicate that Denmark is facing the same challenges when responding to survivors of IPV as other similar countries, including Sweden, Norway, the UK, USA, and Australia. Danish women want general practitioners to ask about violence in a respectful and non-judgemental manner. However, general practitioners are resistant towards such an inquiry and would benefit from training regarding how to respond to women who have been exposed to IPV. It is acceptable to inquire about IPV with women in Denmark in a non-judgemental and respectful way. Informing about IPV prevalence is important prior to the inquiry. However, general practitioners require more awareness and training before a favourable environment for this change in procedure can be created. Further large-scale research is needed to support the evidence generated by this small study.

Familial Danish dementia: a novel form of cerebral amyloidosis associated with deposition of both amyloid-Dan and amyloid-beta.

PubMed

Holton, Janice L; Lashley, Tammaryn; Ghiso, Jorge; Braendgaard, Hans; Vidal, Ruben; Guerin, Christopher J; Gibb, Graham; Hanger, Diane P; Rostagno, Agueda; Anderton, Brian H; Strand, Catherine; Ayling, Hilary; Plant, Gordon; Frangione, Blas; Bojsen-Møller, Marie; Revesz, Tamas

2002-03-01

Familial Danish dementia (FDD) is pathologically characterized by widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), parenchymal protein deposits, and neurofibrillary degeneration. FDD is associated with a mutation of the BRI2 gene located on chromosome 13. In FDD there is a decamer duplication, which abolishes the normal stop codon, resulting in an extended precursor protein and the release of an amyloidogenic fragment, ADan. The aim of this study was to describe the major neuropathological changes in FDD and to assess the distribution of ADan lesions, neurofibrillary pathology, glial, and microglial response using conventional techniques, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and immunoelectron microscopy. We showed that ADan is widely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS) in the leptomeninges, blood vessels, and parenchyma. A predominance of parenchymal pre-amyloid (non-fibrillary) lesions was found. Abeta was also present in a proportion of both vascular and parenchymal lesions. There was severe neurofibrillary pathology, and tau immunoblotting revealed a triplet electrophoretic migration pattern comparable with PHF-tau. FDD is a novel form of CNS amyloidosis with extensive neurofibrillary degeneration occurring with parenchymal, predominantly pre-amyloid rather than amyloid, deposition. These findings support the notion that parenchymal amyloid fibril formation is not a prerequisite for the development of neurofibrillary tangles. The significance of concurrent ADan and Abeta deposition in FDD is under further investigation.

Analysis of patient diaries in Danish ICUs: a narrative approach.

PubMed

Egerod, Ingrid; Christensen, Doris

2009-10-01

The objective was to describe the structure and content of patient diaries written for critically ill patients in Danish intensive care units (ICUs). Critical illness is associated with physical and psychological aftermath including cognitive impairment and post-traumatic stress. Patient diaries written in the intensive care unit are used to help ICU-survivors come to terms with their illness. The study had a qualitative, descriptive and explorative design, using a narrative approach of analysis. Data were analysed on several levels: extra-case level, case level, diary-entry level, and sub-entry level. The sample consisted of 25 patient diaries written by critical care nurses in 2007 for patients at a general ICU in Denmark. The base narrative describes three stages: crisis, turning point, and normalisation. Each case includes parallel plots of nurse, patient and family, which converge during normalisation. Each diary is structured by: summary, daily entries and end note. Each diary entry is structured by: greeting, narrator status, patient status, family status/contextual cues and sign-off note. Patient diaries acknowledge the patient experience and provide new insights into nursing performance. This study offers a framework for understanding ICU patient diaries, which may facilitate cross-unit comparisons and support future guideline development. The dual perspectives of patient diaries and the ambiguous ownership of the narratives may pave the way for insights to improve critical care nursing and ICU rehabilitation.

Enniatin B and beauvericin are common in Danish cereals and show high hepatotoxicity on a high-content imaging platform.

PubMed

Svingen, Terje; Lund Hansen, Niels; Taxvig, Camilla; Vinggaard, Anne Marie; Jensen, Udo; Have Rasmussen, Peter

2017-05-01

Mycotoxins are fungi-born metabolites that can contaminate foods through mould-infected crops. They are a significant food/feed-safety issue across the globe and represent a substantial financial burden for the world economy. Moreover, with a changing climate and fungal biota, there is now much discussion about emerging mycotoxins that are measurable at significant levels in crops world-wide. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the bioavailability and toxic potentials of many of these less characterized mycotoxins, including the large family of enniatins. In this study, we present new occurrence data for enniatin A, A1, B, B1 and beauvericin in four Danish crops: oat, wheat, and barley from the 2010 harvest, and rye from 2011 harvest. The occurrence of the four enniatins were B > B1 > A1 > A. Enniatin B was detected in 100% of tested samples regardless of crop type. In addition to occurrence data, we report a proof-of-concept study using a human-relevant high-content hepatotoxicity, or "quadroprobe," assay to screen mycotoxins for their cytotoxic potential. The assay was sensitive for most cytotoxic compounds in the 0.009-100 µM range. Among eight tested mycotoxins (enniatin B, beauvericin, altenariol, deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin B1, andrastin A, citrinin, and penicillic acid), enniatin B and beauvericin showed significant cytotoxicity at a concentration lower than that for aflatoxin B1, which is the archetypal acute hepatotoxic and liver-carcinogenic mycotoxin. Hence, the quadroprobe hepatotoxicity assay may become a valuable assessment tool for toxicity assessment of mycotoxins in the future. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1658-1664, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Preliminary Evidence for a Classroom Based Psychosocial Intervention for Disaster Exposed Children with Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rønholt, Stine; Karsberg, Sidsel; Elklit, Ask

2013-01-01

Background: In 2004, a firework factory in a residential area of a large Danish city exploded. The children at the local school were screened for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 16 months and 3½ years after the incident. A large proportion of the children still suffered from a substantial number of symptoms 3½ years after the…

Identification of a novel asthma susceptibility gene on chromosome 1qter and its functional evaluation.

PubMed

White, Julia H; Chiano, Mathias; Wigglesworth, Mark; Geske, Robert; Riley, John; White, Nicola; Hall, Simon; Zhu, Guohua; Maurio, Frank; Savage, Tony; Anderson, Wayne; Cordy, Joanna; Ducceschi, Melissa; Vestbo, Jorgen; Pillai, Sreekumar G

2008-07-01

Asthma is a multifactorial disease, in which the intricate interplay between genetic and environmental factors underlies the overall phenotype of the disease. Using a genome-wide scan for linkage in a population comprising of Danish families, we identified a novel linked locus on chromosome 1qter (LOD 3.6, asthma) and supporting evidence for this locus was identified for both asthma and atopic-asthma phenotypes in the GAIN (Genetics of Asthma International Network) families. The putative susceptibility gene was progressively localized to a 4.5 Mb region on chromosome 1q adjacent to the telomere, through a series of genotyping screens. Further screening using the pedigree-based association test (PBAT) identified polymorphisms in the OPN3 and CHML genes as being associated with asthma and atopic asthma after correcting for multiple comparisons. We observed that polymorphisms flanking the OPN3 and CHML genes wholly accounted for the original linkage in the Danish population and the genetic association was also confirmed in two separate studies involving the GAIN families. OPN3 and CHML are unique genes with no known function that are related to the pathophysiology of asthma. Significantly, analysis of gene expression at both RNA and protein levels, clearly demonstrated OPN3 expression in lung bronchial epithelia as well as immune cells, while CHML expression appeared minimal. Moreover, OPN3 down-regulation by siRNA knock-down in Jurkat cells suggested a possible role for OPN3 in modulation of T-cell responses. Collectively, these data suggest that OPN3 is an asthma susceptibility gene on 1qter, which unexpectedly may play a role in immune modulation.

The Danish High Risk and Resilience Study--VIA 7--a cohort study of 520 7-year-old children born of parents diagnosed with either schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or neither of these two mental disorders.

PubMed

Thorup, Anne A E; Jepsen, Jens Richardt; Ellersgaard, Ditte Vestbjerg; Burton, Birgitte Klee; Christiani, Camilla Jerlang; Hemager, Nicoline; Skjærbæk, Mette; Ranning, Anne; Spang, Katrine Søborg; Gantriis, Ditte Lou; Greve, Aja Neergaard; Zahle, Kate Kold; Mors, Ole; Plessen, Kerstin Jessica; Nordentoft, Merete

2015-10-02

Severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are known to be diseases that to some extent, but not entirely can be understood genetically. The dominating hypothesis is that these disorders should be understood in a neurodevelopmental perspective where genes and environment as well as gene-environment-interactions contribute to the risk of developing the disease. We aim to analyse the influences of genetic risk and environmental factors in a population of 520 7-year-old children with either 0, 1 or 2 parents diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis or bipolar disorder on mental health and level of functioning. We hypothesize that a larger proportion of children growing up with an ill parent will display abnormal or delayed development, behavioural problems or psychiatric symptoms compared to the healthy controls. We are establishing a cohort of 5207 year old children and both their parents for a comprehensive investigation with main outcome measures being neurocognition, behaviour, psychopathology and neuromotor development of the child. Parents and children are examined with a comprehensive battery of instruments and are asked for genetic material (saliva or blood) for genetic analyses. The participants are recruited via Danish registers to ensure representativity. Data from registers concerning social status, birth complications, somatic illnesses and hospitalization are included in the database. Psychological and relational factors like emotional climate in the family, degree of stimulation and support in the home and attachment style are also investigated. Data collection started January 1, 2013, and is successfully ongoing. By Aug 2015 424 families are included. About 20% of the invited families decline to participate, equal for all groups.

The transmission of trauma in refugee families: associations between intra-family trauma communication style, children's attachment security and psychosocial adjustment.

PubMed

Dalgaard, Nina Thorup; Todd, Brenda Kathryn; Daniel, Sarah I F; Montgomery, Edith

2016-01-01

This study explores the transmission of trauma in 30 Middle Eastern refugee families in Denmark, where one or both parents were referred for treatment of PTSD symptoms and had non-traumatized children aged 4-9 years. The aim of the study was to explore potential risk and protective factors by examining the association between intra-family communication style regarding the parents' traumatic experiences from the past, children's psychosocial adjustment and attachment security. A negative impact of parental trauma on children might be indicated, as children's Total Difficulties Scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were significantly higher than the Danish norms. A negative association between children's attachment security as measured by the Attachment and Traumatization Story Task and higher scores on the SDQ Total Difficulties Scale approached significance, suggesting that the transmission of trauma may be associated with disruptions in children's attachment representations. Furthermore a significant association between parental trauma communication and children's attachment style was found.

A Confirmatory Approach to Examining the Factor Structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): A Large Scale Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niclasen, Janni; Skovgaard, Anne Mette; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Somhovd, Mikael Julius; Obel, Carsten

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the factor structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) using a Structural Confirmatory Factor Analytic approach. The Danish translation of the SDQ was distributed to 71,840 parents and teachers of 5-7 and 10-12-year-old boys and girls from four large scale cohorts. Three theoretical models…

CCD Photometry of Cometary Nuclei, I: Observations from 1990-1995

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licandro, Javier; Tancredi, Gonzalo; Lindgren, Mats; Rickman, Hans; Hutton, Ricardo Gil

2000-09-01

CCD photometry of 18 Jupiter family comets, observed at medium and large heliocentric distances, was carried out between April 1990 and July 1995. This is part of a long-term observational program designed to obtain their nuclear magnitudes. The observations were made with the 1.54-m Danish Telescope at ESO La Silla, the 2.5-m Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) at Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma), the 2.0-m telescope at Pic du Midi, and the 2.15-m telescope at CASLEO, Argentina. Our estimates of the absolute nuclear magnitudes are discussed in comparison with previous determinations. Estimates (sometimes upper limits) for the effective radius ( R) of the nuclei are computed considering a typical geometric albedo pv=0.04. The lowest radius found is the one of 37P/Forbes ( R=1.0 km) while the largest corresponds to 65P/Gunn ( R=11.0 km), but in this case the comet was observed very active. Wherever possible, cometary image profiles are compared with stellar profiles, in order to determine the existence of a faint coma. Seven of the comets were active, six of them at heliocentric distances larger than 4 AU. This unexpected activity is also discussed. We find a strong correlation between activity at large heliocentric distances and recent downward jumps in perihelion distance.

Personality traits in Huntington's disease: An exploratory study of gene expansion carriers and non-carriers.

PubMed

Larsen, Ida Unmack; Mortensen, Erik Lykke; Vinther-Jensen, Tua; Nielsen, Jørgen Erik; Knudsen, Gitte Moos; Vogel, Asmus

2016-12-01

Huntington's disease (HD) is associated with risk for developing psychiatric symptoms. Vulnerability or resilience to psychiatric symptoms may be associated with personality traits. This exploratory study, aimed to investigate personality traits in a large cohort of HD carriers and at risk gene-expansion negative individuals (HD non-carriers), exploring whether carrying the HD gene or growing up in an HD family influences personality traits. Forty-seven HD carriers, Thirty-nine HD non-carriers, and 121 healthy controls answered the Danish version of the revised NEO personality inventory. Comparisons between HD carriers and HD non-carriers were mostly non-significant but the combined group of HD carriers and non-carriers showed significantly higher scores on the facets: "hostility," "assertiveness," and "activity" and on the trait "Conscientiousness" relative to controls, "Conscientiousness" have been associated with resilience to psychiatric symptoms. Twelve HD carriers and non-carriers were classified as depressed and showed significantly lower scores on "Extraversion" and "Conscientiousness" and significantly higher scores on "Neuroticism," which are associated with vulnerability to psychiatric symptoms. Our findings suggest that, there is no direct effect of the HD gene on personality traits, but that personality assessment may be relevant to use when identifying individuals from HD families who are vulnerable to develop psychiatric symptoms. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Occupational exposures and sick leave during pregnancy: results from a Danish cohort study.

PubMed

Hansen, Mette Lausten; Thulstrup, Ane Marie; Juhl, Mette; Kristensen, Jette Kolding; Ramlau-Hansen, Cecilia Høst

2015-07-01

This study aimed to investigate associations between work postures, lifting at work, shift work, work hours, and job strain and the risk of sick leave during pregnancy from 10-29 completed pregnancy weeks in a large cohort of Danish pregnant women. Data from 51 874 pregnancies in the Danish National Birth Cohort collected between 1996-2002 were linked to the Danish Register for Evaluation of Marginalization. Exposure information was based on telephone interviews. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated by Cox regression analysis, using time of first episode of sick leave as the primary outcome. We found statistically significant associations between all the predictors and risk of sick leave; for non-sitting work postures (HRrange 1.55-2.79), cumulative lifting HRtrend 1.29, 95% CI 1.26-1.31, shift work (HRevening 1.90, 95% CI 1.73-2.09, HRnight 1.52, 95% CI 1.15-2.01), monthly night shifts HRtrend 1.12, 95% CI 1.11-1.14, increasing weekly work hours HRtrend 0.93, 95% CI 0.91-0.95 and high job strain HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.42-1.63. Some exposures influenced HR in either a positive or negative time-dependent way. Our results support previous findings and suggest that initiatives to prevent sick leave during pregnancy could be based on work conditions. Preventive measures may have important implications for pregnant women and workplaces.

Hospitalizations among employees in the Danish hotel and restaurant industry.

PubMed

Hannerz, Harald; Tüchsen, Finn; Kristensen, Tage S

2002-09-01

The aim of the present study was to provide a broad picture of the morbidity among employees in the Danish hotel and restaurant industry. Cohorts of all 20-59-year-old employees in the Danish hotel and restaurant industry in the years 1981, 1986, 1991 and 1994 were formed to calculate age-standardized hospitalization ratios (SHR) and time trends (1981-1997) for many different diagnoses. Both for women and men, significantly higher SHRs were found for infectious and parasitic diseases, neoplasms, diseases in the nervous system and sense organs, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the respiratory system, diseases of the digestive system and diseases of the musculoskeletal system among employees in hotels and restaurants than in the digestive system and diseases of the musculoskeletal system among employees in hotels and restaurants than in the working population at large. Furthermore, among women a significantly elevated risk was found for injuries in the lower extremities, injuries in the upper extremities and head injuries, and among men a high risk was found for head injuries and a low risk for ruptures in ligaments and muscles. The trend assessments did not detect any significant changes in SHRs over time. Employment in the Danish hotel and restaurant industry is associated with an elevated hospitalization risk due to many diseases, which may be related to occupation and lifestyle. In line with the official policy of reducing inequality in health, focus should be placed on the health problems in this group.

Dietary Intake of α-Linolenic Acid Is Not Appreciably Associated with Risk of Ischemic Stroke among Middle-Aged Danish Men and Women.

PubMed

Bork, Christian S; Venø, Stine K; Lundbye-Christensen, Søren; Jakobsen, Marianne U; Tjønneland, Anne; Schmidt, Erik B; Overvad, Kim

2018-06-01

Intake of the plant-derived omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid α-linolenic acid (ALA) may reduce the risk of ischemic stroke. We have investigated the associations between dietary intake of ALA and the risk of ischemic stroke and ischemic stroke subtypes. This was a follow-up study. A total of 57,053 participants aged 50-64 y were enrolled into the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort between 1993 and 1997. Intake of ALA was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Potential incident cases of ischemic stroke were identified in the Danish National Patient Register, validated, and classified into subtypes based on assumed etiology. Statistical analyses were performed via Cox proportional hazard regression with adjustment for established ischemic stroke risk factors. A total of 1859 ischemic stroke cases were identified during a median of 13.5 y of follow-up. In multivariable analyses using restricted cubic splines adjusting for traditional risk factors for ischemic stroke, we observed no clear associations between dietary intake of ALA and the risk of total ischemic stroke or any of its subtypes including ischemic stroke due to large artery atherosclerosis, ischemic stroke due to small-vessel occlusion, and ischemic stroke due to cardio-embolism. Dietary intake of ALA was neither consistently nor appreciably associated with the risk of ischemic stroke or ischemic stroke subtypes among middle-aged Danish men and women. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03258983.

Attitudes to and implementation of video interpretation in a Danish hospital: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Mottelson, Ida Nygaard; Sodemann, Morten; Nielsen, Dorthe Susanne

2018-03-01

Immigrants, refugees, and their descendants comprise 12% of Denmark's population. Some of these people do not speak or understand Danish well enough to communicate with the staff in a healthcare setting and therefore need interpreter services. Interpretation through video conferencing equipment (video interpretation) is frequently used and creates a forum where the interpreter is not physically present in the medical consultation. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes to and experiences with video interpretation among charge nurses in a Danish university hospital. An electronic questionnaire was sent to 99 charge nurses. The questionnaire comprised both closed and open-ended questions. The answers were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic text condensation. Of the 99 charge nurses, 78 (79%) completed the questionnaire. Most charge nurses, 21 (91%) of the daily/monthly users, and 21 (72%) of the monthly/yearly users, said that video interpretation increased the quality of their conversations with patients. A total of 19 (24%) departments had not used video interpretation within the last 12 months. The more the charge nurses used video interpretation, the more satisfied they were. Most of the charge nurses using video interpretation expressed satisfaction with the technology and found it easy to use. Some charge nurses are still content to allow family or friends to interpret. To reach its full potential, video interpretation technology has to be reliable and easily accessible for any consultation, including at the bedside.

Alzheimer disease-like clinical phenotype in a family with FTDP-17 caused by a MAPT R406W mutation.

PubMed

Lindquist, S G; Holm, I E; Schwartz, M; Law, I; Stokholm, J; Batbayli, M; Waldemar, G; Nielsen, J E

2008-04-01

We report clinical, molecular, neuroimaging and neuropathological features of a Danish family with autosomal dominant inherited dementia, a clinical phenotype resembling Alzheimer's disease and a pathogenic mutation (R406W) in the microtubule associated protein tau (MAPT) gene. Pre-symptomatic and affected family members underwent multidisciplinary (clinical, molecular, neuroimaging and neuropathological) examinations. Treatment with memantine in a family member with early symptoms, based on the clinical phenotype and the lack of specific treatment, appears to stabilize the disease course and increase the glucose metabolism in cortical and subcortical areas, as determined by serial [F(18)]FDG-PET scanning before and after initiation of treatment. Neuropathological examination of a second affected and mutation-positive family member showed moderate atrophy of the temporal lobes including the hippocampi. Microscopy revealed abundant numbers of tau-positive neurofibrillary tangles in all cortical areas and in some brainstem nuclei corresponding to a diagnosis of frontotemporal lobe degeneration on the basis of a MAPT mutation. The clinical and genetic heterogeneity of autosomal dominant inherited dementia must be taken into account in the genetic counselling and genetic testing of families with autosomal dominantly inherited dementia in general.

A Large-Scale Cross-Linguistic Investigation of the Acquisition of Passive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armon-Lotem, Sharon; Haman, Ewa; de López, Kristine Jensen; Smoczynska, Magdalena; Yatsushiro, Kazuko; Szczerbinski, Marcin; van Hout, Angeliek; Dabašinskiene, Ineta; Gavarró, Anna; Hobbs, Erin; Kamandulyte-Merfeldiene, Laura; Katsos, Napoleon; Kunnari, Sari; Nitsiou, Chrisa; Olsen, Lone Sundahl; Parramon, Xavier; Sauerland, Uli; Torn-Leesik, Reeli; van der Lely, Heather

2016-01-01

This cross-linguistic study evaluates children's understanding of passives in 11 typologically different languages: Catalan, Cypriot Greek, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Lithuanian, and Polish. The study intends to determine whether the reported gaps between the comprehension of active and passive and between short and…

[Meyerbeer, spa curist, biography of J. -F. Struensee, physician and man of the modernist state].

PubMed

Trépardoux, Francis

2015-01-01

In 1757, Struensee (1737-1772) graduated in medicine at Halle-Saale university, as his father a high dignitary in the lutherian church was, and supported by the presence of his grand-father the physician and scientist Samuel Carl. The family moved to Altona where he was nominated as physician in the city council. Then he largely dealt with medical and social items, for orphans and disabled, and attempted to prevent infectious deseases, small pox, typhus, scabies ans dysenteric syndroms. For sure when he practised his investigations on water samples with microscopy, Struensee acted as a pioneer to suspect microrganisms to be responsible for infectious diseases. Later on, he started his medical service dedicated to the Danish king Christian VII. This part of his life demonstrated the ambitious but highly capable man he was when running the whole government load for Denmark, in a liberal and advanced way. We link the drama of his death when he was condamned, to the symphony composed by Meyerbeer (1791-1864), known as an incidental music for Michael Beer's play Struensee, 1846.

Histology-specific risks in testicular cancer in immigrants to Sweden.

PubMed

Hemminki, Kari; Mousavi, Seyed Mohsen; Brandt, Andreas; Ji, Jianguang; Sundquist, Jan

2010-06-01

The changes of cancer incidence upon immigration have been used as an estimator of environmental influence on cancer risk. The previous immigrant studies have indicated that the origins of testicular cancer are at an early age in life, probably in the intrauterine period. We wanted to reexamine the critical periods on histology-specific testicular cancer in sons of immigrants to Sweden. We used the nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database to calculate standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for testicular cancer in sons of parents immigrating to Sweden from low- and high-risk countries compared with the native Swedes. Among the large immigrant groups, the SIRs for sons of two Finnish and Asian parents were decreased if the sons were born outside Sweden. The sons of a Danish immigrant couple showed an increased risk of testicular cancer. The changes in SIR were most systematic for seminoma. The present patterns of testicular cancer risk among sons of immigrants point to the early environmental risk factors, which influence the risk probably after the intrauterine period. These factors appear to influence seminoma risk in a more enduring way than they influence non-seminoma.

Work assignments, delegation of tasks and job satisfaction among Danish dental hygienists.

PubMed

Hach, M; Aaberg, K B; Lempert, S M; Danielsen, B

2017-08-01

Recent legislation in Denmark has made it possible for dentists to delegate their tasks to dental hygienists. Previous studies have shown that Danish dental hygienists primarily were performing assignments within their own work field. These assignments include prophylaxis or instructing patients in oral health care. However, studies have also shown that Danish dental hygienists performed dental nurse assignments such as chair-side assistance, unit cleaning and disinfection of instruments. The objectives of this study were to investigate (i) the range of work assignments performed by Danish dental hygienists, (ii) the types of dentist tasks performed by Danish dental hygienists and (iii) job satisfaction among Danish dental hygienists. Dental hygienists graduating in 2004-2007 were invited to participate in this study. Participants answered an email-distributed questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding job satisfaction, assignments performed, postgraduate course attendance, receiving assistance from a dental nurse and which work assignments Danish dental hygienists wish to perform in the future. The results of this study showed that 90% of Danish dental hygienists were satisfied with their job and 52% were performing dentists' tasks. Among dentists' tasks performed by Danish dental hygienists, invasive caries therapy was the most frequently performed task. The type of assignments performed by Danish dental hygienists today appears to be changing compared to previous studies. From initially performing prophylaxis and chair-side assistance for the dentist, Danish dental hygienists today are performing a wider range of tasks which includes dentists' tasks. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Association between nationality and occupational injury risk on Danish non-passenger merchant ships.

PubMed

Ádám, Balázs

2013-01-01

Maritime occupational accidents can be determined by several factors, among which human characteristics play a crucial role. Worker's safety behaviour depends on individual physical and mental characteristics as well as on his/her social and cultural background. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of workplace injuries in the Danish merchant fleet in the period 2010-2012, and to characterise its nationality dependence. Occupational injuries data reported from ships registered in the Danish International Ship Register to the Danish Maritime Authority were collected. Publicly available employment data were used to calculate the cumulative incidence rates for Danish, non-Danish European Union (EU) and non-EU employees working on non-passenger ships. Crude injury rates and rates adjusted for occupational status were statistically compared. The majority of accidents happened to Danish and non-EU workers on non-passenger ships. The injury rate varied around 70 per 1000 among Danish seafarers, while the rate for non-Danish employees was about 30 per 1000. Crude and adjusted relative risk was found significantly lower for EU (0.33-0.46;0.26-0.39) and for non-EU (0.41-0.53; 0.54-0.65) workers compared to Danish seafarers. The difference decreased, but remained significant in most cases for serious injuries. Occupational injury rates show considerable nationality differences as reported from non-passenger ships registered under the Danish flag. The differences can only be partly explained by varying reporting practices. The findings confirm the results of previous studies and point out the need for effective interventions in the high-risk groups.

EARLY REGULATION IN CHILDREN WHO ARE LATER DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. A LONGITUDINAL STUDY WITHIN THE DANISH NATIONAL BIRTH COHORT.

PubMed

Lemcke, Sanne; Parner, Erik T; Bjerrum, Merete; Thomsen, Per H; Lauritsen, Marlene B

2018-03-01

Studies have shown that children later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in their first years of life might show symptoms in main developmental areas and that these signs might be sensed by the parents. The present study investigated in a large birth cohort if children later diagnosed with ASD had deviations at 6 and 18 months in areas such as the ability to self-regulate emotions, feeding, and sleeping. The study was based on prospective information collected from 76,322 mothers who participated in the Danish National Birth Cohort. When the children reached an average age of 11 years, 973 children with ASD and a control group of 300 children with intellectual disability (IDnoASD) were identified via Danish health registries. Associations were found between short periods of breast-feeding and the children later diagnosed with ASD and IDnoASD as well as associations at 18 months to deviations in regulation of emotions and activity. The similarities in these associations emphasize how difficult it is to distinguish between diagnoses early in life. © 2018 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.

Genital warts in men: a large population-based cross-sectional survey of Danish men.

PubMed

Munk, Christian; Nielsen, Ann; Liaw, Kai-Li; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger

2012-12-01

To estimate the occurrence of and risk factors associated with genital warts in Danish men We conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study among almost 23 000 men aged 18-45 years, randomly sampled from the general population of Denmark. Data was collected on self-reported clinically diagnosed genital warts, and various lifestyle habits. Ever having had clinically diagnosed genital warts was reported by 7.9% of the men. The median age at first occurrence was 22 years. Genital warts within the previous 12 months were reported by 0.92% of the men, with a peak of 1.83% among men aged 21-24 years. The likelihood of reporting genital warts was strongly correlated with the lifetime number of sex partners (OR 8.0; 95% CI 6.0 to 10.8 for ≥15 partners vs 1-2 partners). Other factors associated with an increased risk for genital warts included ever having smoked and having had other sexually transmitted infections. Almost 8% of Danish men aged 18-45 years reported having had a diagnosis of genital warts. The results provide baseline information for developing and monitoring prevention strategies against genital warts, such as vaccination against human papillomavirus types 6 and 11.

Possible Causes of a Harbour Porpoise Mass Stranding in Danish Waters in 2005

PubMed Central

Wright, Andrew J.; Maar, Marie; Mohn, Christian; Nabe-Nielsen, Jacob; Siebert, Ursula; Jensen, Lasse Fast; Baagøe, Hans J.; Teilmann, Jonas

2013-01-01

An unprecedented 85 harbour porpoises stranded freshly dead along approximately 100 km of Danish coastline from 7–15 April, 2005. This total is considerably above the mean weekly stranding rate for the whole of Denmark, both for any time of year, 1.23 animals/week (ranging from 0 to 20 during 2003–2008, excluding April 2005), and specifically in April, 0.65 animals/week (0 to 4, same period). Bycatch was established as the cause of death for most of the individuals through typical indications of fisheries interactions, including net markings in the skin and around the flippers, and loss of tail flukes. Local fishermen confirmed unusually large porpoise bycatch in nets set for lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) and the strandings were attributed to an early lumpfish season. However, lumpfish catches for 2005 were not unusual in terms of season onset, peak or total catch, when compared to 2003–2008. Consequently, human activity was combined with environmental factors and the variation in Danish fisheries landings (determined through a principal component analysis) in a two-part statistical model to assess the correlation of these factors with both the presence of fresh strandings and the numbers of strandings on the Danish west coast. The final statistical model (which was forward selected using Akaike information criterion; AIC) indicated that naval presence is correlated with higher rates of porpoise strandings, particularly in combination with certain fisheries, although it is not correlated with the actual presence of strandings. Military vessels from various countries were confirmed in the area from the 7th April, en route to the largest naval exercise in Danish waters to date (Loyal Mariner 2005, 11–28 April). Although sonar usage cannot be confirmed, it is likely that ships were testing various equipment prior to the main exercise. Thus naval activity cannot be ruled out as a possible contributing factor. PMID:23460787

Diffusion of an e-learning programme among Danish General Practitioners: A nation-wide prospective survey

PubMed Central

Waldorff, Frans Boch; Steenstrup, Annette Plesner; Nielsen, Bente; Rubak, Jens; Bro, Flemming

2008-01-01

Background We were unable to identify studies that have considered the diffusion of an e-learning programme among a large population of general practitioners. The aim of this study was to investigate the uptake of an e-learning programme introduced to General Practitioners as part of a nation-wide disseminated dementia guideline. Methods A prospective study among all 3632 Danish GPs. The GPs were followed from the launching of the e-learning programme in November 2006 and 6 months forward. Main outcome measures: Use of the e-learning programme. A logistic regression model (GEE) was used to identify predictors for use of the e-learning programme. Results In the study period, a total of 192 different GPs (5.3%) were identified as users, and 17% (32) had at least one re-logon. Among responders at first login most have learnt about the e-learning programme from written material (41%) or from the internet (44%). A total of 94% of the users described their ability of conducting a diagnostic evaluation as good or excellent. Most of the respondents used the e-learning programme due to general interest (90%). Predictors for using the e-learning programme were Males (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.1; 2.0) and members of Danish College of General Practice (OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.5; 3.1), whereas age, experience and working place did not seem to be influential. Conclusion Only few Danish GPs used the e-learning programme in the first 6 months after the launching. Those using it were more often males and members of Danish College of General Practice. Based on this study we conclude, that an active implementation is needed, also when considering electronic formats of CME like e-learning. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00392483. PMID:18439279

Barriers among Danish women and general practitioners to raising the issue of intimate partner violence in general practice: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Thirty-five percent of Danish women experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. However, health care professionals are not in the practice of asking about intimate partner violence (IPV) in Denmark. It is currently unknown what hinders general practitioners from asking about partner violence and how Danish women would perceive such an inquiry. This aspect has not previously been explored in Denmark. An exploratory study was conducted to examine what hinders general practitioners (GPs) from asking and what Danish women’s views and attitudes are regarding being asked about IPV. Methods Data were collected through individual and group interviews with a sample of three GPs and a diverse sample of 13 women, including both survivors of partner violence and those without any history of partner violence. An interpretative analysis was performed with the data. Results This study provides important knowledge regarding the barriers and attitudes towards inquiry about IPV in primary care in Denmark. Results indicate that Denmark is facing the same challenges when responding to survivors of IPV as other similar countries, including Sweden, Norway, the UK, USA, and Australia. Danish women want general practitioners to ask about violence in a respectful and non-judgemental manner. However, general practitioners are resistant towards such an inquiry and would benefit from training regarding how to respond to women who have been exposed to IPV. Conclusions It is acceptable to inquire about IPV with women in Denmark in a non-judgemental and respectful way. Informing about IPV prevalence is important prior to the inquiry. However, general practitioners require more awareness and training before a favourable environment for this change in procedure can be created. Further large-scale research is needed to support the evidence generated by this small study. PMID:24893567

Daily physical activity and sports participation among children from ethnic minorities in Denmark.

PubMed

Nielsen, Glen; Hermansen, Bianca; Bugge, Anna; Dencker, Magnus; Andersen, Lars Bo

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Danish children from immigrant backgrounds are less physically active than children from the ethnic majority, and to investigate the possible reasons for any differences found. Accelerometer measures of physical activity as well as questionnaire data about organised sports, family demography, resources and values were collected from 594 children of whom 67 had other ethnic background than Danish. Data were collected when the children were 6-7 years old and again later when the children were 9-10 years old. It was found that children from immigrant backgrounds were not less physically active than other children when their amounts of daily physical activity were measured by direct objective measures, despite their participation rate in organised sports being much lower. Using multiple logistic regression modelling, this study showed that lack of parental experience with organised sports and lack of economic/material resources explained much of the difference in sports participation. Children of immigrant background had significant lower participation in club sports but this did not affect their overall physical activity level.

Developing and Evaluating a Multimodal Course Format: Danish for Knowledge Workers--Labour Market-Related Danish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frederiksen, Karen-Margrete; Laursen, Katja Årosin

2015-01-01

This paper presents our reflections on developing the Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) course "Danish for knowledge workers--labour market-related Danish." As defined by Laursen and Frederiksen (2015), knowledge workers are "highly educated people who typically work at universities, at other institutions of higher…

Challenges in Teaching "Colloid and Surface Chemistry"--A Danish Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontogeorgis, Georgios M.; Vigild, Martin E.

2009-01-01

Seven years ago we were asked, as one of our first teaching duties at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), to teach a 5 ECTS point course on "Colloid and Surface Chemistry". The topic is itself at the same time exciting and demanding, largely due to its multidisciplinary nature. Several "local" requirements posed…

Practical Elements in Danish Engineering Programmes, Including the European Project Semester

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Jorgen

2012-01-01

In Denmark, all engineering programmes in HE have practical elements; for instance, at Bachelor's level, an internship is an integrated part of the programme. Furthermore, Denmark has a long-established tradition of problem-based and project-organized learning, and a large part of students' projects, including their final projects, is done in…

Learning Museum: A Meeting Place for Pre-Service Teachers and Museums

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seligmann, Tine

2014-01-01

Learning Museum 2011-13 is a nationwide multidisciplinary collaboration project involving 26 Danish museums (art, cultural and natural history) along with 13 colleges of education. The project has provided a large group of pre-service teachers with unique opportunities to participate in training courses, academic internships and bachelor's thesis…

Does External Funding Push Doctoral Supervisors to Be More Directive? A Large-Scale Danish Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wichmann-Hansen, Gitte; Herrmann, Kim Jesper

2017-01-01

Around the world, changing funding policies have pushed for university departments to find increased external project-based funding. While this trend is widely acknowledged, mixed views exist about implications for faculty members' academic practices. Regarding doctoral education, researchers have raised concern that external funding will push…

Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics of the DANish randomized, controlled, multicenter study to assess the efficacy of Implantable cardioverter defibrillators in patients with non-ischemic Systolic Heart failure on mortality (DANISH).

PubMed

Thune, Jens Jakob; Pehrson, Steen; Nielsen, Jens Cosedis; Haarbo, Jens; Videbæk, Lars; Korup, Eva; Jensen, Gunnar; Hildebrandt, Per; Steffensen, Flemming Hald; Bruun, Niels Eske; Eiskjær, Hans; Brandes, Axel; Thøgersen, Anna Margrethe; Egstrup, Kenneth; Hastrup-Svendsen, Jesper; Høfsten, Dan Eik; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Køber, Lars

2016-09-01

The effect of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in patients with symptomatic systolic heart failure (HF) caused by coronary artery disease is well documented. However, the effect of primary prophylactic ICDs in patients with systolic HF not due to coronary artery disease is much weaker. In addition, HF management has improved, since the landmark ICD trials and a large proportion of patients now receive cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) where the effect of ICD treatment is unknown. In the DANISH study, 1,116 patients with symptomatic systolic HF not caused by coronary artery disease have been randomized to receive an ICD or not, in addition to contemporary standard therapy. The primary outcome of the trial is time to all-cause death. Follow-up will continue until June 2016 with a median follow-up period of 5 years. Baseline characteristics show that enrolled patients are treated according to current guidelines. At baseline, 97% of patients received an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, 92% received a β-blocker, 58% a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, and 58% were scheduled to receive CRT. Median age was 63 years (range, 21-84 years) at baseline, and 28% were women. DANISH will provide pertinent information about the effect on all-cause mortality of a primary prophylactic ICD in patients with symptomatic systolic HF not caused by coronary artery disease on contemporary standard therapy including CRT. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Semantic Categorization of Placement Verbs in L1 and L2 Danish and Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cadierno, Teresa; Ibarretxe-Antuñano, Iraide; Hijazo-Gascón, Alberto

2016-01-01

This study investigates semantic categorization of the meaning of placement verbs by Danish and Spanish native speakers and two groups of intermediate second language (L2) learners (Danish learners of L2 Spanish and Spanish learners of L2 Danish). Participants described 31 video clips picturing different types of placement events. Cluster analyses…

[The social recruitment of medical students in year group 2006 and 2007 at the University of Copenhagen].

PubMed

Pedersen, Laura Toftegaard; Bak, Nanna Hasle; Petersson, Birgit H

2010-01-18

To study the social recruitment of medical students at the University of Copenhagen in 2006 and 2007 and compare it to the social recruitment in 1992, the Danish population and other study programmes. Questionnaire survey of first-year medical students from year 2006-2007. The population comprised 446 students, of whom 71% were women. They were categorised according to parents' social class, parents' education and presence of doctors in the family. 81% of the students belonged to social class I and II, 41% of the students' parents had a higher education and 17% had at least one parent who was a trained physician. For the Danish population and for students at Psychology and the Humanities, the numbers were significantly lower. Fewer students were recruited from the higher social classes in 1992, but more students had parents with higher education. In 1992, the quota system had an equalizing effect on the distribution across social classes; this effect did not seem to be present in 2006-07. The distribution of medical students across social classes is less equal than in the rest of the Danish population and has remained close to unchanged in the period 1992 to 2007. Furthermore, the medical school recruits more students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds than other fields of study at the University of Copenhagen. There is a need for an increased focus on the social recruitment and an intensified effort to recruit a more differentiated segment of students, among others through an increase in quota 2 admission rates.

Young people's risk of suicide attempts after contact with a psychiatric department - a nested case-control design using Danish register data.

PubMed

Christiansen, Erik; Larsen, Kim Juul

2012-01-01

There seems to be an increased risk of children and adolescents committing or attempting suicide after contact with a psychiatric department. Children and adolescents living in families with low socio-economic status (SES) might have an especially increased suicide attempt risk. A complete extraction of Danish register data for every individual born in the period 1983-1989 was made. Of these 403,431 individuals, 3,465 had attempted suicide. In order to control for confounder effects from gender, age and calendar-time, a nested case-control study was designed. A total population of 72,765 individuals was used to analyze the risk of suicide attempts after contact with a psychiatric department. The case-control data were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. This study shows that a child/adolescent's risk of suicide attempt peaks immediately after discharge from last contact with a psychiatric department. The risk of suicide attempt is highest for children and adolescents suffering from personality disorders, depression and substance use disorders. Children and adolescents with previous contact with a psychiatric department and parental income in the lowest third have a significantly higher risk of suicide attempt. Suicide attempters were more likely to have been given several different diagnoses and several different psychopharmacological drugs prior to their attempted suicide. The findings in this study highlight the need for psychopathology assessment in every case of attempted suicide. This study also shows that well-known risk factors such as contact with a psychiatric department do not affect all individuals in the same way. Individuals from families with low SES had the highest risk. This suggests that the presence of factors influencing both vulnerability and resiliency, e.g., family level of SES, needs to be included in the assessment. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2011 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Linkage of osteoporosis to chromosome 20p12 and association to BMP2.

PubMed

Styrkarsdottir, Unnur; Cazier, Jean-Baptiste; Kong, Augustine; Rolfsson, Ottar; Larsen, Helene; Bjarnadottir, Emma; Johannsdottir, Vala D; Sigurdardottir, Margret S; Bagger, Yu; Christiansen, Claus; Reynisdottir, Inga; Grant, Struan F A; Jonasson, Kristjan; Frigge, Michael L; Gulcher, Jeffrey R; Sigurdsson, Gunnar; Stefansson, Kari

2003-12-01

Osteoporotic fractures are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in ageing populations. Osteoporosis, defined as low bone mineral density (BMD) and associated fractures, have significant genetic components that are largely unknown. Linkage analysis in a large number of extended osteoporosis families in Iceland, using a phenotype that combines osteoporotic fractures and BMD measurements, showed linkage to Chromosome 20p12.3 (multipoint allele-sharing LOD, 5.10; p value, 6.3 x 10(-7)), results that are statistically significant after adjusting for the number of phenotypes tested and the genome-wide search. A follow-up association analysis using closely spaced polymorphic markers was performed. Three variants in the bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) gene, a missense polymorphism and two anonymous single nucleotide polymorphism haplotypes, were determined to be associated with osteoporosis in the Icelandic patients. The association is seen with many definitions of an osteoporotic phenotype, including osteoporotic fractures as well as low BMD, both before and after menopause. A replication study with a Danish cohort of postmenopausal women was conducted to confirm the contribution of the three identified variants. In conclusion, we find that a region on the short arm of Chromosome 20 contains a gene or genes that appear to be a major risk factor for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures, and our evidence supports the view that BMP2 is at least one of these genes.

Breakfast frequency among adolescents: associations with measures of family functioning.

PubMed

Pedersen, Trine Pagh; Holstein, Bjørn E; Damsgaard, Mogens Trab; Rasmussen, Mette

2016-06-01

To investigate (i) associations between adolescents' frequency of breakfast and family functioning (close relations to parents, quality of family communication and family support) and (ii) if any observed associations between breakfast frequency and family functioning vary by sociodemographic factors. School-based cross-sectional study. Students completed a web-based questionnaire. Associations were estimated by multilevel multivariate logistic regression. Danish arm of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, 2014. Adolescents aged 13 and 15 years (n 3054) from a random sample of forty-one schools. Nearly one-quarter of the adolescents had low breakfast frequency. Low breakfast frequency was associated with low family functioning measured by three dimensions. The OR (95 % CI) of low breakfast frequency was 1·81 (1·40, 2·33) for adolescents who reported no close relations to parents, 2·28 (1·61, 3·22) for adolescents who reported low level of quality of family communication and 2·09 (1·39, 3·15) for adolescents who reported low level of family support. Joint effect analyses suggested that the odds of low breakfast frequency among adolescents with low family functioning compared with high family functioning were highest among adolescents being girls, immigrants and living in other than a traditional family structure. Low breakfast frequency was associated with low family functioning measured by close relations to parents, quality of family communication and family support. Further, analyses suggested that the associations were more pronounced among girls, immigrants and adolescents from other family structure than traditional. The study highlights the importance of the family setting in promoting regular breakfast frequency among adolescents.

Industrial companies' demand for energy based on a micro panel database -- Effects of CO{sub 2} taxation and agreements on energy savings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bjoerner, T.B.; Togeby, M.

1999-07-01

An econometric panel data analysis of industrial demand for electricity and energy is presented. In the panel energy consumption, production and value added are observed at company level. The authors estimate price and production elasticities for electricity and total energy (i.e. measuring the X per cent change in demand of say electricity of a one per cent increase in the price of electricity). The estimated price and production elasticities are allowed to vary according to company characteristics such as industrial sub-sector, company size, energy intensity and type of ownership. Most previous econometric studies on industrial energy demand use aggregate data,more » while a couple of micro level studies mainly employ cross-section analysis. To the knowledge this is only the second econometric study on industrial energy demand based on a large micro panel database. More than 2,700 Danish industrial companies during the period 1983 to 1995 are included in the model (covering the majority of all Danish industrial energy consumption). One advantage of micro data is that these data can be used to estimate the effect of an instrument like voluntary energy agreements. By entering a voluntary energy agreement a Danish company avoids paying the usual CO{sub 2} tax. Preliminary analyses suggest that there is a large positive gross reduction of electricity and total energy consumption of companies with energy agreements. However, the authors also find that companies would have had about the same reduction in electricity consumption if they had not entered into an agreement, but instead paid the full CO{sub 2} tax. Thus, the analysis suggests that the net effect on electricity use of the voluntary energy agreements is very low (perhaps even negative).« less

Attempted suicide and violent criminality among Danish second generation immigrants according to parental place of origin

PubMed Central

Webb, Roger T; Antonsen, Sussie; Pedersen, Carsten B; Mok, Pearl LH; Cantor-Graae, Elizabeth; Agerbo, Esben

2016-01-01

Background Immigrant populations in Western European countries have grown in their size and diversity, but little is known about risks of self-directed and externalised violence among second generation immigrants. Aims To compare risks for attempted suicides and violent offending among second generation immigrants to Denmark according to parental region of origin versus the native Danish population. Methods Data from interlinked national Danish registers were used (N=1,973,614). Parental origin outside Denmark was categorised thus: Asia, Africa, Middle East, Greenland, other Scandinavian countries, elsewhere in Europe, and all other regions. We estimated gender-specific cumulative incidence and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) versus native Danes. Results In virtually all subgroups of second generation immigrants, risk was elevated for the two adverse outcomes in both genders. Females generally had greater elevations in attempted suicide risk, and males had greater elevations in violent offending risk. For attempted suicide, especially large IRRs were observed for males and females whose parents emigrated from Greenland; for violent offending, risks were particularly raised for males and females of Middle Eastern, Greenlandic and African origin. Adjustment for socioeconomic status partially explained these associations. Conclusions Western European nations should develop preventive programmes tailored toward specific second generation immigrant populations, with integrated approaches jointly tackling suicidality and violence. PMID:26613752

Comparative Analysis of U.S. and Danish Army Leader Development Strategies

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-08

Individualism (vs. Collectivism). (74) Is the society’s emphasis on the group ( collectivist ) or on the individual ( individualist ). Low characteristics...and tools to draw lessons learned for the Danish Armed Forces and the Danish Army in particular. Subsequently, the thesis applies a cultural ... cultural applicability test to assess whether the identified lessons learned from the U.S. Army Leader Development Strategy are applicable in a Danish

Are Danish doctors comfortable teaching in English?

PubMed

Nilas, L; Løkkegaard, E C; Laursen, J B; Kling, J; Cortes, D

2016-08-27

From 2012-2015, the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of Pediatrics at the University of Copenhagen conducted a project, "Internationalization at Home ", offering clinical teaching in English. The project allowed international students to work with Danish speaking students in a clinical setting. Using semi-quantitative questionnaires to 89 clinicians about use of English and need for training, this paper considers if Danish clinical doctors are prepared to teach in English. The majority self-assessed their English proficiency between seven and eight on a 10 unit visual analogue scale, with 10 equivalent to working in Danish, while 15 % rated five or less. However, one-fourth found teaching and writing in English to be twice as difficult than in Danish, and 12 % rated all teaching tasks in English at four or less compared to Danish. The self-assessed need for additional English skills was perceived low. Teaching in English was rated as 30 % more difficult than in Danish, and a significant subgroup of doctors had difficulties in all forms of communication in English, resulting in challenges when introducing international students in non-native English speaking medical departments.

ALS and the Military: A Population-Based Study in the Danish Registries

PubMed Central

Seals, Ryan M.; Kioumourtzoglou, Marianthi-Anna; Gredal, Ole; Hansen, Johnni; Weisskopf, Marc G.

2016-01-01

Background Prior studies have suggested that military service may be associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We conducted a population-based case-control study in Denmark to assess whether occupation in the Danish military is associated with an increased risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Methods There were 3,650 incident cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis recorded in the Danish National Patient Registry between 1982 and 2009. Each case was matched to 100 age- and sex-matched population controls alive and free of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis on the date of the case diagnosis. Comprehensive occupational history was obtained from the Danish Pension Fund database, which began in 1964. Results 2.4% (n=8,922) of controls had a history of employment in the military prior to the index date. Military employees overall had an elevated rate of ALS (OR=1.3; 95% CI: 1.1-1.6). A ten-year increase in years employed by the military was associated with an odds ratio of 1.2 (95% CI: 1.0-1.4), and all quartiles of time employed were elevated. There was little suggestion of a pattern across calendar year of first employment, but there was some evidence that increasing age at first employment was associated with increased ALS rates. Rates were highest in the decade immediately following the end of employment (OR=1.6; 95% CI: 1.2-2.2). Conclusions In this large population-based case-control study, employment by the military is associated with increased rates of ALS. These findings are consistent with earlier findings that military service or employment may entail exposure to risk factors for ALS. PMID:26583610

Mortality in a cohort of Danish firefighters; 1970-2014.

PubMed

Petersen, Kajsa Ugelvig; Pedersen, Julie Elbæk; Bonde, Jens Peter; Ebbehøj, Niels Erik; Hansen, Johnni

2018-05-28

Occupational exposure of firefighters involves a complex range of potential health threats from toxic chemicals, shift work, extreme heat, physical and emotional strain. The aim of this study is to examine overall and disease-specific mortality among Danish firefighters. Through systematic collection of personnel and membership records from employers and trade unions, past and present male Danish firefighters were identified (n = 11,775). Using the unique Danish personal identification number, information on additional employment, vital status and cause of death was linked to each member of the cohort from the Supplementary Pension Fund Register, the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish Register of Causes of Death. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated for specific causes of death using rates for two reference groups, a random sample of the male working population (n = 262,168) and the military (n = 396,739), respectively. Overall mortality was significantly reduced among the firefighters compared to both the sample of the working population and the military (SMR 0.74, 95% CI 0.69-0.78 and SMR 0.88, 95% CI 0.83-0.93). Further, the SMRs for endocrine diseases, mental disorders, non-traffic related accidents and other external causes were significantly lower against both reference groups. Death from stomach cancer was significantly increased among the full time firefighters, while part time/volunteer workers shared a significant increase in prostate cancer death compared to both references. Despite potential exposure to several occupational hazards, male Danish firefighters have a lower mortality than both the Danish working population in general and Danish military employees.

[Goodbye to half of tomorrow's physicians].

PubMed

Burcharth, Jakob; Burgdorf, Stefan; Rosenberg, Jacob

2009-12-14

Danish citizenship can only be obtained by passing a citizenship test. The test was introduced in December 2005 which made it more difficult to obtain Danish citizenship, and revised in 2008 which made the process even harder. We present a study which tests how many Danish and Swedish medical students enrolled at the University of Copenhagen would be able to obtain a Danish citizenship. The test comprised 40 questions regarding Danish democracy, history and politics. The questions were taken from the Ministry of Refugee and Immigration's pool of questions. Medical students at the University of Copenhagen were invited to participate in the study. Participation was voluntary. The tests were revised blinded and anonymously. The results were analyzed using Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U-test. We enrolled 202 medical students (139 women and 63 men). Among these participants, 168 were Danish and 34 Swedish medical students studying in Copenhagen. A total of 49% of the students passed the test. 58% of the Danish students and 6% of the Swedish students passed the test (p < 0.001). The Danish students had a median of eight errors (range: 1-18) and Swedish students had a median of 15 errors (range: 5-25) (p < 0.001). We suggest an export agreement with countries like Poland and India comprising the 51% students who failed the citizenship test as part of a package solution, where Denmark in return receives competent physicians of said nationalities. We also suggest that the contents of the test for citizenship be revised to achieve a better assessment of the applicant's ability to integrate in the Danish society.

Socioeconomic differences in school dropout among young adults: the role of social relations.

PubMed

Winding, Trine Nøhr; Andersen, Johan Hviid

2015-10-15

School dropout in adolescence is an important social determinant of health inequality in a lifetime perspective. It is commonly accepted that parental background factors are associated with later dropout, but to what extent social relations mediate this association is not yet fully understood. To investigate the effect of social relations on the association between parental socioeconomic position and school dropout in the Danish youth cohort Vestliv. This prospective study used data from questionnaires in 2004 and 2007 and register data in 2004 and 2010. The study population consisted of 3,054 persons born in 1989. Information on dropout was dichotomised into those who had completed a secondary education/were still attending one and those who had dropped out/had never attended a secondary education. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between parental socioeconomic position and dropout at age 21, taking into account effects of social relations at age 15 and 18. A large proportion of young people were having problems with social relations at age 15 and 18. In general, social relations were strongly related to not completing a secondary education, especially among girls. For instance, 18-year-old girls finding family conflicts difficult to handle had a 2.6-fold increased risk of not completing a secondary education. Young people from low socioeconomic position families had approximately a 3-fold higher risk of not completing a secondary education compared to young people from high position families, and the estimates did not change greatly after adjustment for social relations with family or friends. Poor relations with teachers and classmates at age 18 explained a substantial part of the association between income and dropout among both girls and boys. The study confirmed a social gradient in completion of secondary education. Despite the fact that poor social relations at age 15 and 18 were related to dropout at age 21, social relations with family and friends only explained a minor part of the socioeconomic differences in dropout. However, poor social relations with teachers and classmates at age 18 explain a substantial part of the socioeconomic difference in dropout from secondary education.

Potential for a Danish power system using wind energy generators, solar cells and storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blegaa, S.; Christiansen, G.

1981-10-01

Performance characteristics of a combined solar/wind power system equipped with storage and an unspecified back-up power source are studied on the basis of meteorological data in Denmark from 1959-1972. A model for annual production and storage from wind/solar installations is presented, assuming 12% efficiency for the solar cells and various power coefficients of the windmills, in addition to long and short-term storage. Noting that no correlation between wind and solar energy availability was found, and a constant ratio of 60% wind/40% solar was determined to be the optimum mix for large scale power production without taking into consideration the variations among years. It is concluded that 80-90% of the total Danish electrical load can be covered by solar/wind systems, and 100% may be possible with the addition of pumped hydroelectric storage.

A Danish diabetes risk score for targeted screening: the Inter99 study.

PubMed

Glümer, Charlotte; Carstensen, Bendix; Sandbaek, Annelli; Lauritzen, Torsten; Jørgensen, Torben; Borch-Johnsen, Knut

2004-03-01

To develop a simple self-administered questionnaire identifying individuals with undiagnosed diabetes with a sensitivity of 75% and minimizing the high-risk group needing subsequent testing. A population-based sample (Inter99 study) of 6,784 individuals aged 30-60 years completed a questionnaire on diabetes-related symptoms and risk factors. The participants underwent an oral glucose tolerance test. The risk score was derived from the first half and validated on the second half of the study population. External validation was performed based on the Danish Anglo-Danish-Dutch Study of Intensive Treatment in People with Screen Detected Diabetes in Primary Care (ADDITION) pilot study. The risk score was developed by stepwise backward multiple logistic regression. The final risk score included age, sex, BMI, known hypertension, physical activity at leisure time, and family history of diabetes, items independently and significantly (P<0.05) associated with the presence of previously undiagnosed diabetes. The area under the receiver operating curve was 0.804 (95% CI 0.765-0.838) for the first half of the Inter99 population, 0.761 (0.720-0.803) for the second half of the Inter99 population, and 0.803 (0.721-0.876) for the ADDITION pilot study. The sensitivity, specificity, and percentage that needed subsequent testing were 76, 72, and 29%, respectively. The false-negative individuals in the risk score had a lower absolute risk of ischemic heart disease compared with the true-positive individuals (11.3 vs. 20.4%; P<0.0001). We developed a questionnaire to be used in a stepwise screening strategy for type 2 diabetes, decreasing the numbers of subsequent tests and thereby possibly minimizing the economical and personal costs of the screening strategy.

Ethnic differences in leptin and adiponectin levels between Greenlandic Inuit and Danish children.

PubMed

Munch-Andersen, Thor; Sorensen, Kaspar; Aachmann-Andersen, Niels-Jacob; Aksglaede, Lise; Juul, Anders; Helge, Jørn W

2013-01-01

In a recent study, we found that Greenlandic Inuit children had a more adverse metabolic profile than Danish children. Aerobic fitness and adiposity could only partly account for the differences. Therefore, we set out to evaluate and compare plasma leptin and adiponectin levels in Danish and Inuit children. In total, 187 Inuit and 132 Danish children (5.7-17.1 years) had examinations of anthropometrics, body fat content, pubertal staging, fasting blood and aerobic fitness. Plasma leptin was higher in Danish boys [3,774 (4,741-3,005)] [pg/mL unadjusted geometric mean (95% CI)] compared to both northern [2,076 (2,525-1,706)] (p < 0.001) and southern (2,515 (3,137-2,016)) (p < 0.001) living Inuit boys and higher in Danish girls [6,988 (8,353-5,847)] compared to southern living Inuit girls [4,910 (6,370-3,785)] (p = 0.021) and tended to be higher compared to northern living Inuit girls [5,131 (6,444-4,085)] (p = 0.052). Plasma adiponectin was higher for both Danish boys [22,359 (2,573-19,428)] [ng/mL unadjusted geometric mean (95% CI)] and girls [26,609 (28,994-24,420)] compared to southern living Inuit boys [15,306 (18,406-12,728)] and girls [18,864 (22,640-15,717)] (both p < 0.001), respectively. All differences remained after adjustment for body fat percentage (BF%), aerobic fitness, age and puberty. The leptin/adiponectin ratio was higher in Danish boys and tended to be higher in Danish girls compared to northern living Inuit boys and girls, respectively. These differences were eliminated after adjustment for BF%, aerobic fitness, age and puberty. In contrast to our hypothesis, plasma leptin was higher in Danish children despite a more healthy metabolic profile compared to Inuit children. As expected, plasma adiponectin was lowest in Inuit children with the most adverse metabolic profile.

Danish-Swedish windpower company founded in Denmark

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holmstrom, M.

1982-04-01

The Swedish General Electric Co. (ASEA) has founded a windpower company in cooperation with the Danish state and a Danish company. They expect to build 250 windpower plants through 1984. If a Swedish market opens a similar partner company is planned in Sweden.

Tyskland--et grat land med et grimt sprog. Oder: die Haltung Danischer gymnasiasten zu Deutsch, Deutschland, und den Deutschen (Germany--a Grey Country with an Ugly Language. Or: The Attitudes of Danish Students to German, Germany, and the Germans). ROLIG Working Paper 43.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bense, Elisabeth

Two studies are reported that investigated the views of Danish secondary school students studying German. The first, an observational study, revealed that the vast majority of questions Danish students posed during German lessons concerned grammar and vocabulary. The second study was a questionnaire that revealed that the Danish students were…

Identifying transitions in terminal illness trajectories: a critical factor in hospital-based palliative care.

PubMed

Dalgaard, Karen Marie; Thorsell, Georg; Delmar, Charlotte

2010-02-01

This article describes the significance of the identification and explicit communication of the different clinical phases in incurable illness trajectories in a hospital setting. The article is part of a qualitative study carried out in a Danish haematology department. The data were obtained through a total of 157 hours of participant observation and informal interviews with patients, families, doctors and nurses and four focus group interviews with doctors and nursing staff. Grounded theory was applied for the data analysis. The findings outline how the unpredictability of certain haematological malignancies and barriers in professional practice tended to postpone identifications of transitions between clinical phases. The study has identified ten barriers including personal, professional, time-related, cultural and organizational-for an open dialogue between staff, patients and families about illness progression. The quality of palliative care was affected as different clinical phases require different treatment and care strategies. Complex intervention is called for.

Neurophysiological localisation of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow: Validation of diagnostic criteria developed by a taskforce of the Danish Society of clinical neurophysiology.

PubMed

Pugdahl, K; Beniczky, S; Wanscher, B; Johnsen, B; Qerama, E; Ballegaard, M; Benedek, K; Juhl, A; Ööpik, M; Selmar, P; Sønderborg, J; Terney, D; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, A

2017-11-01

This study validates consensus criteria for localisation of ulnar neuropathy at elbow (UNE) developed by a taskforce of the Danish Society of Clinical Neurophysiology and compares them to the existing criteria from the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM). The Danish criteria are based on combinations of conduction slowing in the segments of the elbow and forearm expressed in Z-scores, and difference between the segments in m/s. Examining fibres to several muscles and sensory fibres can increase the certainty of the localisation. Diagnostic accuracy for UNE was evaluated on 181 neurophysiological studies of the ulnar nerve from 171 peer-reviewed patients from a mixed patient-group. The diagnostic reference standard was the consensus diagnosis based on all available clinical, laboratory, and electrodiagnostic information reached by a group of experienced Danish neurophysiologists. The Danish criteria had high specificity (98.4%) and positive predictive value (PPV) (95.2%) and fair sensitivity (76.9%). Compared to the AANEM criteria, the Danish criteria had higher specificity (p<0.001) and lower sensitivity (p=0.02). The Danish consensus criteria for UNE are very specific and have high PPV. The Danish criteria for UNE are reliable and well suited for use in different centres as they are based on Z-scores. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxidative stress and mitochondria-mediated cell death mechanisms triggered by the familial Danish dementia ADan amyloid

PubMed Central

Todd, Krysti; Ghiso, Jorge; Rostagno, Agueda

2015-01-01

Familial Danish Dementia (FDD), an early-onset non-amyloid-β (Aβ) cerebral amyloidosis, is neuropathologically characterized by widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy, parenchymal amyloid and preamyloid deposits, as well as neurofibrillary degeneration indistinguishable to that seen in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The main amyloid subunit composing FDD lesions, a 34-amino acid de-novo generated peptide ADan, is the direct result of a genetic defect at the 3’-end of the BRI2 gene and the physiologic action of furin-like proteolytic processing at the C-terminal region of the ADan precursor protein. We aimed to study the impact of the FDD mutation, the additional formation of the pyroglutamate (pE) posttranslational modification as well as the relevance of C-terminal truncations –all major components of the heterogeneous FDD deposits–on the structural and neurotoxic properties of the molecule. Our data indicates that whereas the mutation generated a β-sheet-rich hydrophobic ADan subunit of high oligomerization/fibrillization propensity and the pE modification further enhanced these properties, C-terminal truncations had the opposite effect mostly abolishing these features. The potentiation of pro-amyloidogenic properties correlated with the initiation of neuronal cell death mechanisms involving oxidative stress, perturbation of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, and downstream activation of caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways. The amyloid-induced toxicity was inhibited by targeting specific components of these detrimental cellular pathways, using reactive oxygen scavengers and monoclonal antibodies recognizing the pathological amyloid subunit. Taken together, the data indicate that the FDD mutation and the pE posttranslational modification are both primary elements driving intact ADan into an amyloidogenic/neurotoxic pathway while truncations at the C-terminus eliminate the pro-amyloidogenic characteristics of the molecule, likely reflecting effect of physiologic clearance mechanisms. PMID:26459115

Educational Ambassadors in the Danish Trade Union Movement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keil, Michael

2008-01-01

The concept of Educational Ambassadors is embedded within the so-called "Danish model" of industrial relations. The Danish industrial relations system is characterised by strong collective organisations with national coverage, which conclude the collective agreements for various industries or sectors and which are mostly grouped under…

Predictors of iron levels in 14,737 Danish blood donors: results from the Danish Blood Donor Study.

PubMed

Rigas, Andreas Stribolt; Sørensen, Cecilie Juul; Pedersen, Ole Birger; Petersen, Mikkel Steen; Thørner, Lise Wegner; Kotzé, Sebastian; Sørensen, Erik; Magnussen, Karin; Rostgaard, Klaus; Erikstrup, Christian; Ullum, Henrik

2014-03-01

Dietary studies show a relationship between the intake of iron enhancers and inhibitors and iron stores in the general population. However, the impact of dietary factors on the iron stores of blood donors, whose iron status is affected by blood donations, is incompletely understood. In the Danish Blood Donor Study, we assessed the effect of blood donation frequency, physiologic factors, lifestyle and supplemental factors, and dietary factors on ferritin levels. We used multiple linear and logistic regression analyses stratified by sex and menopausal status. Among high-frequency donors (more than nine donations in the past 3 years), we found iron deficiency (ferritin below 15 ng/mL) in 9, 39, and 22% of men, premenopausal women, and postmenopausal women, respectively. The strongest predictors of iron deficiency were sex, menopausal status, the number of blood donations in a 3-year period, and the time since last donation. Other significant factors included weight, age, intensity of menstruation, iron tablets, vitamin pills, and consumption of meat and wine. The study confirms iron deficiency as an important problem, especially among menstruating women donating frequently. The risk of iron depletion was largely explained by sex, menopausal status, and donation frequency. Other factors, including dietary and supplemental iron intake, had a much weaker effect on the risk of iron depletion. © 2013 The Authors. Transfusion published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AABB.

Air pollution from traffic and cancer incidence: a Danish cohort study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Vehicle engine exhaust includes ultrafine particles with a large surface area and containing absorbed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, transition metals and other substances. Ultrafine particles and soluble chemicals can be transported from the airways to other organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and brain. Our aim was to investigate whether air pollution from traffic is associated with risk for other cancers than lung cancer. Methods We followed up 54,304 participants in the Danish Diet Cancer and Health cohort for 20 selected cancers in the Danish Cancer Registry, from enrolment in 1993-1997 until 2006, and traced their residential addresses from 1971 onwards in the Central Population Registry. We used modeled concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and amount of traffic at the residence as indicators of traffic-related air pollution and used Cox models to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) after adjustment for potential confounders. Results NOx at the residence was significantly associated with risks for cervical cancer (IRR, 2.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01;5.93, per 100 μg/m3 NOx) and brain cancer (IRR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.25;4.19, per 100 μg/m3 NOx). Conclusions This hypothesis-generating study indicates that traffic-related air pollution might increase the risks for cervical and brain cancer, which should be tested in future studies. PMID:21771295

Maternal Dietary Patterns during Pregnancy in Relation to Offspring Forearm Fractures: Prospective Study from the Danish National Birth Cohort

PubMed Central

Petersen, Sesilje B.; Rasmussen, Morten A.; Olsen, Sjurdur F.; Vestergaard, Peter; Mølgaard, Christian; Halldorsson, Thorhallur I.; Strøm, Marin

2015-01-01

Limited evidence exists for an association between maternal diet during pregnancy and offspring bone health. In a prospective study, we examined the association between dietary patterns in mid-pregnancy and offspring forearm fractures. In total, 101,042 pregnancies were recruited to the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) during 1996–2002. Maternal diet was collected by a food frequency questionnaire. Associations were analyzed between seven dietary patterns extracted by principal component analysis and offspring first occurrence of any forearm fracture diagnosis, extracted from the Danish National Patient Register, between time of birth and end of follow-up (<16 year) (n = 53,922). In multivariable Cox regression models, offspring of mothers in the fourth vs. first quintile of the Western pattern had a significant increased risk (Hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval: 1.11, 1.01–1.23) of fractures, and there was a borderline significant positive trend (p = 0.06). The other dietary patterns showed no associations and neither did supplementary analyses of macro- and micronutrients or single food groups, except for the intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks, which was positively associated with offspring forearm fractures (p = 0.02). In the large prospective DNBC high mid-pregnancy consumption of Western diet and artificially sweetened soft drinks, respectively, indicated positive associations with offspring forearm fractures, which provides interesting hypotheses for future research. PMID:25849947

Use of fertility drugs and risk of ovarian cancer: Danish Population Based Cohort Study.

PubMed

Jensen, Allan; Sharif, Heidi; Frederiksen, Kirsten; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger

2009-02-05

To examine the effects of fertility drugs on overall risk of ovarian cancer using data from a large cohort of infertile women. Population based cohort study. Danish hospitals and private fertility clinics. 54,362 women with infertility problems referred to all Danish fertility clinics during 1963-98. The median age at first evaluation of infertility was 30 years (range 16-55 years), and the median age at the end of follow-up was 47 (range 18-81) years. Included in the analysis were 156 women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (cases) and 1241 subcohort members identified in the cohort during follow-up in 2006. Effect of four groups of fertility drugs (gonadotrophins, clomifene citrate, human chorionic gonadotrophin, and gonadotrophin releasing hormone) on overall risk of ovarian cancer after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Analyses within cohort showed no overall increased risk of ovarian cancer after any use of gonadotrophins (rate ratio 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.50 to 1.37), clomifene (1.14, 0.79 to 1.64), human chorionic gonadotrophin (0.89, 0.62 to 1.29), or gonadotrophin releasing hormone (0.80, 0.42 to 1.51). Furthermore, no associations were found between all four groups of fertility drugs and number of cycles of use, length of follow-up, or parity. No convincing association was found between use of fertility drugs and risk of ovarian cancer.

The Financing of Vocational Education and Training in Denmark. Financing Portrait. CEDEFOP Panorama.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Martin Eggert

The financing of vocational education and training (VET) in Denmark was evaluated through consultations with various bodies, including the following: Denmark's Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Education, Danish Employer's Confederation, Confederation of Danish Industry, Danish Confederation of Trade Unions, Association of County Councils, and…

Is Danish Difficult to Acquire? Evidence from Nordic Past-Tense Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bleses, Dorthe; Basboll, Hans; Vach, Werner

2011-01-01

Cross-linguistic findings have shown that Danish children's early receptive vocabulary development is slower relative to children learning other languages. In this study, we examined whether Danish children's acquisition of inflectional past-tense morphology is delayed relative to Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish children. Our comparison of data…

Acceptable noise level (ANL) with Danish and non-semantic speech materials in adult hearing-aid users.

PubMed

Olsen, Steen Østergaard; Lantz, Johannes; Nielsen, Lars Holme; Brännström, K Jonas

2012-09-01

The acceptable noise level (ANL) test is used for quantification of the amount of background noise subjects accept when listening to speech. This study investigates Danish hearing-aid users' ANL performance using Danish and non-semantic speech signals, the repeatability of ANL, and the association between ANL and outcome of the international outcome inventory for hearing aids (IOI-HA). ANL was measured in three conditions in both ears at two test sessions. Subjects completed the IOI-HA and the ANL questionnaire. Sixty-three Danish hearing-aid users; fifty-seven subjects were full time users and 6 were part time/non users of hearing aids according to the ANL questionnaire. ANLs were similar to results with American English speech material. The coefficient of repeatability (CR) was 6.5-8.8 dB. IOI-HA scores were not associated to ANL. Danish and non-semantic ANL versions yield results similar to the American English version. The magnitude of the CR indicates that ANL with Danish and non-semantic speech materials is not suitable for prediction of individual patterns of future hearing-aid use or evaluation of individual benefit from hearing-aid features. The ANL with Danish and non-semantic speech materials is not related to IOI-HA outcome.

JPRS Report, West Europe.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-07-31

Sees Earlier Elections 24 Setback for Privitization Movement, by Egon Balsby 25 Many Economic Problems Unsolved, by Lasse Ellegaard 28 First...Geisler, Inuit Ataqatigiit. Setback For Privitization Movement Copenhagen BERLINGSKE AFTEN in Danish 29 May - 4 Jun 87 pp lr 2 [Article by Egon Balsby...34Yes to Socialism — No to Privitization "! [Text] The two large parties in Greenland politics, Ätassut and Siumut, both suffered defeats in an

Digital Voting Systems and Communication in Classroom Lectures--An Empirical Study Based around Physics Teaching at Bachelor Level at Two Danish Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathiasen, Helle

2015-01-01

Studies on the use of digital voting systems in large group teaching situations have often focused on the "non-anonymity" and control and testing functions that the technology provides. There has also been some interest in how students might use their votes tactically to gain "credits". By focusing on an empirical study of…

Enterprise size and risk of hospital treated injuries among manual construction workers in Denmark: a study protocol.

PubMed

Pedersen, Betina H; Hannerz, Harald; Christensen, Ulla; Tüchsen, Finn

2011-04-21

In most countries throughout the world the construction industry continues to account for a disturbingly high proportion of fatal and nonfatal injuries. Research has shown that large enterprises seem to be most actively working for a safe working environment when compared to small and medium-sized enterprises. Also, statistics from Canada, Italy and South Korea suggest that the risk of injury among construction workers decreases with enterprise size, that is the smaller the enterprise the greater the risk of injury. This trend, however, is neither confirmed by the official statistics from Eurostat valid for EU-15 + Norway nor by a separate Danish study - although these findings might have missed a trend due to severe underreporting. In addition, none of the above mentioned studies controlled for the occupational distribution within the enterprises. A part of the declining injury rates observed in Canada, Italy and South Korea therefore might be explained by an increasing proportion of white-collar employees in large enterprises. To investigate the relation between enterprise size and injury rates in the Danish construction industry. All male construction workers in Denmark aged 20-59 years will be followed yearly through national registers from 1999 to 2006 for first hospital treated injury (ICD-10: S00-T98) and linked to data about employment status, occupation and enterprise size. Enterprise size-classes are based on the Danish business pattern where micro (less than 5 employees), small (5-9 employees) and medium-sized (10-19 employees) enterprises will be compared to large enterprises (at least 20 employees). The analyses will be controlled for age (five-year age groups), calendar year (as categorical variable) and occupation. A multi-level Poisson regression will be used where the enterprises will be treated as the subjects while observations within the enterprises will be treated as correlated repeated measurements. This follow-up study uses register data that include all people in the target population. Sampling bias and response bias are thereby eliminated. A disadvantage of the study is that only injuries requiring hospital treatment are covered.

Enterprise size and risk of hospital treated injuries among manual construction workers in Denmark: a study protocol

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In most countries throughout the world the construction industry continues to account for a disturbingly high proportion of fatal and nonfatal injuries. Research has shown that large enterprises seem to be most actively working for a safe working environment when compared to small and medium-sized enterprises. Also, statistics from Canada, Italy and South Korea suggest that the risk of injury among construction workers decreases with enterprise size, that is the smaller the enterprise the greater the risk of injury. This trend, however, is neither confirmed by the official statistics from Eurostat valid for EU-15 + Norway nor by a separate Danish study - although these findings might have missed a trend due to severe underreporting. In addition, none of the above mentioned studies controlled for the occupational distribution within the enterprises. A part of the declining injury rates observed in Canada, Italy and South Korea therefore might be explained by an increasing proportion of white-collar employees in large enterprises. Objective To investigate the relation between enterprise size and injury rates in the Danish construction industry. Methods/Design All male construction workers in Denmark aged 20-59 years will be followed yearly through national registers from 1999 to 2006 for first hospital treated injury (ICD-10: S00-T98) and linked to data about employment status, occupation and enterprise size. Enterprise size-classes are based on the Danish business pattern where micro (less than 5 employees), small (5-9 employees) and medium-sized (10-19 employees) enterprises will be compared to large enterprises (at least 20 employees). The analyses will be controlled for age (five-year age groups), calendar year (as categorical variable) and occupation. A multi-level Poisson regression will be used where the enterprises will be treated as the subjects while observations within the enterprises will be treated as correlated repeated measurements. Discussion This follow-up study uses register data that include all people in the target population. Sampling bias and response bias are thereby eliminated. A disadvantage of the study is that only injuries requiring hospital treatment are covered. PMID:21510851

Ethnic differences in leptin and adiponectin levels between Greenlandic Inuit and Danish children

PubMed Central

Munch-Andersen, Thor; Sorensen, Kaspar; Aachmann-Andersen, Niels-Jacob; Aksglaede, Lise; Juul, Anders; Helge, Jørn W.

2013-01-01

Objective In a recent study, we found that Greenlandic Inuit children had a more adverse metabolic profile than Danish children. Aerobic fitness and adiposity could only partly account for the differences. Therefore, we set out to evaluate and compare plasma leptin and adiponectin levels in Danish and Inuit children. Methods In total, 187 Inuit and 132 Danish children (5.7–17.1 years) had examinations of anthropometrics, body fat content, pubertal staging, fasting blood and aerobic fitness. Results Plasma leptin was higher in Danish boys [3,774 (4,741–3,005)] [pg/mL unadjusted geometric mean (95% CI)] compared to both northern [2,076 (2,525–1,706)] (p<0.001) and southern (2,515 (3,137–2,016)) (p<0.001) living Inuit boys and higher in Danish girls [6,988 (8,353–5,847)] compared to southern living Inuit girls [4,910 (6,370–3,785)] (p=0.021) and tended to be higher compared to northern living Inuit girls [5,131 (6,444–4,085)] (p=0.052). Plasma adiponectin was higher for both Danish boys [22,359 (2,573–19,428)] [ng/mL unadjusted geometric mean (95% CI)] and girls [26,609 (28,994–24,420)] compared to southern living Inuit boys [15,306 (18,406–12,728)] and girls [18,864 (22,640–15,717)] (both p<0.001), respectively. All differences remained after adjustment for body fat percentage (BF%), aerobic fitness, age and puberty. The leptin/adiponectin ratio was higher in Danish boys and tended to be higher in Danish girls compared to northern living Inuit boys and girls, respectively. These differences were eliminated after adjustment for BF%, aerobic fitness, age and puberty. Conclusions In contrast to our hypothesis, plasma leptin was higher in Danish children despite a more healthy metabolic profile compared to Inuit children. As expected, plasma adiponectin was lowest in Inuit children with the most adverse metabolic profile. PMID:23940841

Statistical Learning in Emerging Lexicons: The Case of Danish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Stephanie F.; Bleses, Dorthe; Basboll, Hans; Lambertsen, Claus

2012-01-01

Purpose: This research explored the impact of neighborhood density (ND), word frequency (WF), and word length (WL) on the vocabulary size of Danish-speaking children. Given the particular phonological properties of Danish, the impact was expected to differ from that reported in studies on English and French. Method: The monosyllabic words in the…

The History We Need: Strategies of Citizen Formation in the Danish History Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jørgensen, Simon Laumann

2015-01-01

Teaching history in schools can be a significant policy instrument for shaping the identities of future citizens. The Danish curriculum for teaching history of 2009 aims at strengthening a sense of "Danishness" which calls for theoretical analysis. Focusing on this particular case, the paper develops a political theoretical frame for…

Sharing reference data and including cows in the reference population improve genomic predictions in Danish Jersey

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Small reference populations limit the accuracy of genomic prediction in numerically small breeds, such as the Danish Jersey. The objective of this study was to investigate two approaches to improve genomic prediction by increasing the size of the reference population for Danish Jerseys. The first ap...

Turkish and Kurdish Speaking Teachers in the Danish Folkeskole: The Ambiguous Concept of Equality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moldenhawer, Bolette

1999-01-01

Studied the functions of Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking teachers in the Danish "folkeskole" and their positions relative to other teachers in the system. Despite their Danish teaching qualifications, most still attend to the integration of Turkish- and Kurdish-speaking minority students and occupy a subordinate position to majority…

The Danish Bereavement Response in 2015--Historic Development and Evaluation of Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lytje, Martin

2018-01-01

In the 1980s, Norwegian researchers pioneered efforts towards developing school support for bereaved children. Eighteen years later, a Danish approach was created based on these foundations. This article explores the Danish school bereavement response plans (b-plans) and investigates their ability to support both teachers and bereaved children.…

The International Space of the Danish Testing Community in the Interwar Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ydesen, Christian

2012-01-01

The focus of this article is to draw attention to the presence and importance of travelling ideas, knowledge, and practices in Danish history of educational testing. The article introduces and employs a spatial methodological approach in relation to the connections between the international testing community and the emerging Danish practice of…

Bayley-III: Cultural differences and language scale validity in a Danish sample.

PubMed

Krogh, Marianne T; Vaever, Mette S

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate cultural differences between Danish and American children at 2 and 3 years as measured with the developmental test Bayley-III, and to investigate the Bayley-III Language Scale validity. The Danish children (N = 43) were tested with the Bayley-III and their parents completed an additional language questionnaire (the MacArthur-Bates CDI). Results showed that scores from the Danish children did not differ significantly from the American norms on the Cognitive or Motor Scale, but the Danish sample scored significantly higher on the Language Scale. A comparison of the Bayley-III Language subtests with the CDI showed that the two measures correlated significantly, but the percentile score from the CDI was significantly higher than the percentile score from the Bayley-III Language subtests. This could be because the two instruments measure slightly different areas of language development, or because the Bayley-III overestimates language development in Danish children. However, due to the limitations of the current study, further research is needed to clarify this issue. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A qualitative exploration of key informant perspectives regarding the nature and impact of contemporary legislation on professional development: a grounded theory study of chiropractic in Denmark.

PubMed

Myburgh, Corrie

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to construct a substantive framework of the manner in which the Danish government interacts with the Danish chiropractic profession and influences professional practice. An exploratory, qualitative study was performed using a substantive grounded theory (GT) approach. Unstructured, face-to-face, individual interviews were conducted during the years 2012 and 2013 and thematically analyzed. Six people were interviewed for this study including a gatekeeper and witness to legislative history, a previous chiropractic political representative and witness to legislative history, a previous Department of Health negotiator and previous administrator of chiropractic affairs and witness to legislative history, a current administrator of chiropractic affairs, an active chiropractic political representative and witness to legislative history, and a chief negotiator for Danish Regional Health Care Services. Open and axial coding yielded 2 themes centering on licensing chiropractors in Denmark and the resultant developmental issues encountered. Through further selective coding, the GT core construct, "chiropractic practice in the Danish heath care system" emerged. The GT highlights the tension between the strategic political importance of legislation and the restrictive nature of the overly specific act currently regulating chiropractic practice. Moreover, the GT also revealed the perceived negative effect that the National Board of Health may exert on clinical practice due to its conservative interpretation of the act. The Danish government is perceived to act as a countervailing power related to chiropractic practice. The derived substantive GT suggests that the Danish government's dualistic action relative to the Danish chiropractic community may inhibit the spontaneous evolution of contemporary Danish chiropractic practice. Although historically narrow legislation may limit chiropractic practice, conservative interpretations by the Danish National Board of Health may also play an important role. Copyright © 2014 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cross-Cultural Translation, Adaptation and Reliability of the Danish M. D. Andeson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer.

PubMed

Hajdú, Sara Fredslund; Plaschke, Christina Caroline; Johansen, Christoffer; Dalton, Susanne Oksbjerg; Wessel, Irene

2017-08-01

The objectives were to translate and culturally adapt the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) into Danish and subsequently test the reliability of the Danish version. The MDADI was translated into Danish and cross culturally adapted through cognitive interviews. The final version was test-retest evaluated in a group of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who responded to the questionnaire twice with a mean of eight days apart. Interclass correlation coefficient, Cronbach's alpha, floor and ceiling effects, standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change were investigated. Fourteen patients were interviewed on the comprehensibility of the Danish MDADI, and all found the questionnaire meaningful, easy to understand, non-offensive and to include relevant aspects of dysphagia related to HNC. Sixty-four patients were included in the test-retest study. Especially, one item in the emotional scale (E7) appeared to be often misinterpreted, and ceiling effects were found in all four subdomains (global, emotional, functional and physical). The four subdomains and the composite score showed acceptable test-retest reliability and internal consistency in a Danish population of HNC patients. The Danish MDADI is reliable in terms of internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility and can be used in assessing the health-related quality of life in head and neck cancer patients with dysphagia.

Mergers between Governmental Research Institutes and Universities in the Danish HE Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aagaard, Kaare; Hansen, Hanne Foss; Rasmussen, Jørgen Gulddahl

2016-01-01

This article presents an analysis of the mergers in the Danish Higher Education (HE)-sector with a particular emphasis on the 2007 mergers involving universities and Government Research Institutes (GRIs). Furthermore, it follows the post-merger processes up to 2014/2015 at two Danish universities and examines the consequences of the changes seen…

Interaction of ApoE3 and ApoE4 isoforms with an ITM2b/BRI2 mutation linked to the Alzheimer disease-like Danish dementia: Effects on learning and memory

PubMed Central

Biundo, Fabrizio; Ishiwari, Keita; Del Prete, Dolores; D’Adamio, Luciano

2015-01-01

Mutations in Amyloid β Precursor Protein (APP) and in genes that regulate APP processing – such as PSEN1/2 and ITM2b/BRI2 – cause familial dementia, such Familial Alzheimer disease (FAD), Familial Danish (FDD) and British (FBD) dementias. The ApoE gene is the major genetic risk factor for sporadic AD. Three major variants of ApoE exist in humans (ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4), with the ApoE4 allele being strongly associated with AD. ITM2b/BRI2 is also a candidate regulatory node genes predicted to mediate the common patterns of gene expression shared by healthy ApoE4 carriers and late-onset AD patients not carrying ApoE4. This evidence provides a direct link between ITM2b/BRI2 and ApoE4. To test whether ApoE4 and pathogenic ITM2b/BRI2 interact to modulate learning and memory, we crossed a mouse carrying the ITM2b/BRI2 mutations that causes FDD knocked-in the endogenous mouse Itm2b/Bri2 gene (FDDKI mice) with human ApoE3 and ApoE4 targeted replacement mice. The resultant ApoE3, FDDKI/ApoE3, ApoE4, FDDKI/ApoE4 male mice were assessed longitudinally for learning and memory at 4, 6, 12, and 16– 17 months of age. The results showed that ApoE4-carrying mice displayed spatial working/short-term memory deficits relative to ApoE3-carrying mice starting in early middle age, while long-term spatial memory of ApoE4 mice was not adversely affected even at 16–17 months, and that the FDD mutation impaired working/short-term spatial memory in ApoE3-carrying mice and produced impaired long-term spatial memory in ApoE4-carrying mice in middle age. The present results suggest that the FDD mutation may differentially affect learning and memory in ApoE4 carriers and non-carriers. PMID:26528887

Interaction of ApoE3 and ApoE4 isoforms with an ITM2b/BRI2 mutation linked to the Alzheimer disease-like Danish dementia: Effects on learning and memory.

PubMed

Biundo, Fabrizio; Ishiwari, Keita; Del Prete, Dolores; D'Adamio, Luciano

2015-12-01

Mutations in Amyloid β Precursor Protein (APP) and in genes that regulate APP processing--such as PSEN1/2 and ITM2b/BRI2--cause familial dementia, such Familial Alzheimer disease (FAD), Familial Danish (FDD) and British (FBD) dementias. The ApoE gene is the major genetic risk factor for sporadic AD. Three major variants of ApoE exist in humans (ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4), with the ApoE4 allele being strongly associated with AD. ITM2b/BRI2 is also a candidate regulatory node genes predicted to mediate the common patterns of gene expression shared by healthy ApoE4 carriers and late-onset AD patients not carrying ApoE4. This evidence provides a direct link between ITM2b/BRI2 and ApoE4. To test whether ApoE4 and pathogenic ITM2b/BRI2 interact to modulate learning and memory, we crossed a mouse carrying the ITM2b/BRI2 mutations that causes FDD knocked-in the endogenous mouse Itm2b/Bri2 gene (FDDKI mice) with human ApoE3 and ApoE4 targeted replacement mice. The resultant ApoE3, FDDKI/ApoE3, ApoE4, FDDKI/ApoE4 male mice were assessed longitudinally for learning and memory at 4, 6, 12, and 16-17 months of age. The results showed that ApoE4-carrying mice displayed spatial working/short-term memory deficits relative to ApoE3-carrying mice starting in early middle age, while long-term spatial memory of ApoE4 mice was not adversely affected even at 16-17 months, and that the FDD mutation impaired working/short-term spatial memory in ApoE3-carrying mice and produced impaired long-term spatial memory in ApoE4-carrying mice in middle age. The present results suggest that the FDD mutation may differentially affect learning and memory in ApoE4 carriers and non-carriers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying the effects of education on the ability to cope with a disability among individuals with disabilities.

PubMed

Bengtsson, Steen; Datta Gupta, Nabanita

2017-01-01

The literature on disability has suggested that an educated individual with a disability is more likely to better cope with her/his disability than those without education. However, few published studies explore whether the relationship between education and ability to cope with a disability is anything more than an association. Using data on disability and accommodation from a large Danish survey from 2012-13 and exploiting a major Danish schooling reform as a natural experiment, we identified a potential causal effect of education on both economic (holding a job) as well as social (cultural activities, visiting clubs/associations, etc.) dimensions of coping among individuals with a disability, controlling for background factors, functioning, and disability characteristics. We found that endogeneity bias was only present in the case of economic participation and more educated individuals with a disability indeed had higher levels of both economic and social coping. To some extent, having more knowledge of public support systems and higher motivation explained the better coping among the group of individuals with disabilities who were educated. Our results indicated, however, that a large part of the effect of education on the ability to cope with a disability among individuals with disabilities was suggestive of a causal relationship.

Identifying the effects of education on the ability to cope with a disability among individuals with disabilities

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The literature on disability has suggested that an educated individual with a disability is more likely to better cope with her/his disability than those without education. However, few published studies explore whether the relationship between education and ability to cope with a disability is anything more than an association. Using data on disability and accommodation from a large Danish survey from 2012–13 and exploiting a major Danish schooling reform as a natural experiment, we identified a potential causal effect of education on both economic (holding a job) as well as social (cultural activities, visiting clubs/associations, etc.) dimensions of coping among individuals with a disability, controlling for background factors, functioning, and disability characteristics. We found that endogeneity bias was only present in the case of economic participation and more educated individuals with a disability indeed had higher levels of both economic and social coping. To some extent, having more knowledge of public support systems and higher motivation explained the better coping among the group of individuals with disabilities who were educated. Our results indicated, however, that a large part of the effect of education on the ability to cope with a disability among individuals with disabilities was suggestive of a causal relationship. PMID:28355237

The influence of feed and herd on fatty acid composition in 3 dairy breeds (Danish Holstein, Danish Jersey, and Swedish Red).

PubMed

Poulsen, N A; Gustavsson, F; Glantz, M; Paulsson, M; Larsen, L B; Larsen, M K

2012-11-01

The composition of milk fat from dairy cows is related to both genetic and environmental factors. Here, the effect of feed and herd was examined in 3 Scandinavian breeds, namely Danish Holstein-Friesian (DH), Danish Jersey (DJ), and Swedish Red (SR). In total, milk samples from 1,298 cows kept in indoor housing systems were collected from 61 conventional dairy herds in Denmark and Sweden. The fatty acid (FA) composition of milk was determined by gas chromatography and the content of α-tocopherol by HPLC. Based on the 17 individual FA determined, distinct FA profiles were observed for all breeds using univariate and multivariate statistics. The DJ cows were characterized by higher levels of saturated short-chain FA; in contrast, DH cows had higher content of unsaturated C18 FA, whereas higher levels of primarily C14:0, C14:1, C18:1 cis-9, and C18:3n-3 were evident in SR cows. This variation in milk fat composition across breeds was further reflected in different desaturase indices, which were generally higher in SR cows. In addition, α-tocopherol differed significantly among breeds, with DJ cows having the highest content. Herd-specific feeding plans were collected, and different feed items were separated into 4 broad feed categories, including grass products, maize silage, grain, and concentrate. The pronounced differences in overall feed composition among breeds were, to a large extent, due to regional differences between countries, with SR receiving higher levels of grain and grass silage compared with the Danish breeds. Within breeds, differences in feeding regimens among herds were furthermore higher in SR. Significant correlations between feed category and individual FA were observed in all breeds. Furthermore, variance components were estimated and used to determine the proportion of phenotypic variation that could be explained by herd. The herd effect for individual FA was generally lower for DH compared with the 2 other breeds. In addition, very low herd effects were shown for C14:1 and C16:1 in all breeds, suggesting that the content of these FA is mainly genetically regulated. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maternal employment during pregnancy and birth outcomes: evidence from Danish siblings.

PubMed

Wüst, Miriam

2015-06-01

I use Danish survey and administrative data to examine the impact of maternal employment during pregnancy on birth outcomes. As healthier mothers are more likely to work and health shocks to mothers may impact employment and birth outcomes, I combine two strategies: First, I control extensively for time-varying factors that may correlate with employment and birth outcomes, such as pre-pregnancy family income and maternal occupation, pregnancy-related health shocks, maternal sick listing, and health behaviors (smoking and alcohol consumption). Second, to account for remaining time-invariant heterogeneity between mothers, I compare outcomes of mothers' consecutive children. Mothers who work during the first pregnancy trimester have a lower risk of preterm birth. I find no effect on the probability of having a baby of small size for gestational age. To rule out that health selection of mothers between pregnancies drives the results, I focus on mothers whose change in employment status is likely not to be driven by underlying health (mothers who are students in one of their pregnancies and mothers with closely spaced births). Given generous welfare benefits and strict workplace regulations in Denmark, my findings support a residual explanation, namely, that exclusion from employment may stress mothers in countries with high-female employment rates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Danish Schizophrenia Registry

PubMed Central

Baandrup, Lone; Cerqueira, Charlotte; Haller, Lea; Korshøj, Lene; Voldsgaard, Inge; Nordentoft, Merete

2016-01-01

Aim of database To systematically monitor and improve the quality of treatment and care of patients with schizophrenia in Denmark. In addition, the database is accessible as a resource for research. Study population Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and receiving mental health care in psychiatric hospitals or outpatient clinics. During the first year after the diagnosis, patients are classified as incident patients, and after this period as prevalent patients. Main variables The registry currently contains 21 clinical quality measures in relation to the following domains: diagnostic evaluation, antipsychotic treatment including adverse reactions, cardiovascular risk factors including laboratory values, family intervention, psychoeducation, postdischarge mental health care, assessment of suicide risk in relation to discharge, and assessment of global functioning. Descriptive data The recorded data are available electronically for the reporting clinicians and responsible administrative personnel, and they are updated monthly. The registry publishes the national and regional results of all included quality measures in the annual audit reports. External researchers may obtain access to the data for use in specific research projects by applying to the steering committee. Conclusion The Danish Schizophrenia Registry represents a valuable source of informative data to monitor and improve the quality of care of patients with schizophrenia in Denmark. However, continuous resources and time devoted is necessary to maintain the integrity of the registry and the validity of the data. PMID:27843348

JP-HHT phenotype in Danish patients with SMAD4 mutations.

PubMed

Jelsig, A M; Tørring, P M; Kjeldsen, A D; Qvist, N; Bojesen, A; Jensen, U B; Andersen, M K; Gerdes, A M; Brusgaard, K; Ousager, L B

2016-07-01

Patients with germline mutations in SMAD4 can present symptoms of both juvenile polyposis syndrome (JPS) and hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT): the JP-HHT syndrome. The complete phenotypic picture of this syndrome is only just emerging. We describe the clinical characteristics of 14 patients with SMAD4-mutations. The study was a retrospective, register-based study. SMAD4 mutations carriers were identified through the Danish HHT-registry, the genetic laboratories - and the genetic departments in Denmark. The medical files from relevant departments were reviewed and symptoms of HHT, JPS, aortopathy and family history were noted. We detected 14 patients with SMAD4 mutations. All patients had polyps removed and 11 of 14 fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for JPS. Eight patients were screened for HHT-symptoms and seven of these fulfilled the Curaçao criteria. One patient had aortic root dilation. Our findings support that SMAD4 mutations carriers have symptoms of both HHT and JPS and that the frequency of PAVM and gastric involvement with polyps is higher than in patients with HHT or JPS not caused by a SMAD4 mutation. Out of eight patients screened for aortopathy, one had aortic root dilatation, highlighting the need for additional screening for aortopathy. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Danish Schizophrenia Registry.

PubMed

Baandrup, Lone; Cerqueira, Charlotte; Haller, Lea; Korshøj, Lene; Voldsgaard, Inge; Nordentoft, Merete

2016-01-01

To systematically monitor and improve the quality of treatment and care of patients with schizophrenia in Denmark. In addition, the database is accessible as a resource for research. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and receiving mental health care in psychiatric hospitals or outpatient clinics. During the first year after the diagnosis, patients are classified as incident patients, and after this period as prevalent patients. The registry currently contains 21 clinical quality measures in relation to the following domains: diagnostic evaluation, antipsychotic treatment including adverse reactions, cardiovascular risk factors including laboratory values, family intervention, psychoeducation, postdischarge mental health care, assessment of suicide risk in relation to discharge, and assessment of global functioning. The recorded data are available electronically for the reporting clinicians and responsible administrative personnel, and they are updated monthly. The registry publishes the national and regional results of all included quality measures in the annual audit reports. External researchers may obtain access to the data for use in specific research projects by applying to the steering committee. The Danish Schizophrenia Registry represents a valuable source of informative data to monitor and improve the quality of care of patients with schizophrenia in Denmark. However, continuous resources and time devoted is necessary to maintain the integrity of the registry and the validity of the data.

Quantification of methane emissions from 15 Danish landfills using the mobile tracer dispersion method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mønster, Jacob; Samuelsson, Jerker, E-mail: jerker.samuelsson@fluxsense.se; Kjeldsen, Peter

2015-01-15

Highlights: • Quantification of whole landfill site methane emission at 15 landfills. • Multiple on-site source identification and quantification. • Quantified methane emission from shredder waste and composting. • Large difference between measured and reported methane emissions. - Abstract: Whole-site methane emissions from 15 Danish landfills were assessed using a mobile tracer dispersion method with either Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), using nitrous oxide as a tracer gas, or cavity ring-down spectrometry (CRDS), using acetylene as a tracer gas. The landfills were chosen to represent the different stages of the lifetime of a landfill, including open, active, and closed coveredmore » landfills, as well as those with and without gas extraction for utilisation or flaring. Measurements also included landfills with biocover for oxidizing any fugitive methane. Methane emission rates ranged from 2.6 to 60.8 kg h{sup −1}, corresponding to 0.7–13.2 g m{sup −2} d{sup −1}, with the largest emission rates per area coming from landfills with malfunctioning gas extraction systems installed, and the smallest emission rates from landfills closed decades ago and landfills with an engineered biocover installed. Landfills with gas collection and recovery systems had a recovery efficiency of 41–81%. Landfills where shredder waste was deposited showed significant methane emissions, with the largest emission from newly deposited shredder waste. The average methane emission from the landfills was 154 tons y{sup −1}. This average was obtained from a few measurement campaigns conducted at each of the 15 landfills and extrapolating to annual emissions requires more measurements. Assuming that these landfills are representative of the average Danish landfill, the total emission from Danish landfills were calculated at 20,600 tons y{sup −1}, which is significantly lower than the 33,300 tons y{sup −1} estimated for the national greenhouse gas inventory for 2011.« less

Low Birth Weight in Children Born to Mothers with Hyperthyroidism and High Birth Weight in Hypothyroidism, whereas Preterm Birth Is Common in Both Conditions: A Danish National Hospital Register Study

PubMed Central

Andersen, Stine Linding; Olsen, Jørn; Wu, Chun Sen; Laurberg, Peter

2013-01-01

Objectives Maternal hyper- and hypothyroidism have been associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but studies have led to inconsistent results. We aimed to identify children born to mothers with a hospital-recorded diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction in Denmark and to study the association with gestational age at delivery and birth weight of the child. Study Design Population-based cohort study using Danish nationwide registers. All singleton live births in Denmark between January 1, 1978 and December 31, 2006 were identified and stratified by maternal diagnosis of hyper- or hypothyroidism registered in the Danish National Hospital Register before January 1, 2007. Results Maternal first-time diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction before, during or after pregnancy was registered in 32,809 (2.0%) of the singleton live births (n = 1,638,338). Maternal diagnosis of hyperthyroidism (adjusted OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.15-1.30) and hypothyroidism (adjusted OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08-1.27) were associated with increased risk of preterm birth. Moreover, birth weight in children born to mothers with a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism was lower (adjusted difference −51 g, 95% CI −58 to −43 g) and higher in relation to maternal hypothyroidism (adjusted difference 20 g, 95% CI 10-30 g). Hyperthyroidism was associated with small-for-gestational-age (adjusted OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.10-1.20) and hypothyroidism with large-for-gestational-age children (adjusted OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.17-1.31). Conclusions Based on Danish nationwide registers, both maternal hyper- and hypothyroidism were associated with increased risk of preterm birth. Actual birth weight of the child and birth weight for gestational age were low if the mother had a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and high if the diagnosis was hypothyroidism. PMID:24783052

Review of four publications on the Danish cohort study on mobile phone subscribers and risk of brain tumors.

PubMed

Söderqvist, Fredrik; Carlberg, Michael; Hardell, Lennart

2012-01-01

Since the International Agency for Research on Cancer recently classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emanating from mobile and cordless phones, as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B), two additional reports relevant to the topic have been published. Both articles were new updates of a Danish cohort on mobile phone subscribers and concern the possible association between assumed use of mobile phones and risk of brain tumors. The aim of the present review is to reexamine all four publications on this cohort. In brief, publications were scrutinized, and in particular, if the authors made explicit claims to have either proved or disproved their hypothesis, such claims were reviewed in light of applied methods and study design, and in principle, the stronger the claims, the more careful our review. The nationwide Danish cohort study on mobile phone subscribers and risk of brain tumors, including at best 420,095 persons (58% of the initial cohort), is the only one of its kind. In comparison with previous investigations, i.e., case-control studies, its strength lies in the possibility to eliminate non-response, selection, and recall bias. Although at least non-response and recall bias can be excluded, the study has serious limitations related to exposure assessment. In fact, these limitations cloud the findings of the four reports to such an extent that render them uninformative at best. At worst, they may be used in a seemingly solid argument against an increased risk--as reassuring results from a large nationwide cohort study, which rules out not only non-response and recall bias but also an increased risk as indicated by tight confidence intervals. Although two of the most comprehensive case-control studies on the matter both have methodological limitations that need to be carefully considered, type I errors are not the only threats to the validity of studies on this topic--the Danish cohort study is a textbook example of that.

Interpretive flexibility in mobile health: lessons from a government-sponsored home care program.

PubMed

Nielsen, Jeppe Agger; Mathiassen, Lars

2013-10-30

Mobile technologies have emerged as important tools that health care personnel can use to gain easy access to client data anywhere. This is particularly useful for nurses and care workers in home health care as they provide services to clients in many different settings. Although a growing body of evidence supports the use of mobile technologies, the diverse implications of mobile health have yet to be fully documented. Our objective was to examine a large-scale government-sponsored mobile health implementation program in the Danish home care sector and to understand how the technology was used differently across home care agencies. We chose to perform a longitudinal case study with embedded units of analysis. We included multiple data sources, such as written materials, a survey to managers across all 98 Danish municipalities, and semistructured interviews with managers, care workers, and nurses in three selected home care agencies. We used process models of change to help analyze the overall implementation process from a longitudinal perspective and to identify antecedent conditions, key events, and practical outcomes. Strong collaboration between major stakeholders in the Danish home care sector (government bodies, vendors, consultants, interest organizations, and managers) helped initiate and energize the change process, and government funding supported quick and widespread technology adoption. However, although supported by the same government-sponsored program, mobile technology proved to have considerable interpretive flexibility with variation in perceived nature of technology, technology strategy, and technology use between agencies. What was first seen as a very promising innovation across the Danish home care sector subsequently became the topic of debate as technology use arrangements ran counter to existing norms and values in individual agencies. Government-sponsored programs can have both positive and negative results, and managers need to be aware of this and the interpretive flexibility of mobile technology. Mobile technology implementation is a complex process that is best studied by combining organization-level analysis with features of the wider sociopolitical and interorganizational environment.

Annoying Danish Relatives: Comprehension and Production of Relative Clauses by Danish Children with and without SLI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen De Lopez, Kristine; Olsen, Lone Sundahl; Chondrogianni, Vasiliki

2014-01-01

This study examines the comprehension and production of subject and object relative clauses (SRCs, ORCs) by children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and their typically developing (TD) peers. The purpose is to investigate whether relative clauses are problematic for Danish children with SLI and to compare errors with those produced by TD…

The psychological reactions after witnessing a killing in public in a Danish high school

PubMed Central

Elklit, Ask; Kurdahl, Sessel

2013-01-01

Background School killings attract immense media and public attention but psychological studies surrounding these events are rare. Objective To examine the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and possible risk factors of PTSD in 320 Danish high school students (mean age 18 years) 7 months after witnessing a young man killing his former girlfriend in front of a large audience. Method The students answered the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), the Crisis Support Scale (CSS), and the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC). Results Prevalence of PTSD 7 months after the incident was 9.5%. Furthermore, 25% had PTSD at a subclinical level. Intimacy with the deceased girl; feeling fear, helplessness, or horror during the killing; lack of expressive ability; feeling let down by others; negative affectivity; and dissociation predicted 78% of the variance of the HTQ total scores. Conclusion It is possible to identify students who are most likely to suffer from PTSD. This knowledge could be used to intervene early on to reduce adversities. PMID:23316270

Self-reported onset of puberty and subsequent semen quality and reproductive hormones in healthy young men.

PubMed

Jensen, Tina Kold; Finne, Katrine Folmann; Skakkebæk, Niels E; Andersson, Anna-Maria; Olesen, Inge Ahlmann; Joensen, Ulla Nordström; Bang, Anne Kirstine; Nordkap, Loa; Priskorn, Lærke; Krause, Marianna; Jørgensen, Niels; Juul, Anders

2016-08-01

Is there an association between pubertal onset and subsequent reproductive health in young men? Self-reported later onset of puberty was associated with reduced semen quality and altered serum levels of reproductive hormones among 1068 healthy, young Danish men. The long-term effects of variations in the onset of male puberty on subsequent reproduction remain largely unstudied. In a cross-sectional study, young healthy Danish men were approached when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service from 2008 to 2012. A total of 1068 healthy, young Danish men (mean age 19 years) participated. They were asked to assess whether onset of penile and testicular growth, development of pubic hair and voice break occurred earlier, at the same time as or later than their peers. Their semen quality (semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count and percentages of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa) and serum concentrations of sex hormones (LH, FSH, total testosterone, SHBG, inhibin B) and testicular size were determined. The response rate was 29%. Of the 1068 men who then participated, 652 answered the questions about penile growth and pubic hair development and were therefore included in the analysis. Self-reported later onset of puberty was associated with a 25% reduction in sperm concentration (95% CI -41%; -4%), a 40% reduction in total sperm count (-55%; -21%), a 1.6% age point reduction in morphological normal spermatozoa (-2.9; -0.3) and a 1.6 ml reduction in testicular size (-2.4 and -0.8 ml), after adjustment for confounders. Self-reported later onset of puberty was also associated with a 9% (3%; 15%) reduction in free testosterone and a 16% (2%; 31%) increase in FSH, after adjustment for confounders. Our study was cross-sectional and reverse causality cannot be ruled out. In addition, we cannot rule out the possibility that the men with late puberty onset had not yet fully matured although most were in Tanner stage 5. Approximately 15% of young Danish men have self-reported later onset of puberty than their peers. We found poorer testicular function in young men with a history of later pubertal development, suggesting that timing of pubertal onset may be a fundamental marker of male reproductive health. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that these men had not fully matured at the time of examination and therefore their semen quality may yet improve, which makes follow-up important. This work was supported by the Danish Council for Strategic Research, Program Commission on Health, Food and Welfare (project number 2101-08-0058), Rigshospitalet (grants 961506336 and R42-A1326), European Union, DEER (grant agreement no 212844), the Danish Ministry of Health and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and Kirsten and Freddy Johansens Foundation (grant 95-103-72087). There are no competing interests. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ethics, equality and evidence in health promotion Danish guidelines for municipalities.

PubMed

Vallgårda, Signild

2014-06-01

The Danish National Board of Health has expressed its commitment to social equality in health, evidence-informed health promotion and public health ethics, and has issued guidelines for municipalities on health promotion, in Danish named prevention packages. The aim of this article is to analyse whether the Board of Health adheres to ideals of equality, evidence and ethics in these guidelines. An analysis to detect statements about equity, evidence and ethics in 10 health promotion packages directed at municipalities with the aim of guiding the municipalities towards evidence-informed disease prevention and health promotion. Despite declared intentions of prioritizing social equality in health, these intentions are largely absent from most of the packages. When health inequalities are mentioned, focus is on the disadvantaged or the marginalized. Several interventions are recommended, where there is no evidence to support them, notwithstanding the ambition of interventions being evidence-informed. Ethical considerations are scanty, scattered and unsystematically integrated. Further, although some packages mention the importance of avoiding stigmatization, there is little indicating how this could be done. Including reduction of health inequalities and evidence-informed and ethically defendable interventions in health promotion is a challenge, which is not yet fully met by the National Board of Health. When judged from liberal ethical principles, only few of the suggested interventions are acceptable, i.e., those concerning information, but from a paternalistic view, all interventions that may actually benefit the citizens are justified. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Dictionary construction and identification of possible adverse drug events in Danish clinical narrative text.

PubMed

Eriksson, Robert; Jensen, Peter Bjødstrup; Frankild, Sune; Jensen, Lars Juhl; Brunak, Søren

2013-01-01

Drugs have tremendous potential to cure and relieve disease, but the risk of unintended effects is always present. Healthcare providers increasingly record data in electronic patient records (EPRs), in which we aim to identify possible adverse events (AEs) and, specifically, possible adverse drug events (ADEs). Based on the undesirable effects section from the summary of product characteristics (SPC) of 7446 drugs, we have built a Danish ADE dictionary. Starting from this dictionary we have developed a pipeline for identifying possible ADEs in unstructured clinical narrative text. We use a named entity recognition (NER) tagger to identify dictionary matches in the text and post-coordination rules to construct ADE compound terms. Finally, we apply post-processing rules and filters to handle, for example, negations and sentences about subjects other than the patient. Moreover, this method allows synonyms to be identified and anatomical location descriptions can be merged to allow appropriate grouping of effects in the same location. The method identified 1 970 731 (35 477 unique) possible ADEs in a large corpus of 6011 psychiatric hospital patient records. Validation was performed through manual inspection of possible ADEs, resulting in precision of 89% and recall of 75%. The presented dictionary-building method could be used to construct other ADE dictionaries. The complication of compound words in Germanic languages was addressed. Additionally, the synonym and anatomical location collapse improve the method. The developed dictionary and method can be used to identify possible ADEs in Danish clinical narratives.

The Success of a Planned Bereavement Response--A Survey on Teacher Use of Bereavement Response Plans When Supporting Grieving Children in Danish Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lytje, Martin

2017-01-01

This article investigates the strengths and weaknesses of the Danish Bereavement response plans. These are used by teachers to support grieving students and have been implemented in 96% of all Danish schools. The study is based on an Internet survey conducted with 967 teachers. Issues investigated are: "generalisation of grief",…

Assessment of the probability of introducing Mycobacterium tuberculosis into Danish cattle herds.

PubMed

Foddai, Alessandro; Nielsen, Liza Rosenbaum; Krogh, Kaspar; Alban, Lis

2015-11-01

Tuberculosis is a zoonosis caused by Mycobacterium spp. International trade in cattle is regulated with respect to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) but not Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), despite that cattle can become infected with both species. In this study we estimated the annual probability (PIntro) of introducing M. tuberculosis into the Danish cattle population, by the import of cattle and/or by immigrants working in Danish cattle herds. Data from 2013 with date, number, and origin of imported live cattle were obtained from the Danish cattle database. Information on immigrants working in Danish cattle herds was obtained through a questionnaire sent to Danish cattle farmers. The gained inputs were fed into three stochastic scenario trees to assess the PIntro for the current and alternative test-and-manage strategies, such as testing of imported animals and/or testing immigrant workers with the tuberculin skin test. We considered the population of Danish farmers and practitioners free of tuberculosis, because in Denmark, the incidence of the disease in humans is low and primarily related to immigrants and socially disadvantaged people. The median annual probability of introducing M. tuberculosis into the Danish cattle population due to imported live cattle was 0.008% (90% P.I.: 0.0007%; 0.03%), while the probability due to immigrant workers was 4.1% (90% P.I.: 0.8%; 12.1%). The median combined probability (PIntro) due to imported cattle plus workers was 4.1% (90% P.I.: 0.8%; 12.6%). Hence, on average at least one introduction each 24 (90% P.I.: 8; 125) years could be expected. Imported live cattle appeared to play a marginal role on the overall annual PIntro, because they represented only approximately 0.2% of the median annual probability. By testing immigrant workers the overall annual PIntro could be reduced to 0.2% (90% P.I.: 0.04%; 0.7%). Thus, testing of immigrant workers could be considered as a risk mitigation strategy to markedly reduce the likelihood of introducing M. tuberculosis into the Danish cattle population, if the risk is considered unacceptable by the veterinary public health authorities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variable prospective financing in the Danish hospital sector and the development of a Danish case-mix system.

PubMed

Ankjaer-Jensen, Anni; Rosling, Pernille; Bilde, Lone

2006-08-01

This article aims to describe and assess the Danish case-mix system, the cost accounting applied in setting national tariffs and the introduction of variable, prospective payment in the Danish hospital sector. The tariffs are calculated as a national average from hospital data gathered in a national cost database. However, uncertainty, mainly resulting from the definition of cost centres at the individual hospital, implies that the cost weights may not fully reflect the hospital treatment cost. As variable prospective payment of hospitals currently only applies to 20% of a hospital's budget, the incentives and the effects on productivity, quality and equality are still limited.

LUCAS(™)2 in Danish Search and Rescue Helicopters.

PubMed

Winther, Kasper; Bleeg, René Christian

2016-01-01

Prehospital resuscitation is often challenging. Giving uninterrupted and effective compressions is relatively impossible during transportation. In 2012, The Royal Danish Air Force received a donation of 8 mechanical chest compression devices (LUCAS(™)2; Physio-Control/Jolife AB, Lund, Sweden) to be used onboard the Danish search and rescue (SAR) helicopters. The scope of this investigation was to establish whether or not mechanical chest compression devices should be considered a necessity onboard the Danish SAR helicopters. Data were compiled from SAR medical journals. From the data collected, observations were made as to when LUCAS(™)2 was used and what diagnosis the SAR physician made. One thousand ninety missions were registered in the 24-month research period, and LUCAS(™)2 was used in 25 missions. Cardiac emergencies amounted for 25% of the missions. The Danish SAR helicopters retrieved 33 drowned/hypothermic patients during the research period, and the LUCAS(™)2 was used in 11 of the patients requiring resuscitation. The LUCAS(™)2 was frequently used during other emergencies like sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac emergencies were the predominant type of mission. LUCAS(™)2 is now considered mandatory on Danish SAR helicopters. Copyright © 2016 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A follow-up urine sample has limited value after treatment for urinary tract infection in children.

PubMed

Lytzen, Rebekka; Kaalund-Jørgensen, Kristine; Ahmed, Akhlaq; Abd-El-Redda, Haidar Karim; Thorup, Jørgen; Knudsen, Jenny Dahl; Cortes, Dina

2015-01-01

A routine follow-up urine sample (FUS) in the form of a midstream urine sample (MSU) is recommended after treatment for urinary tract infection (UTI) according to the Danish Paediatric Society (DPS) and "Lægehåndbogen" published by Danish Regions. We studied the effect of FUS with a focus on patients without symptoms at the time of FUS. Consecutive patients below 16.0 years treated for upper or lower UTI from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 at Hvidovre Hospital in accordance with the guidelines of the department and the DPS. All patients were asked to provide a FUS within 21 days. A total of 87 patients were treated for upper UTI: 59 girls and 28 boys, the median age was 1.1 year (range: 0.1-15.6 years); and 42 girls were treated for lower UTI, their median age was 8.2 years (range: 2.5-15.3 years). After treatment, the risk of a UTI was 0% (0/87) after upper UTI versus 19% (8/42) after lower UTI (Fisher's exact test (FE), p < 0.0001). Among those without symptoms at FUS, the risk of a UTI was 0% (0/75) (95% confidence interval (CI): 0-4.9%) after upper UTI versus 4% (1/26) (95% CI: 0.1-19.6%) after lower UTI (FE, p = 0.2754). The cost of requesting a FUS in patients without symptoms was 166 euro after treatment for upper UTI and 66 euro after treatment of lower UTI. We do not recommend a FUS after treatment for UTI as the 95% CI of risk of missing UTI after treatment for upper UTI was below 5%. This strategy will save the patients/families and the health-care system. However, if a child has symptoms after treatment for UTI, it must be examined. not relevant. The study was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency (J. no. 2007-58-0015).

The Danish Organic Action Plan 2020: assessment method and baseline status of organic procurement in public kitchens.

PubMed

Sørensen, Nina N; Lassen, Anne D; Løje, Hanne; Tetens, Inge

2015-09-01

With political support from the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020, organic public procurement in Denmark is expected to increase. In order to evaluate changes in organic food procurement in Danish public kitchens, reliable methods are needed. The present study aimed to compare organic food procurement measurements by two methods and to collect and discuss baseline organic food procurement measurements from public kitchens participating in the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020. Comparison study measuring organic food procurement by applying two different methods, one based on the use of procurement invoices (the Organic Cuisine Label method) and the other on self-reported procurement (the Dogme method). Baseline organic food procurement status was based on organic food procurement measurements and background information from public kitchens. Public kitchens participating in the six organic food conversion projects funded by the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020 during 2012 and 2013. Twenty-six public kitchens (comparison study) and 345 public kitchens (baseline organic food procurement status). A high significant correlation coefficient was found between the two organic food procurement measurement methods (r=0·83, P<0·001) with measurements relevant for the baseline status. Mean baseline organic food procurement was found to be 24 % when including measurements from both methods. The results indicate that organic food procurement measurements by both methods were valid for the baseline status report of the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020. Baseline results in Danish public kitchens suggest there is room for more organic as well as sustainable public procurement in Denmark.

The effectiveness of the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020 to increase the level of organic public procurement in Danish public kitchens.

PubMed

Sørensen, Nina N; Tetens, Inge; Løje, Hanne; Lassen, Anne D

2016-12-01

To measure the effect of organic food conversion projects on the percentage of organic food used in Danish public kitchens participating in the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020. The current longitudinal study was based on measurements of organic food percentages in Danish public kitchens before and after kitchen employees participated in conversion projects. Public kitchens participating in the nine organic food conversion projects under the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020, initiated during autumn 2012 and spring 2013 and completed in summer 2015. A total of 622 public kitchens. The average (median) increase in organic food percentage from baseline to follow-up was 24 percentage points (P<0·001) during an overall median follow-up period of 1·5 years. When analysing data according to public kitchen type, the increase remained significant for seven out of eight kitchens. Furthermore, the proportion of public kitchens eligible for the Organic Cuisine Label in either silver (60-90 % organic food procurement) or gold (90-100 % organic food procurement) level doubled from 31 % to 62 %, respectively, during the conversion period. Conversion project curriculum mostly included elements of 'theory', 'menu planning', 'network' and 'Organic Cuisine Label method' to ensure successful implementation. The study reports significant increases in the level of organic food procurement among public kitchens participating in the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020. Recommendations for future organic conversion projects include adding key curriculum components to the project's educational content and measuring changes in organic food percentage to increase the chances of successful implementation.

Different effects of BCG strains - A natural experiment evaluating the impact of the Danish and the Russian BCG strains on morbidity and scar formation in Guinea-Bissau.

PubMed

Frankel, H; Byberg, S; Bjerregaard-Andersen, M; Martins, C L; Aaby, P; Benn, C S; Fisker, A B

2016-08-31

Different Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine strains may have different non-specific effects. We assessed the effect of two BCG strains (Danish and Russian) on childhood morbidity and BCG scarification in Guinea-Bissau. During 2011-2013, infants in the Bandim Health Project's urban study area received the Danish or Russian BCG in a natural experiment. Health center consultations were registered at point of care and scar status and size at age 4½ months. We assessed the effect of strain on consultation rates between vaccination and age 45days in Cox proportional hazards models. Scar prevalence and size were compared using binomial regression and ranksum tests. Among 1206 children, 18% received Danish BCG (n=215) and 82% Russian BCG (n=991). The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for consultations was 0.94 (95% CI 0.60-1.46) for Danish BCG compared with Russian BCG. Girls vaccinated with Danish BCG tended to have lower consultation rates compared with girls vaccinated with Russian BCG (aHR 0.56 (0.25-1.24)), whereas the effect was opposite for boys (aHR 1.24 (0.74-2.11)), p=0.09. Children vaccinated with Danish BCG were more likely to develop a scar (97%) than children vaccinated with Russian BCG (87%), the relative risk (RR) being 1.11 (1.06-1.16). The effect was stronger in girls, and BCG scar size was larger among infants vaccinated with the Danish strain. BCG strain influences scar prevalence and scar size, and may have sex differential effects on morbidity. BCG strains are currently used interchangeably, but BCG scarring has been linked to subsequent survival. Hence, more research into the health effects of different BCG strains is warranted. Small adjustments of BCG production could potentially lower childhood morbidity and mortality at low cost. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attitudes towards motherhood and fertility awareness among 20-40-year-old female healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Mortensen, Luise Lermark; Hegaard, Hanne Kristine; Andersen, Anders Nyboe; Bentzen, Janne Gasseholm

2012-12-01

To explore attitudes towards family formation and fertility awareness among Danish female healthcare professionals. We collected cross-sectional baseline data from a prospective cohort study of 863 women, ranging in age from 20 to 40 years, working at a hospital in Denmark. Information about participants' intentions and attitudes towards family formation and fertility knowledge was gathered by means of a questionnaire. Only 2% of the respondents did not want children. Most women believed that motherhood is important, and hoped to have two to three children. About half of the respondents intended to have their last child after the age of 35 years. The most important prerequisites for family formation included: living in a stable relationship, having completed one's studies, a sound financial situation, a job that can be kept when having children, access to public child day care, and the possibility of travelling. As many as 50% of women underrated the impact of a woman's age on fertility, and overestimated the success rates of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments. Many female healthcare professionals contemplated giving birth after the age of 35 years. Knowledge of fertility and ART success rates is needed to make well-informed decisions about when to have children.

Patients' and their family members' experiences of participation in care following an acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A phenomenological-hermeneutic study.

PubMed

Andersen, Ingrid Charlotte; Thomsen, Thora Grothe; Bruun, Poul; Bødtger, Uffe; Hounsgaard, Lise

2017-12-01

To explore the experiences of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their family members relating both to participation in care during hospitalisation for an acute exacerbation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and to the subsequent day-to-day care at home. When recovering from an exacerbation, the challenges associated with an unpredictable health condition dominate everyday life for patients and can involve their family members. Proper patient and family participation in care during discharge and follow-up can help patients to improve self-management. However, knowledge of the significance of patient and family participation for recovery and subsequent everyday life is still limited. This study adopted a longitudinal design informed by ethnographic fieldwork principles. Participant observations and interviews with 15 patients and 12 family members were conducted on a Danish hospital ward and twice at the participants' homes. A phenomenological-hermeneutic approach inspired by Ricoeur's theory of interpretation guided the data analysis. Participation in care was perceived as valuable, but could be associated with tensions and increased uncertainty. While patients mostly demonstrated a reactive approach to care, family members strived to be more proactive. In hospital, preparing for discharge included an effort to find a balance between powerlessness and influence during interactions with healthcare professionals. At home, managing further recovery and self-management were characterised by navigating between mutual pressure and consideration within the family. Family members play an important role in ensuring that patients are seen, heard and understood, but want to be acknowledged more by healthcare professionals. Appropriate interactions with healthcare professionals are crucial in order to support discharge and daily self-management. Knowledge of the challenges that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their family members face in participating in care activities could inform future development of family-centred care approaches tailored to individual needs. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Childhood Body Size and the Risk of Malignant Melanoma in Adulthood

PubMed Central

Meyle, Kathrine D.; Gamborg, Michael; Sørensen, Thorkild I. A.; Baker, Jennifer L.

2017-01-01

Abstract Malignant melanoma (MM) is the most aggressive form of skin cancer. Adult anthropometry influences MM development; however, associations between childhood body size and future melanomagenesis are largely unknown. We investigated whether height, body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2), and body surface area (BSA) at ages 7–13 years and birth weight are associated with adult MM. Data from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register, containing annual height and weight measurements of 372,636 Danish children born in 1930–1989, were linked with the Danish Cancer Registry. Cox regression analyses were performed. During follow-up, 2,329 MM cases occurred. Height at ages 7–13 years was significantly associated with MM, even after BMI and BSA adjustments. No significant BMI-MM or BSA-MM associations were detected when adjusting for height. Children who were persistently tall at both age 7 years and age 13 years had a significantly increased MM risk compared with children who grew taller between those ages. Birth weight was positively associated with MM. We conclude that associations between body size and MM originate early in life and are driven largely by height and birth weight, without any comparable influence of BMI or BSA. Melanoma transformation is unlikely to be due to height per se; however, height-regulating processes in childhood present new areas for mechanistic explorations of this disease. PMID:28369155

[The Danish Debate on Priority Setting in Medicine--An Update].

PubMed

Pornak, S C; Raspe, H

2015-09-01

In the last years, the Danish debate about priority setting in medicine has gained new strength. This paper shows the main focuses of the current discussion based on a research of Danish primary literature. For the first time since the 1990s the Danish Council of Ethics has been involved with priority setting in medicine in a project running from 2011 to 2013. The Council emphasises the importance of legitimate processes and calls for visible values and criteria. A focus of the debate is how to deal with new expensive drugs. Politicians, physicians, health economists and the Council of Ethics have called for a national institution for priority setting in medicine. They have mainly looked to the Norwegian National Council for Priority Setting in Health Care and the British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for inspiration. The Danish Government considered establishing a national institute for priority setting, but the plans were not put into practice. In the year 2012 a new national project was launched to create clinical guidelines. Danish doctors welcome the guidelines as a good basis for priority setting. Just like in earlier Danish priority setting debates, a coordinating institution is lacking to bundle the discussion and keep it going. The debate seems to have come to an end once again. The fact that it was seriously considered to establish an institute for priority setting is a new development. It can be expected that the discussion will be resumed in the near future, possibly the idea of an institute for priority setting will be readopted. The general conditions for priority setting in health care have improved. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus in the Danish National Birth Cohort.

PubMed

Olsen, Sjurdur F; Houshmand-Oeregaard, Azedeh; Granström, Charlotta; Langhoff-Roos, Jens; Damm, Peter; Bech, Bodil H; Vaag, Allan A; Zhang, Cuilin

2017-05-01

The Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) contains comprehensive information on diet, lifestyle, constitutional and other major characteristics of women during pregnancy. It provides a unique source for studies on health consequences of gestational diabetes mellitus. Our aim was to identify and validate the gestational diabetes mellitus cases in the cohort. We extracted clinical information from hospital records for 1609 pregnancies included in the Danish National Birth Cohort with a diagnosis of diabetes during or before pregnancy registered in the Danish National Patient Register and/or from a Danish National Birth Cohort interview during pregnancy. We further validated the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in 2126 randomly selected pregnancies from the entire Danish National Birth Cohort. From the individual hospital records, an expert panel evaluated gestational diabetes mellitus status based on results from oral glucose tolerance tests, fasting blood glucose and Hb1c values, as well as diagnoses made by local obstetricians. The audit categorized 783 pregnancies as gestational diabetes mellitus, corresponding to 0.89% of the 87 792 pregnancies for which a pregnancy interview for self-reported diabetes in pregnancy was available. From the randomly selected group the combined information from register and interviews could correctly identify 96% (95% CI 80-99.9%) of all cases in the entire Danish National Birth Cohort population. Positive predictive value, however, was only 59% (56-61%). The combined use of data from register and interview provided a high sensitivity for gestational diabetes mellitus diagnosis. The low positive predictive value, however, suggests that systematic validation by hospital record review is essential not to underestimate the health consequences of gestational diabetes mellitus in future studies. © 2016 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Translation, adaptation and validation of the American short form Patient Activation Measure (PAM13) in a Danish version.

PubMed

Maindal, Helle Terkildsen; Sokolowski, Ineta; Vedsted, Peter

2009-06-29

The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) is a measure that assesses patient knowledge, skill, and confidence for self-management. This study validates the Danish translation of the 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM13) in a Danish population with dysglycaemia. 358 people with screen-detected dysglycaemia participating in a primary care health education study responded to PAM13. The PAM13 was translated into Danish by a standardised forward-backward translation. Data quality was assessed by mean, median, item response, missing values, floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and average inter-item correlation) and item-rest correlations. Scale properties were assessed by Rasch Rating Scale models. The item response was high with a small number of missing values (0.8-4.2%). Floor effect was small (range 0.6-3.6%), but the ceiling effect was above 15% for all items (range 18.6-62.7%). The alpha-coefficient was 0.89 and the average inter-item correlation 0.38. The Danish version formed a unidimensional, probabilistic Guttman-like scale explaining 43.2% of the variance. We did however, find a different item sequence compared to the original scale. A Danish version of PAM13 with acceptable validity and reliability is now available. Further development should focus on single items, response categories in relation to ceiling effects and further validation of reproducibility and responsiveness.

Intake of macro- and micronutrients in Danish vegans.

PubMed

Kristensen, Nadja B; Madsen, Mia L; Hansen, Tue H; Allin, Kristine H; Hoppe, Camilla; Fagt, Sisse; Lausten, Mia S; Gøbel, Rikke J; Vestergaard, Henrik; Hansen, Torben; Pedersen, Oluf

2015-10-30

Since information about macro- and micronutrient intake among vegans is limited we aimed to determine and evaluate their dietary and supplementary intake. Seventy 18-61 years old Danish vegans completed a four-day weighed food record from which their daily intake of macro- and micronutrients was assessed and subsequently compared to an age-range-matched group of 1,257 omnivorous individuals from the general Danish population. Moreover, the vegan dietary and supplementary intake was compared to the 2012 Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR). Dietary intake differed significantly between vegans and the general Danish population in all measured macro- and micronutrients (p < 0.05), except for energy intake among women and intake of carbohydrates among men. For vegans the intake of macro- and micronutrients (including supplements) did not reach the NNR for protein, vitamin D, iodine and selenium. Among vegan women vitamin A intake also failed to reach the recommendations. With reference to the NNR, the dietary content of added sugar, sodium and fatty acids, including the ratio of PUFA to SFA, was more favorable among vegans. At the macronutrient level, the diet of Danish vegans is in better accordance with the NNR than the diet of the general Danish population. At the micronutrient level, considering both diet and supplements, the vegan diet falls short in certain nutrients, suggesting a need for greater attention toward ensuring recommended daily intake of specific vitamins and minerals.

Investigating the influence of sea level oscillations in the Danish Straits on the Baltic Sea dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tikhonova, Natalia; Gusev, Anatoly; Diansky, Nikolay; Zakharchuk, Evgeny

2016-04-01

In this research, we study the influence of dynamic processes in the Danish Straits on the sea surface height (SSH) oscillations in the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, we use the model of marine and oceanic circulation INMOM (Institute of Numerical Mathematics Ocean Model). The simulations were carried out for the period 2009-2010, and the coastal station data were used for verification of SSH modelling quality. Comparison of the simulated data with the ones measured in the coastal points showed us that the model does not describe SSH variability in different areas of the Baltic Sea well enough, so in the following simulation series the in situ SSH data of the coastal measurements were assimilated at the open boundary in the Danish Straits. The results of the new simulation showed us that this approach significantly increases the SSH simulation quality in all areas of the sea, where the comparison was made. In particular, the correlation coefficients between the simulated and measured SSH data increased from 0.21-0.73 to 0.81-0.90. On the basis of these results, it has been suggested that the Baltic Sea SSH variability is largely determined by the influence of the dynamic processes in the Danish Straits, which can be represented as a superposition of oscillations of different space-time scales. These oscillations can either be generated in the straits themselves, or propagate from the North Sea. For verification of this hypothesis and assessment of the oscillation propagation distance in the Baltic Sea, the following experiment was performed. At the open boundary in the Danish Straits, the six harmonics were set with the following parameters: the periods are 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, 13.5, 40.5, and 121.5 days, and the amplitude for all the harmonics is 50 cm. The results showed us that the prescribed harmonic oscillations at the open boundary propagate into all areas of the sea without changing the frequency, but with decreasing amplitude. The decrease in amplitude is not related to the distance between the measurement point and open boundary. For example, in the Gulfs of Finland and Riga, the 36hr harmonic has an amplitude substantially higher than in the open sea, and in the Stockholm area, this harmonic is at the noise level. The 40dy and 121dy harmonics have slightly lower amplitudes than the original prescribed signal, but they are almost unchanged while propagating further into the sea, and in all the investigated locations have almost identical peaks of spectral density. The 3dy and 6dy harmonics significantly lost their amplitude in all parts of the sea, and spectral density peaks are at the noise level. The simulation results showed us that the Danish straits do not filter 121dy and 40dy oscillations, and their amplitude does not decrease much. The 13dy, 6dy and 3dy oscillations significantly lose in amplitude and have no significant peaks of the spectral density. The 1.5dy harmonic propagates to the Gulfs of Finland and Riga, and increases in amplitude due to resonance at the natural frequency of the basin. It is suggested that, while Danish straits do not filter or transform frequency characteristics of oscillations propagated from the North Sea, but the Baltic Sea configuration may affect the magnitude and propagation extent of these oscillations. Thus, the fluctuations in the North Sea and the Danish Straits can significantly contribute to the Baltic Sea dynamics in the low-frequency range of the spectrum, and the periods of natural oscillations of the basin. The research was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grant № 16-05-00534) and Saint-Petersburg State University (grant №18.37.140.2014)

The Normative and the Personal Life: Individual Differences in Life Scripts and Life Story Events among U.S.A. and Danish Undergraduates

PubMed Central

Rubin, David C.; Berntsen, Dorthe; Hutson, Michael

2011-01-01

Life scripts are culturally shared expectations about the order and timing of life events in a prototypical life course. American and Danish undergraduates produced life story events and life scripts by listing the seven most important events in their own lives and in the lives of hypothetical people living ordinary lives. They also rated their events on several scales and completed measures of depression, PTSD symptoms, and centrality of a negative event to their lives. The Danish life script replicated earlier work; the American life script showed minor differences from the Danish life script, apparently reflecting genuine differences in shared events as well as less homogeneity in the American sample. Both consisted of mostly positive events that came disproportionately from ages 15 to 30. Valence of life story events correlated with life script valence, depression, PTSD symptoms, and identity. In the Danish undergraduates, measures of life story deviation from the life script correlated with measures of depression and PTSD symptoms. PMID:19105087

Readers' opinion about English original articles in Ugeskrift for Laeger.

PubMed

Nielsen, Jan; Rosberg, Hanne Mohr; Rosenberg, Jacob

2010-11-01

The Danish Medical Association (DMA) performed a survey together with TNS Gallup Denmark among the readers of Ugeskrift for Laeger (Journal of the Danish Medical Association). The main motivation for the questionnaire was to evaluate the acceptability of changing the publication language in original articles from Danish into English. The study was conducted as an on-line questionnaire among the members of the DMA. A systematic sample was drawn from the DMA's member database. The sample comprised a total of 1,970 e-mail addresses. Among these, 1,952 were valid, and 1,952 physicians were invited to participate by e-mail. The response rate (1,046/1,952) was 54%. Among the participants 43% were specialists, 36% were junior doctors and 20% general practitioners. Overall, 45% of the respondents published scientific articles, and particularly specialists and junior doctors did not object to the shift from Danish to English language. Our survey showed that the readers and authors were willing to accept a shift from Danish into English publication language for original research papers.

Oxidative stress and mitochondria-mediated cell death mechanisms triggered by the familial Danish dementia ADan amyloid.

PubMed

Todd, Krysti; Ghiso, Jorge; Rostagno, Agueda

2016-01-01

Familial Danish Dementia (FDD), an early-onset non-amyloid-β (Aβ) cerebral amyloidosis, is neuropathologically characterized by widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy, parenchymal amyloid and preamyloid deposits, as well as neurofibrillary degeneration indistinguishable to that seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The main amyloid subunit composing FDD lesions, a 34-amino acid de-novo generated peptide ADan, is the direct result of a genetic defect at the 3'-end of the BRI2 gene and the physiologic action of furin-like proteolytic processing at the C-terminal region of the ADan precursor protein. We aimed to study the impact of the FDD mutation, the additional formation of the pyroglutamate (pE) posttranslational modification as well as the relevance of C-terminal truncations -all major components of the heterogeneous FDD deposits- on the structural and neurotoxic properties of the molecule. Our data indicates that whereas the mutation generated a β-sheet-rich hydrophobic ADan subunit of high oligomerization/fibrillization propensity and the pE modification further enhanced these properties, C-terminal truncations had the opposite effect mostly abolishing these features. The potentiation of pro-amyloidogenic properties correlated with the initiation of neuronal cell death mechanisms involving oxidative stress, perturbation of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, and downstream activation of caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways. The amyloid-induced toxicity was inhibited by targeting specific components of these detrimental cellular pathways, using reactive oxygen scavengers and monoclonal antibodies recognizing the pathological amyloid subunit. Taken together, the data indicate that the FDD mutation and the pE posttranslational modification are both primary elements driving intact ADan into an amyloidogenic/neurotoxic pathway while truncations at the C-terminus eliminate the pro-amyloidogenic characteristics of the molecule, likely reflecting effect of physiologic clearance mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sibship structure and risk of infectious mononucleosis: a population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Rostgaard, Klaus; Nielsen, Trine Rasmussen; Wohlfahrt, Jan; Ullum, Henrik; Pedersen, Ole; Erikstrup, Christian; Nielsen, Lars Peter; Hjalgrim, Henrik

2014-10-01

Present understanding of increased risk of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related infectious mononucleosis among children of low birth order or small sibships is mainly based on old and indirect evidence. Societal changes and methodological limitations of previous studies call for new data. We used data from the Danish Civil Registration System and the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register to study incidence rates of inpatient hospitalizations for infectious mononucleosis before the age of 20 years in a cohort of 2,543,225 Danes born between 1971 and 2008, taking individual sibship structure into account. A total of 12,872 cases of infectious mononucleosis were observed during 35.3 million person-years of follow-up. Statistical modelling showed that increasing sibship size was associated with a reduced risk of infectious mononucleosis and that younger siblings conferred more protection from infectious mononucleosis than older siblings. In addition to this general association with younger and older siblings, children aged less than 4 years transiently increased their siblings’ infectious mononucleosis risk. Our results were confirmed in an independent sample of blood donors followed up retrospectively for self-reported infectious mononucleosis. Younger siblings, and to a lesser degree older siblings, seem to be important in the transmission of EBV within families. Apparently the dogma of low birth order in a sibship as being at the highest risk of infectious mononucleosis is no longer valid.

Clinical presentations of 23 half-siblings from a mosaic neurofibromatosis type 1 sperm donor.

PubMed

Ejerskov, C; Farholt, S; Skovby, F; Vestergaard, E M; Haagerup, A

2016-03-01

The Danish sperm donor number 7042 has fathered several offspring with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) worldwide. NF1 is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the NF1 gene and more than 1000 NF1 mutations are identified. Analysis of the donor sperm demonstrated gonosomal mosaicism with an intragenic deletion involving exons 15-29 in the NF1 gene. At the two Danish reference centres for NF1 patients, we evaluated 23 half-siblings from the donor. Nine were diagnosed with NF1. The severity grade of NF1 progressed from minimal to mild/moderate within 3 years of follow-up. The NF1 phenotype shows great variability in intra- and inter-family expressivity and to date only two NF1 genotype-phenotype correlations have been established. This rare possibility of a long-term follow-up of a cohort of half-siblings with NF1 makes further studies including phenotypic variability and search for modifier genes possible. To achieve this goal, we have initiated The International Donor 7042 NF1 Offspring Registry. Research facilitated via this registry may reveal important new knowledge of clinical characteristics and prognostics for the specific NF1 genotype and thereby contribute to future individualised targeted clinical follow-up and treatment. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Alzheimer's and Danish dementia peptides induce cataract and perturb retinal architecture in rats.

PubMed

Reddy, G Bhanuprakash; Reddy, P Yadagiri; Surolia, Avadhesha

2017-03-01

Familial Danish dementias (FDDs) are autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorders that are associated with visual defects. In some aspects, FDD is similar to Alzheimer's disease (AD)- the amyloid deposits in FDD and AD are made of short peptides: amyloid β (Aβ) in AD and ADan in FDD. Previously, we demonstrated an interaction between the dementia peptides and α-crystallin leading to lens opacification in organ culture due to impaired chaperone activity of α-crystallin. Herein, we report the in vivo effects of ADan and Aβ on the eye. ADan [reduced (ADan-red) and oxidized (ADan-oxi)] and Aβ (Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42) were injected intravitreally in rats. The onset of cataract was seen after injection of all the peptides, but the cataract matured by 2 weeks in the case of ADan-red, 5 weeks for ADan-oxi and 6 weeks for Aβ1-40, while Aβ1-42 had minimal effect on cataract progression. The severity of cataract is associated with insolubilization and alterations in crystallins and loss of chaperone activity of α-crystallin. Further, disruption of the architecture of the retina was evident from a loss of rhodopsin, increased gliosis, and the thinning of the retina. These results provide a basis for the dominant heredo-otoophthalmo-encephalopathy (HOOE)/FDD syndrome and indicate that ADan peptides are more potent than Aβpeptides in inflicting visual impairment.

Generation and initial characterization of FDD knock in mice.

PubMed

Giliberto, Luca; Matsuda, Shuji; Vidal, Ruben; D'Adamio, Luciano

2009-11-18

Mutations in the integral membrane protein 2B, also known as BRI(2), a type II trans-membrane domain protein cause two autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases, Familial British and Danish Dementia. In these conditions, accumulation of a C-terminal peptide (ABri and ADan) cleaved off from the mutated precursor protein by the pro-protein convertase furin, leads to amyloid deposition in the walls of blood vessels and parenchyma of the brain. Recent advances in the understanding of the generation of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease has lead to the finding that BRI(2) interacts with the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), decreasing the efficiency of APP processing to generate Abeta. The interaction between the two precursors, APP and BRI(2), and possibly between Abeta and ABri or ADan, could be important in influencing the rate of amyloid production or the tendency of these peptides to aggregate. We have generated the first BRI(2) Danish Knock-In (FDD(KI)) murine model of FDD, expressing the pathogenic decamer duplication in exon 6 of the BRI(2) gene. FDD(KI) mice do not show any evident abnormal phenotype, with normal brain histology and no detectable amyloid deposition in blood vessel walls or parenchyma. This new murine mouse model will be important to further understand the interaction between APP and BRI(2), and to provide insights into the molecular basis of FDD.

Timing of pregnancy after gastric bypass-a national register-based cohort study.

PubMed

Kjær, Mette Mandrup; Nilas, Lisbeth

2013-08-01

Current recommendations suggest postponing pregnancy by at least 1 year after gastric bypass. During the first postoperative year, women are in a catabolic phase with a rapid weight loss which may increase the risk of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. This study tested the hypothesis that the risk of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes is increased in women who conceive during the first year after gastric bypass surgery. This is a national register-based cohort study covering all Danish deliveries during 2004-2010 in women with prior Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Only the first postoperative birth was included. The risk of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes was compared between women who conceived within the first postoperative year and women who conceived later. Data were extracted from the Danish National Patient Registry and The Danish Medical Birth Register. Of 286 women who had a singleton delivery after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, 158 women conceived within the first year and 128 later. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two groups regarding neonatal birth weight, gestational age, risk of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, labor induction, cesarean section, postpartum hemorrhage (>500 ml), preterm birth (before 37 weeks), small for gestational age, large for gestational age, or Apgar score (5 min ) below 7, or in the need of neonatal intensive care. This study showed no evidence to support a recommendation to delay pregnancy until after the first postoperative year. At present, the optimal time for pregnancy after gastric bypass is unknown.

The iPSYCH2012 case–cohort sample: new directions for unravelling genetic and environmental architectures of severe mental disorders

PubMed Central

Pedersen, C B; Bybjerg-Grauholm, J; Pedersen, M G; Grove, J; Agerbo, E; Bækvad-Hansen, M; Poulsen, J B; Hansen, C S; McGrath, J J; Als, T D; Goldstein, J I; Neale, B M; Daly, M J; Hougaard, D M; Mors, O; Nordentoft, M; Børglum, A D; Werge, T; Mortensen, P B

2018-01-01

The Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH) consortium has established a large Danish population-based Case–Cohort sample (iPSYCH2012) aimed at unravelling the genetic and environmental architecture of severe mental disorders. The iPSYCH2012 sample is nested within the entire Danish population born between 1981 and 2005, including 1 472 762 persons. This paper introduces the iPSYCH2012 sample and outlines key future research directions. Cases were identified as persons with schizophrenia (N=3540), autism (N=16 146), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (N=18 726) and affective disorder (N=26 380), of which 1928 had bipolar affective disorder. Controls were randomly sampled individuals (N=30 000). Within the sample of 86 189 individuals, a total of 57 377 individuals had at least one major mental disorder. DNA was extracted from the neonatal dried blood spot samples obtained from the Danish Neonatal Screening Biobank and genotyped using the Illumina PsychChip. Genotyping was successful for 90% of the sample. The assessments of exome sequencing, methylation profiling, metabolome profiling, vitamin-D, inflammatory and neurotrophic factors are in progress. For each individual, the iPSYCH2012 sample also includes longitudinal information on health, prescribed medicine, social and socioeconomic information, and analogous information among relatives. To the best of our knowledge, the iPSYCH2012 sample is the largest and most comprehensive data source for the combined study of genetic and environmental aetiologies of severe mental disorders. PMID:28924187

Adherence to a Healthy Nordic Diet and Risk of Stroke: A Danish Cohort Study.

PubMed

Hansen, Camilla Plambeck; Overvad, Kim; Kyrø, Cecilie; Olsen, Anja; Tjønneland, Anne; Johnsen, Søren Paaske; Jakobsen, Marianne Uhre; Dahm, Christina Catherine

2017-02-01

Specific dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean diet, have been associated with stroke prevention. Our aim was to investigate whether adherence to a healthy Nordic diet, including fish, apples and pears, cabbages, root vegetables, rye bread, and oatmeal, was associated with risk of stroke. Incident cases of stroke among 55 338 men and women from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort were identified from the Danish National Patient Register and verified by review of records. Cases of ischemic stroke were further subclassified based on etiology according to the TOAST classification system (Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment). Information on diet was collected at baseline (1993-1997) using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazards ratios of total stroke and subtypes of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. During a median follow-up of 13.5 years, 2283 cases of incident stroke were verified, including 1879 ischemic strokes. Adherence to a healthy Nordic diet, as reflected by a higher Healthy Nordic Food Index score, was associated with a lower risk of stroke. The hazards ratio comparing an index score of 4 to 6 (high adherence) with an index score of 0 to 1 (low adherence) was 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.76-0.98) for total stroke. Inverse associations were observed for ischemic stroke, including large-artery atherosclerosis. No trend was observed for hemorrhagic stroke; however, a statistically insignificant trend was observed for intracerebral hemorrhage. Our findings suggest that a healthy Nordic diet may be recommended for the prevention of stroke. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

Public-Private Partnerships in the health sector: the Danish experience.

PubMed

Vrangbaek, Karsten

2008-04-01

This article investigates the current use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the Danish health sector based on an initial discussion of theoretical approaches that analyze PPP. The empirical analysis concludes that PPP has been used very sparsely in the Danish health sector. There are few examples of large-scale partnership projects with joint investment and risk taking, but a number of smaller partnerships such as jointly owned companies at the regional level. When defining PPP more broadly, we can identify a long tradition for various types of collaboration between public and private actors in health care in Denmark. An analysis of the regulatory environment is offered as an explanation for the limited use of PPPs in Denmark. Major political and institutional actors at the central level differ in their enthusiasm for the PPP concept, and the regulatory framework is somewhat uncertain. A number of general issues and concerns related to PPPs are also discussed. It is suggested that a risk-based framework can be useful for mapping the potential and challenges for both private and public partners. Such a framework can be used to feed into game theoretical models of pros and cons for PPP projects. In general terms, it is concluded that more empirical research is needed for the assessment of the various risk factors involved in using PPPs in health care. Most PPPs are still very young, and the evidence on performance and broader governance issues is only just emerging. Ideally, such assessments should include comparisons with a purely public alternative.

Dictionary construction and identification of possible adverse drug events in Danish clinical narrative text

PubMed Central

Eriksson, Robert; Jensen, Peter Bjødstrup; Frankild, Sune; Jensen, Lars Juhl; Brunak, Søren

2013-01-01

Objective Drugs have tremendous potential to cure and relieve disease, but the risk of unintended effects is always present. Healthcare providers increasingly record data in electronic patient records (EPRs), in which we aim to identify possible adverse events (AEs) and, specifically, possible adverse drug events (ADEs). Materials and methods Based on the undesirable effects section from the summary of product characteristics (SPC) of 7446 drugs, we have built a Danish ADE dictionary. Starting from this dictionary we have developed a pipeline for identifying possible ADEs in unstructured clinical narrative text. We use a named entity recognition (NER) tagger to identify dictionary matches in the text and post-coordination rules to construct ADE compound terms. Finally, we apply post-processing rules and filters to handle, for example, negations and sentences about subjects other than the patient. Moreover, this method allows synonyms to be identified and anatomical location descriptions can be merged to allow appropriate grouping of effects in the same location. Results The method identified 1 970 731 (35 477 unique) possible ADEs in a large corpus of 6011 psychiatric hospital patient records. Validation was performed through manual inspection of possible ADEs, resulting in precision of 89% and recall of 75%. Discussion The presented dictionary-building method could be used to construct other ADE dictionaries. The complication of compound words in Germanic languages was addressed. Additionally, the synonym and anatomical location collapse improve the method. Conclusions The developed dictionary and method can be used to identify possible ADEs in Danish clinical narratives. PMID:23703825

Deadlines at work and sleep quality. Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings among Danish knowledge workers.

PubMed

Rugulies, Reiner; Martin, Marie H T; Garde, Anne Helene; Persson, Roger; Albertsen, Karen

2012-03-01

Exposure to deadlines at work is increasing in several countries and may affect health. We aimed to investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between frequency of difficult deadlines at work and sleep quality. Study participants were knowledge workers, drawn from a representative sample of Danish employees who responded to a baseline questionnaire in 2006 (n = 363) and a follow-up questionnaire in 2007 (n = 302). Frequency of difficult deadlines was measured by self-report and categorized into low, intermediate, and high. Sleep quality was measured with a Total Sleep Quality Score and two indexes (Awakening Index and Disturbed Sleep Index) derived from the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire. Analyses on the association between frequency of deadlines and sleep quality scores were conducted with multiple linear regression models, adjusted for potential confounders. In addition, we used multiple logistic regression models to analyze whether frequency of deadlines at baseline predicted caseness of sleep problems at follow-up among participants free of sleep problems at baseline. Frequent deadlines were cross-sectionally and longitudinally associated with poorer sleep quality on all three sleep quality measures. Associations in the longitudinal analyses were greatly attenuated when we adjusted for baseline sleep quality. The logistic regression analyses showed that frequent deadlines at baseline were associated with elevated odds ratios for caseness of sleep problems at follow-up, however, confidence intervals were wide in these analyses. Frequent deadlines at work were associated with poorer sleep quality among Danish knowledge workers. We recommend investigating the relation between deadlines and health endpoints in large-scale epidemiologic studies. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of child and family characteristics on cerebral palsy treatment.

PubMed

Rackauskaite, Gija; Uldall, Peter W; Bech, Bodil H; Østergaard, John R

2015-10-01

The aim of the study was to describe the relationship between the child's and family's characteristics and the most common treatment modalities in a national population-based sample of 8- to 15-year-old children with cerebral palsy. A cross-sectional study, based on the Danish Cerebral Palsy Registry. The parents of 462 children answered a questionnaire about their child's treatment and the family's characteristics (living with a single parent, having siblings, living in a city, parental education level). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed for every treatment modality, stratified by Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level. An IQ below 85 was associated with weekly therapy in GMFCS level I (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj ] 2.5 [CI 1.1-5.7]) and the use of oral spasmolytics in GMFCS levels III to V (ORadj 3.1 [CI 1.3-7.4]). Older children in GMFCS levels III to V used daily orthoses less frequently (ORadj 0.7 [CI 0.6-0.9] per year). Of all of the family characteristics studied, only the parents' education level had significant associations with more than one treatment modality. A child's cognitive function showed an impact on treatment of the motor impairment in children 8 to 15 years of age with cerebral palsy. Parental education level may influence the choice of treatment. © 2015 Mac Keith Press.

The Studies of Readers' Responses to "The Snake,""The Gold Apple," and "Per Smed's Whip" in Spring 1981. Fairytale: An Interdisciplinary Turco-Danish Study of the Collective v. the Individual Nature of the Response to Literature. Report No. 13. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollerup, Cay; And Others

Summaries of the Danish internal reports of the essay studies, the introspection studies, and the literary analyses that are part of the larger interdisciplinary Turko-Danish Fairytale Project concerning the collective versus the individual nature of the response to literature are presented in this report. Various sections of the five papers…

Airborne surveys in the Arctic and Antarctic for geophysics, sea-ice thickness, and CryoSat validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A. V.; Hvidegaard, S.; Skourup, H.

2010-12-01

Airborne laser and radar measurements over the Greenland ice sheet, Svalbard, and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean have been carried out by DTU-Space in a number of recent Danish/Greenlandic and European project campaigns, with the purpose to monitor ice sheet and sea-ice changes, support of Greenland societal needs (oil exploration and hydropower), and support of CryoSat pre-launch calibration and validation campaigns. The Arctic campaigns have been done using a Twin-Otter aircraft, carrying laser scanners and various radars. Since 2009 a new program of long-range gravity and magnetic surveys have been initiated using a Basler DC3 aircraft for large-scale surveys in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctica, with the 2010 cooperative Danish-Argentinean-Chilean-US ICEGRAV survey of the Antarctic Peninsula additionally including a UTIG 60 MHz ice-penetrating radar. In the paper we outline the recent and upcoming airborne survey activities, outline the usefulness of the airborne data for satellite validation (CryoSat and GOCE), and give examples of measurements and comparisons to satellite and in-situ data.

Danish Citizens and General Practitioners' Use of ICT for their Mutual Communication.

PubMed

Bertelsen, Pernille; Stub Petersen, Lone

2015-01-01

This paper reports on selected findings from a Danish national survey of citizens' perception and use of information and communication technology (ICT) for their health care [1]. Focus is on citizens' use of ICT and on communication with their General Practitioner (GP). It also focuses on citizens' experience of their GPs' ICT use and no use during medical consultations. The responsibility for medical service in Denmark is to a large extent handed over to the primary sector where the GP is the gatekeeper. Our data display that 65% of the adult citizens or their relatives have been using ICT to communicate with their GP. Twenty-two percent have experienced their GP use a computer screen to actively show them something while they have a consultation. Further, our data supports the assumption that the higher the education people have, the more likely they are to use ICT for their health care. The understanding of the use of ICT in communication with the GP is central to monitoring and developing an ICT that supports all citizens and considers new ways in which to enhance quality of care.

A Danish population-based analysis of 105 mantle cell lymphoma patients: incidences, clinical features, response, survival and prognostic factors.

PubMed

Andersen, N S; Jensen, M K; de Nully Brown, P; Geisler, C H

2002-02-01

This study presents the first large clinical analysis of 105 unselected mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients diagnosed from 1992 to 2000 in a well-defined Danish population. The annual incidences were 0.7/100000 for men and 0.2/100000 for women, with no significant change during the study period. Of 97 evaluable cases, 43% achieved a complete response (CR) after initial therapy. The median disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 15 and 30 months, respectively. In multivariate analysis, splenomegaly (P=0.002), anaemia (P=0.0001) and age (P=0.002), but not the international prognostic index (IPI) and the Ann Arbor staging system, had an independent impact on survival. Moreover, in a sub-analysis of 45 younger MCL patients (<65 years), a trend towards an OS plateau of 58% was observed in cases without splenomegaly and anaemia (n=29). Thus, in contrast to previously suggested prognostic factors, these variables may prove useful for clinical decisions in a significant subset of MCL patients.

Prevalence and risk factors of Coxiella burnetii seropositivity in Danish beef and dairy cattle at slaughter adjusted for test uncertainty.

PubMed

Paul, Suman; Agger, Jens F; Agerholm, Jørgen S; Markussen, Bo

2014-03-01

Antibodies to Coxiella burnetii have been found in the Danish dairy cattle population with high levels of herd and within herd seroprevalences. However, the prevalence of antibodies to C. burnetii in Danish beef cattle remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to (1) estimate the prevalence and (2) identify risk factors associated with C. burnetii seropositivity in Danish beef and dairy cattle based on sampling at slaughter. Eight hundred blood samples from slaughtered cattle were collected from six Danish slaughter houses from August to October 2012 following a random sampling procedure. Blood samples were tested by a commercially available C. burnetii antibody ELISA kit. A sample was defined positive if the sample-to-positive ratio was greater than or equal to 40. Animal and herd information were extracted from the Danish Cattle Database. Apparent (AP) and true prevalences (TPs) specific for breed, breed groups, gender and herd type; and breed-specific true prevalences with a random effect of breed was estimated in a Bayesian framework. A Bayesian logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors of C. burnetii seropositivity. Test sensitivity and specificity estimates from a previous study involving Danish dairy cattle were used to generate prior information. The prevalence was significantly higher in dairy breeds (AP=9.11%; TP=9.45%) than in beef breeds (AP=4.32%; TP=3.54%), in females (AP=9.10%; TP=9.40%) than in males (AP=3.62%; TP=2.61%) and in dairy herds (AP=15.10%; TP=16.67%) compared to beef herds (AP=4.54%; TP=3.66%). The Bayesian logistic regression model identified breed group along with age, and number of movements as contributors for C. burnetii seropositivity. The risk of seropositivity increased with age and increasing number of movements between herds. Results indicate that seroprevalence of C. burnetii is lower in cattle sent for slaughter than in Danish dairy cows in production units. A greater proportion of this prevalence is attributed to slaughtered cattle of dairy breeds or cattle raised in dairy herds rather than beef breeds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temporal changes in occupational sitting time in the Danish workforce and associations with all-cause mortality: results from the Danish work environment cohort study.

PubMed

van der Ploeg, Hidde P; Møller, Simone Visbjerg; Hannerz, Harald; van der Beek, Allard J; Holtermann, Andreas

2015-06-02

Prolonged sitting has been negatively associated with a range of non-communicably diseases. However, the role of occupational sitting is less clear, and little is known on the changes of occupational sitting in a working population over time. The present study aimed to determine 1) temporal changes in occupational sitting time between 1990 and 2010 in the Danish workforce; 2) the association and possible dose-response relationship between occupational sitting time and all-cause mortality. This study analysed data from the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study (DWECS), which is a cohort study of the Danish working population conducted in five yearly intervals between 1990 and 2010. Occupational sitting time is self-reported in the DWECS. To determine the association with all-cause mortality, the DWECS was linked to the Danish Register of Causes of Death via the Central Person Register. Between 1990 and 2010 the proportion of the Danish workforce who sat for at least three quarters of their work time gradually increased from 33.1 to 39.1%. All-cause mortality analyses were performed with 149,773 person-years of observation and an average follow-up of 12.61 years, during which 533 deaths were registered. None of the presented analyses found a statistically significant association between occupational sitting time and all-cause mortality. The hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.79; 1.18) when ≥24 hr/wk occupational sitting time was compared to <24 hr/wk for the 1990-2005 waves. Occupational sitting time increased by 18% in the Danish workforce, which seemed to be limited to people with high socio-economic status. If this increase is accompanied by increases in total sitting time, this development has serious public health implications, given the detrimental associations between total sitting time and mortality. The current study was inconclusive on the specific role that occupational sitting might play in the increased all-cause mortality risk associated with the total volume of sitting.

Secondary depression in severe anxiety disorders: a population-based cohort study in Denmark

PubMed Central

Meier, Sandra M; Petersen, Liselotte; Mattheisen, Manuel; Mors, Ole; Mortensen, Preben B; Laursen, Thomas M

2016-01-01

Summary Background Depression and anxiety disorders are highly comorbid conditions and a worldwide disease burden; however, large-scale studies delineating their association are scarce. In this retrospective study, we aimed to assess the effect of severe anxiety disorders on the risk and course of depression. Methods We did a population-based cohort study with prospectively gathered data in Denmark using data from three Danish population registers: The Danish Civil Registration System, the Danish Psychiatric Central Register, and the Danish National Hospital Registry. We selected the cohort from people born in Denmark between Jan 1, 1955, and Dec 31, 2002, who we followed up from Jan 1, 1994, to Dec 31, 2012. The cohort was restricted to individuals with known parents. First, we investigated the effect of specific anxiety diagnoses on risk of single depressive episodes and recurrent depressive disorder. Second, we investigated the effect of comorbid anxiety on risk of readmission for depression, adjusting for sex, age, calendar year, parental age, place at residence at time of birth, and the interaction of age with sex. Findings We included 3 380 059 individuals in our study cohort. The adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for single depressive episodes was 3·0 (95% CI 2·8–3·1, p<0·0001) and for recurrent depressive disorder was 5·0 (4·8–5·2) in patients with severe anxiety disorders compared with the general population. Compared with control individuals, the offspring of parents with anxiety disorders were more likely to be diagnosed with single depressive episodes (1·9, 1·8–2·0) or recurrent depressive disorder (2·1, 1·9–2·2). Comorbid anxiety increased the readmission rates in both patients with single depressive episodes and patients with recurrent depressive disorder. Interpretation Severe anxiety constitutes a significant risk factor for depression. Focusing on specific anxiety disorders might help to identify individuals at risk of depression, thereby providing new insights for prevention and treatment. Funding The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH). PMID:26360447

The new nordic diet--consumer expenditures and economic incentives estimated from a controlled intervention.

PubMed

Jensen, Jørgen Dejgård; Poulsen, Sanne Kellebjerg

2013-12-02

Several studies suggest that a healthy diet with high emphasis on nutritious, low-energy components such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood tends to be more costly for consumers. Derived from the ideas from the New Nordic Cuisine--and inspired by the Mediterranean diet, the New Nordic Diet (NND) has been developed as a palatable, healthy and sustainable diet based on products from the Nordic region. The objective of the study is to investigate economic consequences for the consumers of the NND, compared with an Average Danish Diet (ADD). Combine quantity data from a randomized controlled ad libitum dietary 6 month intervention for central obese adults (18-65 years) and market retail price data of the products consumed in the intervention. Adjust consumed quantities to market price incentives using econometrically estimated price elasticities. Average daily food expenditure of the ADD as represented in the unadjusted intervention (ADD-i) amounted to 36.02 DKK for the participants. The daily food expenditure in the unadjusted New Nordic Diet (NND-i) costs 44.80 DKK per day per head, and is hence about 25% more expensive than the Average Danish Diet (or about 17% when adjusting for energy content of the diet). Adjusting for price incentives in a real market setting, the estimated cost of the Average Danish Diet is reduced by 2.50 DKK (ADD-m), compared to the unadjusted ADD-i diet, whereas the adjusted cost of the New Nordic Diet (NND-m) is reduced by about 3.50 DKK, compared to the unadjusted NND-i. The distribution of food cost is however much more heterogeneous among consumers within the NND than within the ADD. On average, the New Nordic Diet is 24-25 per cent more expensive than an Average Danish Diet at the current market prices in Denmark (and 16-17 per cent, when adjusting for energy content). The relatively large heterogeneity in food costs in the NND suggests that it is possible to compose an NND where the cost exceeds that of ADD by less than the 24-25 per cent.

Interpretive Flexibility in Mobile Health: Lessons From a Government-Sponsored Home Care Program

PubMed Central

Mathiassen, Lars

2013-01-01

Background Mobile technologies have emerged as important tools that health care personnel can use to gain easy access to client data anywhere. This is particularly useful for nurses and care workers in home health care as they provide services to clients in many different settings. Although a growing body of evidence supports the use of mobile technologies, the diverse implications of mobile health have yet to be fully documented. Objective Our objective was to examine a large-scale government-sponsored mobile health implementation program in the Danish home care sector and to understand how the technology was used differently across home care agencies. Methods We chose to perform a longitudinal case study with embedded units of analysis. We included multiple data sources, such as written materials, a survey to managers across all 98 Danish municipalities, and semistructured interviews with managers, care workers, and nurses in three selected home care agencies. We used process models of change to help analyze the overall implementation process from a longitudinal perspective and to identify antecedent conditions, key events, and practical outcomes. Results Strong collaboration between major stakeholders in the Danish home care sector (government bodies, vendors, consultants, interest organizations, and managers) helped initiate and energize the change process, and government funding supported quick and widespread technology adoption. However, although supported by the same government-sponsored program, mobile technology proved to have considerable interpretive flexibility with variation in perceived nature of technology, technology strategy, and technology use between agencies. What was first seen as a very promising innovation across the Danish home care sector subsequently became the topic of debate as technology use arrangements ran counter to existing norms and values in individual agencies. Conclusions Government-sponsored programs can have both positive and negative results, and managers need to be aware of this and the interpretive flexibility of mobile technology. Mobile technology implementation is a complex process that is best studied by combining organization-level analysis with features of the wider sociopolitical and interorganizational environment. PMID:24172852

Prenatal Exposure to Phthalates and Anogenital Distance in Male Infants from a Low-Exposed Danish Cohort (2010–2012)

PubMed Central

Jensen, Tina Kold; Frederiksen, Hanne; Kyhl, Henriette Boye; Lassen, Tina Harmer; Swan, Shanna H.; Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf; Skakkebaek, Niels E.; Main, Katharina M.; Lind, Dorte Vesterholm; Husby, Steffen; Andersson, Anna-Maria

2015-01-01

Background: Phthalates comprise a large class of chemicals used in a variety of consumer products. Several have anti-androgenic properties, and in rodents prenatal exposure has been associated with reduced anogenital distance (AGD)—the distance from the anus to the genitals in male offspring. Few human studies have been conducted, but associations between the anti-androgenic phthalates and male AGD have been reported. Objective: We aimed to study the association between phthalate exposure in late pregnancy in Danish women pregnant in 2010–2012 and AGD in their male infants at 3 months of age (n = 273). Methods: In the Odense child cohort study, urinary concentrations of 12 phthalate metabolites of diethyl, di-n-butyl, diisobutyl, di(2-ethylhexyl), butylbenzyl, and diisononyl phthalate (DEP, DnBP, DiBP, DEHP, BBzP, and DiNP, respectively) were measured among 245 mothers of boys at approximately gestational week 28 (range, 20.4–30.4) and adjusted for osmolality. AGD, penile width, and weight were measured 3 months after the expected date of birth. Associations between prenatal phthalate and AGD and penile width were estimated using multivariable linear regression adjusting for age and weight-for-age standard deviation score. Results: Phthalate levels were lower in this population than in a recent Swedish study in which phthalates were measured in the first trimester. No consistent associations were seen between any prenatal phthalate and AGD or penile width. Most associations were negative for exposures above the first quartile, and for ln-transformed exposures modeled as continuous variables, but there were no consistent dose–response patterns, and associations were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: We found no significant trends towards shorter AGD in boys with higher phthalates exposures in this low exposed Danish population. Citation: Jensen TK, Frederiksen H, Kyhl HB, Lassen TH, Swan SH, Bornehag CG, Skakkebaek NE, Main KM, Lind DV, Husby S, Andersson AM. 2016. Prenatal exposure to phthalates and anogenital distance in male infants from a low-exposed Danish cohort (2010–2012). Environ Health Perspect 124:1107–1113; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509870 PMID:26672060

Hospitalisation with otitis media in early childhood and cognitive function in young adult life: a prevalence study among Danish conscripts

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Otitis media (OM) is a very common condition in children and occurs during years that are critical to the development of learning, literacy, and math skills. Therefore, among a large cohort of Danish conscripts, we aimed to examine the association between hospitalisation with OM in early childhood and cognitive function and educational level in early adulthood. Methods We conducted a population-based prevalence study using linked data from healthcare databases and conscription records of Danish men born between 1977 and 1983. We identified all hospitalisations with OM before 8 years of age. Cognitive function was measured by the Boerge Prien validated group intelligence test (Danish Børge Prien Prøve, BPP). We adjusted for potential confounders with and without stratification by hearing impairment. Furthermore, we examined the association between hospitalisation with OM and the prevalence of having achieved a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), stratified by quartiles of BPP scores. Results Of the 18 412 eligible conscripts aged 18–25 years, 1000 (5.5%) had been hospitalised with OM before age 8. Compared with conscripts without such a record, the adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) for a BPP score in the bottom quartile was 1.20 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–1.33). There was no major difference in the proportion of men with a GCSE and those without among those hospitalised with OM in early childhood. For men in the bottom and upper quartiles of BPP scores, the PRs for early childhood hospitalisation with OM were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.59–1.33) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.88–1.05), respectively. Among men with severe hearing impairment, the proportion with a BPP score in the bottom quartile did not differ between those with and without an OM hospitalisation [PR = 1.01 (95% CI: 0.78–1.34)]. Conclusions Overall, we found that hospitalisation with OM in early childhood was associated with a slightly lower cognitive function in early adulthood. Hospitalisation for OM did not seem to influence the prevalence of GSCE when level of BPP was taken into account. PMID:23320411

The new nordic diet – consumer expenditures and economic incentives estimated from a controlled intervention

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Several studies suggest that a healthy diet with high emphasis on nutritious, low-energy components such as fruits, vegetables, and seafood tends to be more costly for consumers. Derived from the ideas from the New Nordic Cuisine – and inspired by the Mediterranean diet, the New Nordic Diet (NND) has been developed as a palatable, healthy and sustainable diet based on products from the Nordic region. The objective of the study is to investigate economic consequences for the consumers of the NND, compared with an Average Danish Diet (ADD). Methods Combine quantity data from a randomized controlled ad libitum dietary 6 month intervention for central obese adults (18–65 years) and market retail price data of the products consumed in the intervention. Adjust consumed quantities to market price incentives using econometrically estimated price elasticities. Results Average daily food expenditure of the ADD as represented in the unadjusted intervention (ADD-i) amounted to 36.02 DKK for the participants. The daily food expenditure in the unadjusted New Nordic Diet (NND-i) costs 44.80 DKK per day per head, and is hence about 25% more expensive than the Average Danish Diet (or about 17% when adjusting for energy content of the diet). Adjusting for price incentives in a real market setting, the estimated cost of the Average Danish Diet is reduced by 2.50 DKK (ADD-m), compared to the unadjusted ADD-i diet, whereas the adjusted cost of the New Nordic Diet (NND-m) is reduced by about 3.50 DKK, compared to the unadjusted NND-i. The distribution of food cost is however much more heterogeneous among consumers within the NND than within the ADD. Conclusion On average, the New Nordic Diet is 24–25 per cent more expensive than an Average Danish Diet at the current market prices in Denmark (and 16–17 per cent, when adjusting for energy content). The relatively large heterogeneity in food costs in the NND suggests that it is possible to compose an NND where the cost exceeds that of ADD by less than the 24–25 per cent. PMID:24294977

Oral malignant melanomas and other head and neck neoplasms in Danish dogs - data from the Danish Veterinary Cancer Registry

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Head and neck cancers (HNC) are relatively common and often very serious diseases in both dogs and humans. Neoplasms originating in the head and neck region are a heterogeneous group. HNC often has an unfavourable prognosis and the proximity of the tissue structures renders extirpation of tumours with sufficient margins almost incompatible with preservation of functionality. In humans oral malignant melanoma (OMM) is extremely rare, but represents a particular challenge since it is highly aggressive as is the canine counterpart, which thus may be of interest as a spontaneous animal model. Methods Canine cases entered in the Danish Veterinary Cancer Registry (DVCR) from May 15th 2005 through February 29th 2008 were included in this study. Fisher's exact test was used to compare proportions of HNC in dogs and humans as well as proportions of surgically treated cases of OMM and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Also the proportions of benign and malignant neoplasms of different locations in dogs were compared using Fisher's exact test. Results A total of 1768 cases of neoplasias (679 malignant, 826 benign, 263 unknown) were submitted. Of all neoplasias HNC accounted for 7.2% (n = 128). Of these, 64 (50%) were malignant and 44 (34%) benign. The most common types of malignant neoplasia were SCC (18; 28% of malignant), OMM (13; 20% of malignant), soft tissue sarcoma (11; 17% of malignant) and adenocarcinoma (5; 11% of malignant). The most common types of benign neoplasms were adenoma (7; 16% of benign), polyps (6; 14% of benign) and fibroma (5; 11% of benign). Conclusions In the current study, the proportion of neoplasia in the head and neck region in dogs in Denmark was similar to other canine studies and significantly more common than in humans with a large proportion of malignancies. Spontaneous HNC in dogs thus, may serve as a model for HNC in humans. Canine OMM is a spontaneous cancer in an outbred, immune-competent large mammal population and could be a clinical model for OMM in humans. PMID:20021647

A cross-sectional study of psychosocial work environment and stress in the Danish symphony orchestras.

PubMed

Holst, Gitte Juel; Paarup, Helene M; Baelum, Jesper

2012-08-01

To investigate psychosocial work environment and stress in Danish symphony orchestra musicians. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of psychosocial work factors and stress symptoms among 441 musicians in six Danish symphony orchestras. The response rate was 78% (n = 342). The questions were from COPSOQ (Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire). Mean values of 19 COPSOQ-scales were compared by gender and instrument group. The results for the musicians were compared with results for the general Danish work force (COPSOQ database). Female musicians reported higher work demands and higher stress symptoms than their male colleagues. Between instrument groups, 2nd violinists seemed to be of particular risk compared with the other instrumental groups in aspects of work pace, work organization, and content, whereas 1st violinists perceived higher emotional stress compared with 2nd violinists. The musicians' experience of increased work demands as well as deteriorated, work organization and job content, interpersonal relations and leadership, and work-individual interface was significantly associated with increasing stress symptoms. Compared to the general workforce independently of gender, Danish symphony orchestra musicians reported higher emotional demands, lower influence, lower social support, lower sense of community, and lower job satisfaction. However, the musicians reported a higher commitment to the workplace. The findings indicate a more demanding psychosocial work environment exposure among symphony orchestra musicians than among Danish workers in general. Critical results are the relatively high work demands, low influence, and low social support, females being of higher risk than males.

Calcium in drinking water: effect on iron stores in Danish blood donors-results from the Danish Blood Donor Study.

PubMed

Rigas, Andreas S; Ejsing, Benedikte H; Sørensen, Erik; Pedersen, Ole B; Hjalgrim, Henrik; Erikstrup, Christian; Ullum, Henrik

2018-06-01

Studies confirm that calcium inhibits iron absorption. Danish tap water comes from groundwater, which contains varying amounts of calcium depending on the subsoil. We investigated the association of calcium in drinking water with iron levels in Danish blood donors. We used data on Danish blood donors including dietary and lifestyle habits, blood donation history, and physiologic characteristics including measures of ferritin levels along with information on area of residence from The Danish Blood Donor Study. Data on calcium levels in groundwater ("water hardness") were obtained through the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. We performed multiple linear and logistic regression analyses to evaluate the effect of water hardness on ferritin levels and risk of having iron deficiency (defined as ferritin levels <15 ng/mL), stratified by sex. There was a significant negative association between water hardness and ferritin levels in both men and women. Risk of iron deficiency was correspondingly increased in both men (odds ratio [OR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-2.12) and women (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.03-1.40) with increasing water hardness. In analyses restricted to individuals who received supplemental iron tablets no significant association between groundwater hardness and ferritin levels was observed. As measured by ferritin levels, residential drinking water calcium content is associated with blood donors- iron levels and risk of iron deficiency. However, effect sizes are small. © 2018 AABB.

Amyloid peptides ABri and ADan show differential neurotoxicity in transgenic Drosophila models of familial British and Danish dementia

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Familial British and Familial Danish dementias (FBD and FDD, respectively) are associated with mutations in the BRI2 gene. Processing of the mutated BRI2 protein leads to the accumulation in the brain of the 34-mer amyloid Bri (ABri) and amyloid Dan (ADan) peptides, accompanied by neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, transgenic mice successfully reproduced different aspects of FDD, while modeling of FBD in vivo has been more difficult. In this work we have modeled FBD and FDD in Drosophila and tested the hypothesis that ABri and ADan are differentially neurotoxic. Results By using site-directed insertion, we generated transgenic lines carrying ABri, ADan, Bri2-23 (the normal product of wild-type BRI2 processing) and amyloid-β (Aβ) 1–42 as a well-characterized neurotoxic peptide, alone or with a His-tag. Therefore, we avoided random insertion effects and were able to compare levels of accumulation accurately. Peptides were expressed with the GAL4-Upstream Activating Sequence (UAS) system using specific drivers. Despite low levels of expression, toxicity in the eye was characterized by mild disorganization of ommatidia and amyloid peptides accumulation. The highest toxicity was seen for ADan, followed by Aβ42 and ABri. Pan-neuronal expression in the CNS revealed an age-dependent toxicity of amyloid peptides as determined by the ability of flies to climb in a geotaxis paradigm when compared to Bri2-23. This effect was stronger for ADan, detected at 7 days post-eclosion, and followed by ABri and Aβ42, whose toxicity became evident after 15 and 21 days, respectively. Histological analysis showed mild vacuolization and thioflavine-S-negative deposits of amyloid peptides. In contrast, the over-expression of amyloid peptides in the specific subset of lateral neurons that control circadian locomotor activity showed no toxicity. Conclusions Our results support the differential neurotoxicity of ADan and ABri in the Drosophila eye and CNS at low expression levels. Such differences may be partially attributed to rates of aggregation and accumulation. In the CNS, both peptides appear to be more neurotoxic than wild-type Aβ42. These Drosophila models will allow a systematic and unambiguous comparison of differences and similarities in the mechanisms of toxicity of diverse amyloid peptides associated with dementia. PMID:24405716

Amyloid peptides ABri and ADan show differential neurotoxicity in transgenic Drosophila models of familial British and Danish dementia.

PubMed

Marcora, María S; Fernández-Gamba, Agata C; Avendaño, Luz A; Rotondaro, Cecilia; Podhajcer, Osvaldo L; Vidal, Rubén; Morelli, Laura; Ceriani, María F; Castaño, Eduardo M

2014-01-09

Familial British and Familial Danish dementias (FBD and FDD, respectively) are associated with mutations in the BRI2 gene. Processing of the mutated BRI2 protein leads to the accumulation in the brain of the 34-mer amyloid Bri (ABri) and amyloid Dan (ADan) peptides, accompanied by neurofibrillary tangles. Recently, transgenic mice successfully reproduced different aspects of FDD, while modeling of FBD in vivo has been more difficult. In this work we have modeled FBD and FDD in Drosophila and tested the hypothesis that ABri and ADan are differentially neurotoxic. By using site-directed insertion, we generated transgenic lines carrying ABri, ADan, Bri2-23 (the normal product of wild-type BRI2 processing) and amyloid-β (Aβ) 1-42 as a well-characterized neurotoxic peptide, alone or with a His-tag. Therefore, we avoided random insertion effects and were able to compare levels of accumulation accurately. Peptides were expressed with the GAL4-Upstream Activating Sequence (UAS) system using specific drivers. Despite low levels of expression, toxicity in the eye was characterized by mild disorganization of ommatidia and amyloid peptides accumulation. The highest toxicity was seen for ADan, followed by Aβ42 and ABri. Pan-neuronal expression in the CNS revealed an age-dependent toxicity of amyloid peptides as determined by the ability of flies to climb in a geotaxis paradigm when compared to Bri2-23. This effect was stronger for ADan, detected at 7 days post-eclosion, and followed by ABri and Aβ42, whose toxicity became evident after 15 and 21 days, respectively. Histological analysis showed mild vacuolization and thioflavine-S-negative deposits of amyloid peptides. In contrast, the over-expression of amyloid peptides in the specific subset of lateral neurons that control circadian locomotor activity showed no toxicity. Our results support the differential neurotoxicity of ADan and ABri in the Drosophila eye and CNS at low expression levels. Such differences may be partially attributed to rates of aggregation and accumulation. In the CNS, both peptides appear to be more neurotoxic than wild-type Aβ42. These Drosophila models will allow a systematic and unambiguous comparison of differences and similarities in the mechanisms of toxicity of diverse amyloid peptides associated with dementia.

Adverse metabolic risk profiles in Greenlandic Inuit children compared to Danish children.

PubMed

Munch-Andersen, T; Sorensen, K; Andersen, L B; Aachmann-Andersen, N J; Aksglaede, L; Juul, A; Helge, J W

2013-06-01

During recent decades, the prevalence of metabolic morbidity has increased rapidly in adult Greenlandic Inuit. To what extent this is also reflected in the juvenile Inuit population is unknown. The objective was, therefore, in the comparison with Danish children, to evaluate metabolic profiles in Greenlandic Inuit children from the capital in the southern and from the northern most villages 187 Inuit and 132 Danish children were examined with anthropometrics, pubertal staging, fasting blood samples, and a maximal aerobic test. Both Inuit children living in Nuuk and the northern villages had significantly higher glucose, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein A1 levels, and diastolic blood pressure compared with Danish children after adjustment for differences in adiposity and aerobic fitness levels. The Inuit children living in Nuuk had significantly higher BMI, body fat %, HbA1 c, and significantly lower aerobic fitness and ApoA1 levels than northern living Inuit children. Greenlandic Inuit children had adverse metabolic health profile compared to the Danish children, the differences where more pronounced in Inuit children living in Nuuk. The tendencies toward higher prevalence of diabetes and metabolic morbidity in the adult Greenlandic Inuit population may also be present in the Inuit children population. Copyright © 2013 The Obesity Society.

Evaluation of the organization and financing of the Danish health care system.

PubMed

Janssen, Richard

2002-02-01

The organization and financing of the Danish health care system was evaluated within a framework of a SWOT analysis (analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) by a panel of five members with a background in health economics. The evaluation was based on the reading of an extensive range of documents and literature on the Danish health care system, and a 1-week visit to health care authorities, providers and key persons. The present paper describes the main findings of one of the panel members. A quality assessment approach is combined with the principles of a SWOT analysis to assess the main features of the Danish health care system. In addition, a public health perspective has been used in judging the coherence of the subsystems of the health systems. It is concluded that the macro-efficiency of the health care system could be increased by improving the cooperation between the subsystems. The relatively high mortality rates suggest that greater input into health education programs could significantly improve the health status of the Danish population. Finally, it is suggested that the steering power of the public board be strengthened by transferring ownership of health care institutions to other hands (privatization).

The Three Tales Chosen, the Establishment of the Texts and the Charting of Deviations, with a Collation of the "Original Tales," the Check Translations, and the Danish and Turkish Texts. Fairytale: An Interdisciplinary Turco-Danish Study of the Collective v. the Individual Nature of the Response to Literature. Report No. 11. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollerup, Cay; And Others

Part of the interdisciplinary Turko-Danish Fairytale Project, this paper provides information about the three fairy tales chosen for study: "The Snake, the Fox, and the Man,""The Gold Apple," and "Per Smed's Whip." Various sections of the paper contain descriptions of the following: (1) the selection procedures, (2)…

A SWOT analysis of the organization and financing of the Danish health care system.

PubMed

Christiansen, Terkel

2002-02-01

The organization and financing of the Danish health care system was evaluated within a framework of a SWOT analysis (analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) by a panel of five members with a background in health economics. The present paper describes the methods and materials used for the evaluation: selection of panel members, structure of the evaluation task according to the health care triangle model, selection of background material consisting of documents and literature on the Danish health care system, and a 1-week study visit.

The Danish Microbiology Database (MiBa) 2010 to 2013.

PubMed

Voldstedlund, M; Haarh, M; Mølbak, K

2014-01-09

The Danish Microbiology Database (MiBa) is a national database that receives copies of reports from all Danish departments of clinical microbiology. The database was launched in order to provide healthcare personnel with nationwide access to microbiology reports and to enable real-time surveillance of communicable diseases and microorganisms. The establishment and management of MiBa has been a collaborative process among stakeholders, and the present paper summarises lessons learned from this nationwide endeavour which may be relevant to similar projects in the rapidly changing landscape of health informatics.

Effect of diuretics on fetal growth: A drug effect or confounding by indication? Pooled Danish and Scottish cohort data

PubMed Central

Olesen, Charlotte; de Vries, Corinne S; Thrane, Nana; MacDonald, Tom M; Larsen, Helle; Sørensen, Henrik Toft

2001-01-01

Aims The diabetogenic effect of diuretics, as well as the indication for prescribing them, may impact on fetal growth. We analysed whether the purchase of prescription drugs for diuretics during pregnancy was associated with measures of fetal growth. Methods During 1991–98 all women who purchased prescription drugs for diuretics during pregnancy were identified in the Northern Jutland Prescription Database (NJDP), Denmark, and in the Medicines Monitoring Unit's Database (MEMO), Scotland. Information on birth weight and gestational age was obtained from the Danish Birth Registry, the Danish Hospital Discharge Registry and the Scottish Tayside Neonatal Database. Information on diabetes, hypertension and prepregnancy weight were obtained by hospital record review in a sample of women in the Danish cohort. Women who did not purchase prescription diuretics during pregnancy were used as a reference group in both cohorts. Results Danish women who purchased prescription loop diuretics during pregnancy gave birth to infants with higher birth weights than women who did not use diuretics; mean difference 104.7 g (95% CI; 2.6, 206.9). However, the high prevalence of diabetes (10.3%) among Danish women who purchased prescription loop diuretics during pregnancy might explain this result. Both the Danish and the Scottish women who purchased prescription diuretics during their pregnancy were at increased risk of preterm delivery (< 37 completed weeks); ORs: 1.8 (CI; 1.2, 2.7)NJDP, 1.9 (CI; 0.9, 4.3)MEMO. The proportion of hypertension among women who purchased prescription thiazides was 15.8%, and the risk of having an infant with a birth weight (BW) < 2500 g was increased; ORs: 2.6 (CI; 1.4, 5.0)NJDP, 2.4 (CI; 0.8, 7.8)MEMO. Conclusions Prescribing diuretics during pregnancy was associated with differences in birth weight and incidence of preterm delivery. Confounding by indication may explain the findings. PMID:11259987

Instrument translation and initial psychometric evaluation of the Danish Body Image Quality of Life Inventory.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Trine Bernholdt; Berg, Selina Kikkenborg; Dixon, Jane; Moons, Philip; Konradsen, Hanne

2016-12-01

Negative body perception has been reported in a number of patient populations. No instrument in Danish for measuring body image-related concerns has been available. Without such an instrument, understanding of the phenomenon in Danish-speaking populations is limited. The purpose of the study was thus to translate and validate a Danish version of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI), in order to obtain a valid instrument applicable for healthcare research. The study consisted of two phases: (i) instrument adaptation, including forward and back translation, expert committee comparisons and cognitive interviewing, and (ii) empirical testing of the Danish version (BIQLI-DA) with subsequent psychometric evaluation. Hypothesised correlations to other measures, including body mass index (BMI), Medical Outcome Short Form-8 (SF-8), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder-7 and Symptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R ® ) were tested. In addition, exploratory factor structure analysis (EFA) and internal consistency on item and scale level were performed. The adapted instrument was found to be semantically sound, yet concerns about face validity did arise through cognitive interviews. Danish college students (n = 189, 65 men, M age = 21.1 years) participated in the piloting of the BIQLI-DA. Convergent construct validity was demonstrated through associations to related constructs. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a potential subscale structure. Finally, results showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92). Support for the validity of the BIQLI-DA might have been strengthened by repeating cognitive interviews after layout alterations, by piloting the instrument on a larger sample. This study demonstrated tentative support for the validity of the Danish Body Image Quality of Life (BIQLI-DA) and found the measure to be reliable in terms of internal consistency. Further exploration of response processes and construct validity is needed. © 2016 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Complexities of sibling analysis when exposures and outcomes change with time and birth order.

PubMed

Sudan, Madhuri; Kheifets, Leeka I; Arah, Onyebuchi A; Divan, Hozefa A; Olsen, Jørn

2014-01-01

In this study, we demonstrate the complexities of performing a sibling analysis with a re-examination of associations between cell phone exposures and behavioral problems observed previously in the Danish National Birth Cohort. Children (52,680; including 5441 siblings) followed up to age 7 were included. We examined differences in exposures and behavioral problems between siblings and non-siblings and by birth order and birth year. We estimated associations between cell phone exposures and behavioral problems while accounting for the random family effect among siblings. The association of behavioral problems with both prenatal and postnatal exposure differed between siblings (odds ratio (OR): 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69-1.66) and non-siblings (OR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.36-1.74) and within siblings by birth order; the association was strongest for first-born siblings (OR: 1.72; 95% CI: 0.86-3.42) and negative for later-born siblings (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.31-1.25), which may be because of increases in cell phone use with later birth year. Sibling analysis can be a powerful tool for (partially) accounting for confounding by invariant unmeasured within-family factors, but it cannot account for uncontrolled confounding by varying family-level factors, such as those that vary with time and birth order.

26 CFR 521.115 - Credit against United States tax liability for Danish tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS UNDER TAX CONVENTIONS DENMARK General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who... liability for Danish tax. For the purpose of avoidance of double taxation, Article XV provides that, on the...

26 CFR 521.115 - Credit against United States tax liability for Danish tax.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS UNDER TAX CONVENTIONS DENMARK General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who... liability for Danish tax. For the purpose of avoidance of double taxation, Article XV provides that, on the...

["Linguistitis" of medical terminology (II). Language-policy and questions from a perspective of younger physicians].

PubMed

Høy, A

1996-12-02

In a previous article in the Journal of the Danish Medical Association, "Medical Terminology Linguistitis (I)", the author pointed out the importance of involving the users in connection with the definition of a language policy concerning Danish medical terminology and future medical doctors' need for language proficiency. A recent inquiry, involving 11 medical doctors (Ph.D. students), suggests that there is in fact a need for a language policy. Also, the respondents expressed strong antipathy against a full nationalization of the terms which can in some cases be observed in the Danish version of ICD-10. On the basis of this survey, the following questions are discussed in this article: Future medical doctors' need for knowledge of Latin and English, medical doctors' opinions concerning a terminology based on Latin, or Danish, and some important aspects concerning the definition of a language policy in the medical area.

["Linguistitis" of medical terminology (I)].

PubMed

Høy, A

1996-12-02

A 1994/95 survey on language and terminology in emergency wards revealed a number of contradictory tendencies within today's Danish medical terminology. On the one hand, an increasing number of medical terms are nationalized. This tendency is reflected not only in intercollegial language, but also in the Danish version of the ICD-10 where a number of official diagnostic terms are casually translated into Danish or undergo various degrees of nationalization to appear as hybrids. On the other hand, knowledge of English becomes increasingly important: good passive command of the language is a must for medical students, and doctors committed to research need a good active command as well. This situation raises a number of questions: is there a need for setting up criteria for the terminology used in Danish medical literature and encyclopedia in order to avoid confusion, and for defining a language policy for future medical doctors?

Case-control study of genetic and environmental influences on premature death of adult adoptees.

PubMed

Petersen, Liselotte; Nielsen, Gert G; Andersen, Per Kragh; Sørensen, Thorkild I A

2002-08-01

Genetic and environmental influence on risk of premature death in adulthood was investigated by estimating the associations in total and cause-specific mortality of adult Danish adoptees and their biological and adoptive parents. Among all 14,427 nonfamilial adoptions formally granted in Denmark during the period 1923 through 1947, we identified 976 case families in which the adoptee died before a fixed date. As control families, we selected 976 families where the adoptees were alive on that date, and matched to the case adoptees with regard to gender and year and month of birth. The data were viewed as a cohort of case parents and a cohort of control parents, and lifetime distributions in the two cohorts were compared using a Cox regression, stratified with regard to the matching variables: gender and year of birth. In the main analyses, the sample was restricted with regard to birth year of the adoptees, and age of transfer to the adoptive parents, and age at death was restricted to the same range for parents and offspring (25-64 years) in order to consider a symmetric lifetime distribution. This reduces the sample to 459 case families and 738 control families. Various truncations, restrictions, and stratifications were used in order to examine the robustness of the results. The results showed a higher mortality among biological parents who had children dying in the age range 25 through 64 years, and this was significant for death from natural causes, infectious causes, vascular causes, and from all causes combined. There were no significant effects for the adoptive parents. This study supports that there are moderate genetic influences on the risk of dying prematurely in adulthood, and only a small, if any, effect of the family environment. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Use of fertility drugs and risk of uterine cancer: results from a large Danish population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Jensen, Allan; Sharif, Heidi; Kjaer, Susanne K

2009-12-01

Some epidemiologic studies have indicated that uterine cancer risk may be increased after use of fertility drugs. To further assess this association, the authors used data from a large cohort of 54,362 women diagnosed with infertility who were referred to Danish fertility clinics between 1965 and 1998. In a case-cohort study, rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the effects of 4 groups of fertility drugs on overall risk of uterine cancer after adjustment for potentially confounding factors. Through mid-2006, 83 uterine cancers were identified. Ever use of any fertility drug was not associated with uterine cancer risk (rate ratio (RR) = 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69, 1.76). However, ever use of gonadotropins (follicle-stimulating hormone and human menopausal gonadotropin) increased uterine cancer risk (RR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.08, 4.50); the risk was primarily observed after 10 years of follow-up. Furthermore, uterine cancer risk increased with number of cycles of use for clomiphene (for > or =6 cycles, RR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.72) and human chorionic gonadotropin (for > or =6 cycles, RR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.16, 4.08) but not for other gonadotropins. Use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs was not associated with risk. Gonadotropins, and possibly clomiphene and human chorionic gonadotropin, may increase the risk of uterine cancer, with higher doses and longer follow-up leading to greater risk.

Surveillance of maritime deaths on board Danish merchant ships, 1986-2009.

PubMed

Borch, Daniel F; Hansen, Henrik L; Burr, Hermann; Jepsen, Jørgen R

2012-01-01

A previous study demonstrated a high death rate among seafarers signed on Danish ships during the years 1986-1993. This study aimed to examine and analyse the subsequent development until 2009. A total of 356 fatalities were identified from data supplied from the Danish Maritime Authority, an insurance company, and other sources. Maritime deaths among seafarers signed on Danish ships comprise deaths from 1) accidents, suicides and homicides; and 2) disease on board. Deaths due to 2) occurring ashore within 30 days after signing off were included. The overall and mode-specific death rates were calculated for three eight-year observation periods. The rates for work-related fatal accidents were compared with the rates for land-based trades. All categories of maritime deaths were significantly reduced from 1986 to 2009 - in particular during the last eight-year period (Accidents 1986-1993: 66.6 per 100,000 person years, 2002-2009: 27.0 per 100,000 person years, diseases 49.5-26.1, suicides 14.4-7.8). In spite of the remarkable improvement since 1986, seafarers remain in 2002-2009 more than six times more likely to die from occupational accidents (including shipwrecks) than do workers ashore. The favourable trend of maritime deaths in the Danish merchant fleet may be due to 1) preventive measures - e.g. interventions relating to vessel safety, work environment, and improved medical care on board - and to 2) technological and organizational changes - e.g. newer and larger vessels in the Danish merchant fleet, changed composition of the workforce, and reduced shore leaves. The persisting excess risk warrants further preventive actions.

Clinical indications for antibiotic use in Danish general practice: results from a nationwide electronic prescription database.

PubMed

Aabenhus, Rune; Hansen, Malene Plejdrup; Siersma, Volkert; Bjerrum, Lars

2017-06-01

To assess the availability and applicability of clinical indications from electronic prescriptions on antibiotic use in Danish general practice. Retrospective cohort register-based study including the Danish National Prescription Register. Population-based study of routine electronic antibiotic prescriptions from Danish general practice. All 975,626 patients who redeemed an antibiotic prescription at outpatient pharmacies during the 1-year study period (July 2012 to June 2013). Number of prescriptions per clinical indication. Number of antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants by age and gender. Logistic regression analysis estimated the association between patient and provider factors and missing clinical indications on antibiotic prescriptions. A total of 2.381.083 systemic antibiotic prescriptions were issued by Danish general practitioners in the study period. We identified three main clinical entities: urinary tract infections (n = 506.634), respiratory tract infections (n = 456.354) and unspecified infections (n = 416.354). Women were more exposed to antibiotics than men. Antibiotic use was high in children under 5 years and even higher in elderly people. In 32% of the issued prescriptions, the clinical indication was missing. This was mainly associated with antibiotic types. We found that a prescription for a urinary tract agent without a specific clinical indication was uncommon. Clinical indications from electronic prescriptions are accessible and available to provide an overview of drug use, in casu antibiotic prescriptions, in Danish general practice. These clinical indications may be further explored in detail to assess rational drug use and congruence with guidelines, but validation and optimisation of the system is preferable.

Use of mobile phones and risk of brain tumours: update of Danish cohort study.

PubMed

Frei, Patrizia; Poulsen, Aslak H; Johansen, Christoffer; Olsen, Jørgen H; Steding-Jessen, Marianne; Schüz, Joachim

2011-10-19

To investigate the risk of tumours in the central nervous system among Danish mobile phone subscribers. Nationwide cohort study. Denmark. All Danes aged ≥ 30 and born in Denmark after 1925, subdivided into subscribers and non-subscribers of mobile phones before 1995. Risk of tumours of the central nervous system, identified from the complete Danish Cancer Register. Sex specific incidence rate ratios estimated with log linear Poisson regression models adjusted for age, calendar period, education, and disposable income. 358,403 subscription holders accrued 3.8 million person years. In the follow-up period 1990-2007, there were 10,729 cases of tumours of the central nervous system. The risk of such tumours was close to unity for both men and women. When restricted to individuals with the longest mobile phone use--that is, ≥ 13 years of subscription--the incidence rate ratio was 1.03 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 1.27) in men and 0.91 (0.41 to 2.04) in women. Among those with subscriptions of ≥ 10 years, ratios were 1.04 (0.85 to 1.26) in men and 1.04 (0.56 to 1.95) in women for glioma and 0.90 (0.57 to 1.42) in men and 0.93 (0.46 to 1.87) in women for meningioma. There was no indication of dose-response relation either by years since first subscription for a mobile phone or by anatomical location of the tumour--that is, in regions of the brain closest to where the handset is usually held to the head. In this update of a large nationwide cohort study of mobile phone use, there were no increased risks of tumours of the central nervous system, providing little evidence for a causal association.

Opioids and Breast Cancer Recurrence: A Danish population-based cohort study

PubMed Central

Cronin-Fenton, D.P.; Heide-Jørgensen, U.; Ahern, T.P.; Lash, T.L.; Christiansen, P.M.; Ejlertsen, B.; Sjøgren, P.; Kehlet, H.; Sørensen, H.T.

2015-01-01

Background Opioids may alter immune function and thereby potentially affect cancer recurrence. We investigated the association between post-diagnosis opioid use and breast cancer recurrence. Methods We identified incident early-stage breast cancer patients, diagnosed 1996-2008 in Denmark, registered in the Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group Registry. Opioid prescriptions were ascertained from the Danish National Prescription Registry. Follow-up began on the date of breast cancer primary surgery and continued until breast cancer recurrence, death, emigration, ten years, or 31 July 2013, whichever occurred first. We used Cox regression models to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) associating breast cancer recurrence with opioid prescription use overall, and by opioid type and strength, immunosuppressive effect, chronic use (>=6 months continuous exposure), and cumulative morphine-equivalent dose, adjusting for confounders. Results We identified 34,188 patients who together contributed 283,666 person-years of follow-up. There was no association between ever use of opioids and breast cancer recurrence (HRcrude=0.98, 95% CI=0.90 - 1.1, and HRadjusted=1.0, 95% CI=0.92 - 1.1), regardless of opioid type, strength, chronicity of use, and cumulative dose. Breast cancer recurrence rates were lower among users of strong but not weakly immunosuppressive opioids, possibly due to channeling bias among those with high competing risk as mortality was higher among users of this drug type. Conclusions This large prospective cohort study provided no clinically relevant evidence of an association between opioid prescriptions and breast cancer recurrence. Our findings are important to cancer survivorship, as opioids are frequently used to manage pain associated with comorbid conditions. PMID:26207518

Poor semen quality may contribute to recent decline in fertility rates.

PubMed

Jensen, Tina Kold; Carlsen, Elisabeth; Jørgensen, Niels; Berthelsen, Jørgen G; Keiding, Niels; Christensen, Kaare; Petersen, Jørgen Holm; Knudsen, Lisbeth B; Skakkebaek, Niels E

2002-06-01

During past decades, we have witnessed a remarkable decline in fertility rates (number of births per 1000 women of reproductive age) in the industrialized world. It seems beyond doubt that the enormous social changes of our societies play the major role in this decline, but can it be attributed to changing social structures alone or is a reduced fecundity in the population also a factor? To address this we have focused on trends in teenage pregnancies (which to a large extent are unplanned). During the period in question fertility rates among 15-19 year old Danish women have been falling and the decline in fertility rate is not counterbalanced by an increase in the rate of induced abortion. When seen together with recent results from Denmark, which have shown that more than 30% of 19 year old men from the general population now have sperm counts in the subfertile range, we argue that this fall may not be attributable to social factors, changes in conception practices or diminished sexual activity alone. It seems reasonable also to consider widespread poor semen quality among men as a potential contributing factor to low fertility rates among teenagers. Due to the concern caused by the low sperm count among younger Danish men, the Danish Ministries of Health and Environment have launched a surveillance programme which includes an annual examination of the semen quality in 600 young Danes from the general population. We propose that researchers in other countries with low and falling fertility rates among young women should consider the possibility that semen quality of their younger male cohorts may also have deteriorated.

LSD treatment in Scandinavia: emphasizing indications and short-term treatment outcomes of 151 patients in Denmark.

PubMed

Larsen, Jens Knud

2017-10-01

New research has suggested the clinical use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin in selected patient populations. However, concerns about the clinical use of LSD were advanced in a large Danish follow-up study that assessed 151 LSD-treated psychiatric patients approximately 25 years after their treatment in the 1960s. The purpose of the present study was to give a retrospective account of the short-term outcome of LSD treatment in these 151 Danish psychiatric patients. The LSD case material in the Danish State Archives consists of medical case records of 151 LSD-treated patients, who complained and received economic compensation with the LSD Damages Law. The author carefully read and reviewed the LSD case material. LSD was used to treat a wide spectrum of mental disorders. Independent of diagnoses, 52 patients improved, and 48 patients worsened acutely with the LSD treatment. In a subgroup of 82 neurotic patients, the LSD dose-index (number of treatments multiplied by the maximal LSD dose) indicated the risk of acute worsening. In another subgroup of 19 patients with obsessive-compulsive neurosis, five patients later underwent psychosurgery. A small subgroup of 12 patients was treated with psilocybin. The long-term outcome was poor in most of the patients. Despite the significant limitations to a retrospective design, this database warrants caution in mental health patients. The use of LSD and psilocybin in mental health patients may be associated with serious short- and long-term side effects. Until further trials with rigorous designs have cleared these drugs of their potential harms, their clinical utility in these groups of patients has not been fully clarified.

Predictors of preconceptional folic acid or multivitamin supplement use: a cross-sectional study of Danish pregnancy planners

PubMed Central

Cueto, Heidi T; Riis, Anders H; Hatch, Elizabeth E; Wise, Lauren A; Rothman, Kenneth J; Mikkelsen, Ellen M

2012-01-01

Purpose Compliance with the Danish preconceptional folic acid (FA) recommendation – a daily supplement of 400 μg – is reported to be poor. Uncertainty remains, however, about the prevalence of compliers and health-related predictors of compliance in the preconceptional period. Methods We used self-reported baseline data from 5383 women, aged 18–40 years, enrolled in an Internet-based prospective cohort study of Danish pregnancy planners during 2007–2011. We estimated the prevalence proportions of FA or multivitamin (MV) use in relation to selected sociodemographic, lifestyle, reproductive, and medical characteristics. Multivariate binomial regression was used to obtain prevalence proportion differences with 95% confidence intervals for each level of study predictors, adjusted for all other predictors. Results Overall, 7.7% of women used FA supplements, 20.4% used MV supplements, 34.0% used both, 1.5% used other single vitamins or minerals, and 36.4% did not use any dietary supplements. The prevalence of FA or MV supplement use was higher among older women, women with higher education and income, and women with healthy lifestyle factors such as being a nonsmoker, nondrinker, physically active, maintaining a normal body mass index and having regular pap smears. Greater intercourse frequency and a history of spontaneous abortion were also positively associated with FA or MV supplement use. We found no clear association between use of FA or MV supplements and a diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes, thyroid disease, pelvic inflammatory disease, or chlamydia. Conclusion A large proportion of pregnancy planners do not use FA or MV supplements. Pregnancy planners with generally risky lifestyle behaviors are less likely to comply with the FA recommendation. PMID:23071405

Danish version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator--translation, cross-cultural adaption and validity pretest by cognitive interviewing.

PubMed

Andreasen, Jane; Sørensen, Erik E; Gobbens, Robbert J J; Lund, Hans; Aadahl, Mette

2014-01-01

The Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) is a self-administered questionnaire with a bio-psycho-social integrated approach that measures the degree of frailty in elderly persons. The TFI was developed in the Netherlands and tested in a population of elderly Dutch men and women. The aim of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the TFI to a Danish context, and to test face validity of the Danish version by cognitive interviewing. An internationally recognized procedure was applied as a basis for the translation process. The primary tasks were forward translation, reconciliation, back translation, harmonization and pretest. Pretest and review of the preliminary version by cognitive interviewing, were performed at a local community center and in an acute medical ward at the University Hospital in Aalborg, Denmark respectively. A large agreement regarding meaning of the items in the forward translation and reconciliation process was seen. Minor discrepancies were solved by consensus. Back translation revealed unclear wording in one matter. The harmonization committee agreed on a version for cognitive interviewing after revision of minor issues and thirty-four participants were interviewed. Two issues became evident and these were revised. The cognitive interviews and final lay-out resulted in minor adjustments as text type size, specific font, and lining for optimizing readability. In conclusion, we consider the TFI to be translated in such rigorous manner that the instrument can be further tested in clinical practice. The overall objective of the questionnaire being to identify frailty and improve the interventions relating to frail elderly persons in Denmark. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The pattern of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from 1997 to 2005: a nationwide study on 4.6 million people.

PubMed

Fosbøl, Emil Loldrup; Gislason, Gunnar H; Jacobsen, Søren; Abildstrom, Steen Z; Hansen, Morten Lock; Schramm, Tina Ken; Folke, Fredrik; Sørensen, Rikke; Rasmussen, Jeppe N; Køber, Lars; Madsen, Mette; Torp-Pedersen, Christian

2008-08-01

To describe the nationwide pattern of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the Danish population. All Danish citizens aged 10 or above 1 January 1997 were included in the study. The national prescription registry was used to identify all claimed prescriptions for NSAIDs by the cohort until 2005. By individual-level-linkage of nationwide registries, information was acquired concerning hospitalizations, comorbidity, concomitant pharmacotherapy and socioeconomic factors. The population consisted of 4,614,807 individuals, of which 2,663,706 (57.8%) claimed at least one prescription for NSAID from 1997 to 2005. Ibuprofen and diclofenac were the most frequently used non-selective NSAIDs, whereas rofecoxib and celecoxib were the most frequently used selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors. The usage was similar across all age groups. Female sex and increasing age was associated with increased use of NSAID. Factors predicting extensive NSAID use were: rheumatic disease (odds ratio (OR) = 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.69-1.90), gout agents (allopurinol) (OR = 2.54, CI: 2.44-2.64) and other pain medication (OR = 3.27, CI: 3.23-3.31). NSAIDs were most often prescribed for use for one distinct treatment interval and for a short period (overall inter-quartile range [IQR]: 9-66 days). High doses were used in a relatively large proportion of the population (8.9% for etodolac to 19.5% for celecoxib) and 54,373 (2.0%) claimed prescriptions for more than one NSAID at the same time. NSAIDs were commonly used in the Danish population. Since NSAIDs have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, further research on the overall risk associated with these drugs on a national scale is needed.

Plasma concentrations of cortisol and PGF2α metabolite in Danish sows during mating, and intrauterine and conventional insemination

PubMed Central

Norrby, Mattias; Madsen, Mads T; Alexandersen, Charlotte Borg; Kindahl, Hans; Madej, Andrzej

2007-01-01

Background The aims of the present work was to study whether there are any relationships between cortisol and PG-metabolite in mated sows or inseminated with the intrauterine technique and compare these to changes occurring in conventionally inseminated sow. Methods Thirty three crossbred sows (Danish Landrace × Danish Large White) were fitted with jugular vein catheters through vena auricularis from one of the ears. The sows were randomly divided into three groups (Boar-, IUI- and AI-group) and blood samples were collected before, during and after service. In a final evaluation only 25 sows that became pregnant and farrowed piglets at full term were used. Results Cortisol concentrations increased in all groups but Boar-group (n = 8) had a significantly higher cortisol during 10 to 20 min after service than sows in AI-group (n = 8). In mated sows cortisol concentrations peaked at 15 minutes after service. The Boar-group (n = 8) showed no ascending PG-metabolite levels during the whole experiment, while both IUI- and AI-groups (n = 9 and n = 8, respectively) had a 2.5-fold increase in PG-metabolite 15 minutes after service. Conclusion In conclusion, mating of sows by a boar results in a greater increase of cortisol than AI and without an elevation of PG-metabolite levels, which was seen in both the inseminated groups. It was also demonstrated that IUI-group had an earlier significant increase of PG-metabolite levels than sows inseminated conventionally. Further investigation using different semen extenders or even different type of insemination catheters might be helpful in understanding the reason for an immediate increase of PG-metabolite after insemination but not after mating. PMID:18053237

Plasma concentrations of cortisol and PGF2alpha metabolite in Danish sows during mating, and intrauterine and conventional insemination.

PubMed

Norrby, Mattias; Madsen, Mads T; Alexandersen, Charlotte Borg; Kindahl, Hans; Madej, Andrzej

2007-12-05

The aims of the present work was to study whether there are any relationships between cortisol and PG-metabolite in mated sows or inseminated with the intrauterine technique and compare these to changes occurring in conventionally inseminated sow. Thirty three crossbred sows (Danish Landrace x Danish Large White) were fitted with jugular vein catheters through vena auricularis from one of the ears. The sows were randomly divided into three groups (Boar-, IUI- and AI-group) and blood samples were collected before, during and after service. In a final evaluation only 25 sows that became pregnant and farrowed piglets at full term were used. Cortisol concentrations increased in all groups but Boar-group (n = 8) had a significantly higher cortisol during 10 to 20 min after service than sows in AI-group (n = 8). In mated sows cortisol concentrations peaked at 15 minutes after service. The Boar-group (n = 8) showed no ascending PG-metabolite levels during the whole experiment, while both IUI- and AI-groups (n = 9 and n = 8, respectively) had a 2.5-fold increase in PG-metabolite 15 minutes after service. In conclusion, mating of sows by a boar results in a greater increase of cortisol than AI and without an elevation of PG-metabolite levels, which was seen in both the inseminated groups. It was also demonstrated that IUI-group had an earlier significant increase of PG-metabolite levels than sows inseminated conventionally. Further investigation using different semen extenders or even different type of insemination catheters might be helpful in understanding the reason for an immediate increase of PG-metabolite after insemination but not after mating.

Incidence of cancer in patients with chronic heart failure: a long-term follow-up study.

PubMed

Banke, Ann; Schou, Morten; Videbaek, Lars; Møller, Jacob E; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Gustafsson, Finn; Dahl, Jordi S; Køber, Lars; Hildebrandt, Per R; Gislason, Gunnar H

2016-03-01

With improvement in survival of chronic heart failure (HF), the clinical importance of co-morbidity is increasing. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and risk of cancer and all-cause mortality in a large Danish HF cohort. A total of 9307 outpatients with verified HF without a prior diagnosis of cancer (27% female, mean age 68 years, 89% with LVEF <45%) were included in the study. A diagnosis of any cancer and all-cause mortality was obtained from Danish national registries. Outcome was compared with the general Danish population. Overall and type-specific risk of cancer was analysed in an adjusted Poisson and Cox regression analysis. The 975 diagnoses of cancer in the HF cohort and 330 843 in the background population corresponded to incidence rates per 10 000 patient-years of 188.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 177.2-200.6] and 63.0 (95% CI 63.0-63.4), respectively. When stratified by age, incidence rates were increased in all age groups in the HF cohort. Risk of any type of cancer was increased, with an incidence rate ratio of 1.24 (95% CI 1.15-1.33, c < 0.0001). Type-specific analysis demonstrated an increased hazard ratio for all major types of cancer except for prostate cancer. All-cause mortality was higher in HF patients with cancer compared with cancer patients from the background population. Patients with HF have an increased risk of cancer, which persists after the first year after the diagnosis of HF, and their prognosis is worse compared with that of cancer patients without HF. © 2016 The Authors European Journal of Heart Failure © 2016 European Society of Cardiology.

Characteristics of children less than 2 years of age undergoing anaesthesia in Denmark 2005-2015: a national observational study.

PubMed

Strøm, C; Afshari, A; Lundstrøm, L H; Lohse, N

2018-04-19

There are few data available that describe the current anaesthetic management of children. We have analysed anaesthetic practice and peri-operative complications for children in Denmark aged less than two years. We conducted a population-based observational cohort study using the Danish Anaesthesia Database to identify children who received anaesthesia in hospital from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2015. Data were combined with that from the Danish National Patient Registry and the Danish Civil Registration System. Age, sex, height, weight, ASA physical status, days in hospital before anaesthesia, number of anaesthetics per child, indications for anaesthesia, methods of anaesthesia, airway management and complications were all recorded. A total of 17,436 children (64% of whom were male) received 27,653 anaesthetics during the study period. In 58% of cases, the child had an ASA physical status score of 1. Thirty-seven percent had a previous anaesthetic episode. Seventy-nine percent were anaesthetised at a university hospital. The indications for anaesthesia were surgery (70%), diagnostic radiology (16%), non-surgical care (11%) and other indications (3%). General anaesthesia combining intravenous and inhalational agents was the most common approach for surgery (68%) and diagnostic radiology (47%). For non-surgical care, general anaesthesia using inhalational agents was the most common method (42%). Neuraxial blocks were used infrequently. The most common regional anaesthetic nerve block was an infraclavicular brachial plexus block (11%). Peri-operative complications occurred in 1.71% of cases. A large proportion of anaesthetics were conducted in children with comorbidities. Non-surgical indications for anaesthesia were frequent and peri-operative complications were rare. © 2018 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

BRI2 (ITM2b) Inhibits Aβ Deposition in Vivo

PubMed Central

Kim, Jungsu; Miller, Victor M.; Levites, Yona; West, Karen Jansen; Zwizinski, Craig W.; Moore, Brenda D.; Troendle, Fredrick J.; Bann, Maralyssa; Verbeeck, Christophe; Price, Robert W.; Smithson, Lisa; Sonoda, Leilani; Wagg, Kayleigh; Rangachari, Vijayaraghavan; Zou, Fanggeng; Younkin, Steven G.; Graff-Radford, Neill; Dickson, Dennis; Rosenberry, Terrone; Golde, Todd E.

2008-01-01

Analyses of the biologic effects of mutations in the BRI2 (ITM2b) and the amyloid β precursor protein (APP) genes support the hypothesis that cerebral accumulation of amyloidogenic peptides in familial British and familial Danish dementias and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with neurodegeneration. We have used somatic brain transgenic technology to express the BRI2 and BRI2-Aβ1-40 transgenes in amyloid β protein precursor (APP) mouse models. Expression of BRI2-Aβ1-40 mimics the suppressive effect previously observed using conventional transgenic methods, further validating the somatic brain transgenic methodology. Unexpectedly, we also find that expression of wild type human BRI2 reduces cerebral Aβ deposition in an AD mouse model. Additional data indicate that the 23 amino acid peptide, Bri23, released from BRI2 by normal processing is present in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), inhibits Aβ aggregation in vitro, and mediates its anti-amyloidogenic effect in vivo. These studies demonstrate that BRI2 is a novel mediator of Aβ deposition in vivo. PMID:18524908

Amyloid and intracellular accumulation of BRI2.

PubMed

Garringer, Holly J; Sammeta, Neeraja; Oblak, Adrian; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben

2017-04-01

Familial British dementia (FBD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are caused by mutations in the BRI 2 gene. These diseases are characterized clinically by progressive dementia and ataxia and neuropathologically by amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles. Herein, we investigate BRI 2 protein accumulation in FBD, FDD, Alzheimer disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. In FBD and FDD, we observed reduced processing of the mutant BRI 2 pro-protein, which was found accumulating intracellularly in the Golgi of neurons and glial cells. In addition, we observed an accumulation of a mature form of BRI 2 protein in dystrophic neurites, surrounding amyloid cores. Accumulation of BRI 2 was also observed in dystrophic neurites of Alzheimer disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease cases. Although it remains to be determined whether intracellular accumulation of BRI 2 may lead to cell damage in these degenerative diseases, our study provides new insights into the role of mutant BRI 2 in the pathogenesis of FBD and FDD and implicates BRI 2 as a potential indicator of neuritic damage in diseases characterized by cerebral amyloid deposition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Amyloid and intracellular accumulation of BRI2

PubMed Central

Garringer, Holly J.; Sammeta, Neeraja; Oblak, Adrian; Ghetti, Bernardino; Vidal, Ruben

2016-01-01

Familial British dementia (FBD) and familial Danish dementia (FDD) are caused by mutations in the BRI2 gene. These diseases are characterized clinically by progressive dementia and ataxia and neuropathologically by amyloid deposits and neurofibrillary tangles. Herein, we investigate BRI2 protein accumulation in FBD, FDD, Alzheimer disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. In FBD and FDD, we observed reduced processing of the mutant BRI2 pro-protein, which was found accumulating intracellularly in the Golgi of neurons and glial cells. In addition, we observed an accumulation of a mature form of BRI2 protein in dystrophic neurites, surrounding amyloid cores. Accumulation of BRI2 was also observed in dystrophic neurites of Alzheimer disease and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease cases. Although it remains to be determined whether intracellular accumulation of BRI2 may lead to cell damage in these degenerative diseases, our study provides new insights into the role of mutant BRI2 in the pathogenesis of FBD and FDD and implicates BRI2 as a potential indicator of neuritic damage in diseases characterized by cerebral amyloid deposition. PMID:28131015

Identification of a novel locus for a USH3 like syndrome combined with congenital cataract.

PubMed

Dad, S; Østergaard, E; Thykjaer, T; Albrectsen, A; Ravn, K; Rosenberg, T; Møller, L B

2010-10-01

Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common genetic disease that causes both deafness and blindness. USH is divided into three types, USH1, USH2 and USH3, depending on the age of onset, the course of the disease, and on the degree of vestibular dysfunction. By homozygosity mapping of a consanguineous Danish family of Dutch descent, we have identified a novel locus for a rare USH3-like syndrome. The affected family members have a unique association of retinitis pigmentosa, progressive hearing impairment, vestibular dysfunction, and congenital cataract. The phenotype is similar, but not identical to that of USH3 patients, as congenital cataract has not been reported for USH3. By homozygosity mapping, we identified a 7.3 Mb locus on chromosome 15q22.2-23 with a maximum multipoint LOD score of 2.0. The locus partially overlaps with the USH1 locus, USH1H, a novel unnamed USH2 locus, and the non-syndromic deafness locus DFNB48. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Delayed age at transfer of adoptees to adoptive parents is associated with increased mortality irrespective of social class of the adoptive parents: a cohort study.

PubMed

Petersen, Liselotte; Andersen, Per Kragh; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Mortensen, Erik Lykke

2018-04-24

Adverse early life experience and development may have long-term health consequences, but later environmental conditions may perhaps protect against the effects of such early life adversities. The aim was to investigate whether cause-specific and overall mortality rates among adoptees are associated with the age at which they were transferred to the adoptive family and whether the social class of the adoptive family modifies this association. A cohort of 10,592 non-familial adoptions (biologically unrelated adoptee and adoptive parents) of Danish-born children formally granted in 1924-47 and with follow-up of total and cause-specific mortality through ages up to 85 years. The rates of death after the age of 16 from all causes combined, all natural causes, all external causes, and suicide were compared according to the age at which adoptees were transferred to their adoptive family by estimating hazard ratios in Cox regression models. Death rates from all causes were significantly higher in adoptees transferred between age 1 month and 4 years compared to those transferred immediately after birth with the hazard ratio peaking at 1.19 (95% confidence limit: 1.08 to 1.32) for adoptees transferred between 6 and 11 months. This result was primarily driven by a similar pattern for natural causes of death. For death from external causes and for suicide the hazard ratios were increasing with increasing age at transfer, and tests for trend were statistically significant. The social class of the adoptive family did not significantly modify these associations. Transfer to an adoptive family later than at the time of birth may have adverse long-term consequences affecting overall and cause-specific mortality. These effects were not modified by the environment provided by the adoptive family as indicated by the social class of these families.

eHealth in Denmark: a case study.

PubMed

Kierkegaard, Patrick

2013-12-01

Denmark is widely regarded as a leading country in terms of eHealth integration and healthcare delivery services. The push for eHealth adoption over that past 20 years in the Danish health sector has led to the deployment of multiple eHealth technologies. However, in reality the Danish healthcare suffers from eHealth system fragmentation which has led to eHealth's inability to reach full potential in delivering quality healthcare service. This paper will presents a case study of the current state of eHealth in the Danish healthcare system and discuss the current challenges the country is facing today.

Gender stereotyping in television advertisements: a study of French and Danish television.

PubMed

Furnham, A; Babitzkow, M; Uguccioni, S

2000-02-01

Two similar, but not identical, content analyses of the portrayals of men and women in French and Danish television advertisements are reported. By partially replicating and extending past investigations conducted in America, Australia, Britain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, and New Zealand, it was predicted that there would be more gender stereotyping in French television advertisements and less gender stereotyping in Danish television advertisements. In the first study, 165 French television advertisements were analyzed by following established coding categories (A. Furnham & E. Skae, 1997; L. Z. McArthur & B. G. Resko, 1975). Contrary to prediction, the results showed that traditional gender role portrayal on French television was no different from that found in other countries. Separate statistical analyses were carried out for visually versus aurally classified central figures, yet this yielded relatively few significant differences. In the second study, a sample of 151 Danish advertisements was analyzed; results showed that Danish television was generally less gender stereotypic than French television in its portrayal of women. Exactly half (5) of the coding categories showed significant differences. Finally, an international statistical comparison between these two studies and similar research in Australia, Britain, and Italy was carried out. The methodological implications of these results are discussed as well as the theoretical issues arising from other studies of this sort.

Survival From Childhood Hematological Malignancies in Denmark: Is Survival Related to Family Characteristics?

PubMed

Erdmann, Friederike; Winther, Jeanette Falck; Dalton, Susanne Oksbjerg; Lightfoot, Tracy; Zeeb, Hajo; Simony, Sofie Bay; Deltour, Isabelle; Ferro, Gilles; Bautz, Andrea; Schmiegelow, Kjeld; Schüz, Joachim

2016-06-01

Due to diverse findings as to the role of family factors for childhood cancer survival even within Europe, we explored a nationwide, register-based cohort of Danish children with hematological malignancies. All children born between 1973 and 2006 and diagnosed with a hematological malignancy before the age of 20 years (N = 1,819) were followed until 10 years from diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models estimating hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to assess the impact of family characteristics on overall survival in children with hematological malignancies. Having siblings and increasing birth order were associated with reduced survival from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Associations with AML were strongest and statistically significant. HRs of 1.62 (CI 0.85; 3.09) and 5.76 (CI 2.01; 16.51) were observed for the fourth or later born children with ALL (N = 41) and AML (N = 9), respectively. Children with older parents showed a tendency toward inferior ALL survival, while for AML young maternal age was related to poorer survival. Based on small numbers, a trend toward poorer survival from non-Hodgkin lymphoma was observed for children having siblings and for children of younger parents. Further research is warranted to gain further knowledge on the impact of family factors on childhood cancer survival in other populations and to elaborate potential underlying mechanisms and pathways of those survival inequalities. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Are negative aspects of social relations predictive of angina pectoris? A 6-year follow-up study of middle-aged Danish women and men.

PubMed

Lund, Rikke; Rod, Naja Hulvej; Christensen, Ulla

2012-04-01

Social relations have been shown to be protective against ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but little is known about the impact of negative aspects of the social relations on IHD. During a 6-year follow-up, the authors aimed to assess if negative aspects of social relations were associated with angina pectoris among 4573 middle-aged Danish men and women free of heart disease at baseline in 2000. Nine per cent experienced onset of symptoms of angina pectoris. A higher degree of excessive demands or worries from the social relations was associated with increased risk of angina after adjustment for age, gender, social class, cohabitation status and depression in a dose-response manner. For example, experiencing excessive demands or worries always/often from different roles in the social relations was associated with an increased risk: partner OR=3.53 (1.68 to 7.43), children OR=2.19 (1.04 to 4.61), other family OR=1.91 (1.24 to 2.96). Except for frequent conflicts with the partner and neighbours, conflicts with the social relations was not a risk factor for angina. The authors found no interaction of negative aspects of social relations with gender, age, social class, cohabitation status or depression in terms of angina. Excessive demands and serious worries from significant others seem to be important risk factors for development of angina pectoris.

Generation and Initial Characterization of FDD Knock In Mice

PubMed Central

Giliberto, Luca; Matsuda, Shuji; Vidal, Ruben; D'Adamio, Luciano

2009-01-01

Background Mutations in the integral membrane protein 2B [1], also known as BRI2 [2], a type II trans-membrane domain protein cause two autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases, Familial British and Danish Dementia [3]. In these conditions, accumulation of a C-terminal peptide (ABri and ADan) cleaved off from the mutated precursor protein by the pro-protein convertase furin [4], leads to amyloid deposition in the walls of blood vessels and parenchyma of the brain. Recent advances in the understanding of the generation of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease has lead to the finding that BRI2 interacts with the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), decreasing the efficiency of APP processing to generate Aβ [5], [6], [7]. The interaction between the two precursors, APP and BRI2, and possibly between Aβ and ABri or ADan, could be important in influencing the rate of amyloid production or the tendency of these peptides to aggregate. Methodology/Principal Findings We have generated the first BRI2 Danish Knock-In (FDDKI) murine model of FDD, expressing the pathogenic decamer duplication in exon 6 of the BRI2 gene. FDDKI mice do not show any evident abnormal phenotype, with normal brain histology and no detectable amyloid deposition in blood vessel walls or parenchyma. Conclusions/Significance This new murine mouse model will be important to further understand the interaction between APP and BRI2, and to provide insights into the molecular basis of FDD. PMID:19924302

Adverse life events as risk factors for behavioural and emotional problems in a 7-year follow-up of a population-based child cohort.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Cathrine Skovmand; Nielsen, Louise Gramstrup; Petersen, Dorthe Janne; Christiansen, Erik; Bilenberg, Niels

2014-04-01

The aim of the study was to identify risk factors for significant changes in emotional and behavioural problem load in a community-based cohort of Danish children aged 9-16 years, the risk factors being seven parental and two child-related adverse life events. Data on emotional and behavioural problems was obtained from parents filling in the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) when the child was 8-9 and again when 15 years old. Data on risk factors was drawn from Danish registers. Analysis used was logistic regression for crude and adjusted change. Parental divorce significantly raised the odds ratio of an increase in emotional and behavioural problems; furthermore, the risk of deterioration in problem behaviour rose significantly with increasing number of adverse life events. By dividing the children into four groups based on the pathway in problem load (increasers, decreasers, high persisters and low persisters), we found that children with a consistently high level of behavioural problems also had the highest number of adverse life events compared with any other group. Family break-up was found to be a significant risk factor. This supports findings in previous studies. The fact that no other risk factor proved to be of significance might be due to lack of power in the study. Children experiencing high levels of adverse life events are at high risk of chronic problem behaviour. Thus these risk factors should be assessed in daily clinical practice.

Nature and Nationhood: Danish Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schnack, Karsten

2009-01-01

In this paper, I shall discuss Danish perspectives on nature, showing the interdependence of conceptions of "nature" and "nationhood" in the formations of a particular cultural community. Nature, thus construed, is never innocent of culture and cannot therefore simply be "restored" to some pristine, pre-lapsarian…

26 CFR 521.105 - Scope of convention with respect to determination of “industrial or commercial profits”.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations § 521.105... standpoint of Federal income taxation, the article has application only to a Danish enterprise and to the...

26 CFR 521.105 - Scope of convention with respect to determination of “industrial or commercial profits”.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations § 521.105... standpoint of Federal income taxation, the article has application only to a Danish enterprise and to the...

Adherence to the Danish food-based dietary guidelines and risk of myocardial infarction: a cohort study.

PubMed

Hansen, Camilla Plambeck; Overvad, Kim; Tetens, Inge; Tjønneland, Anne; Parner, Erik Thorlund; Jakobsen, Marianne Uhre; Dahm, Christina Catherine

2018-05-01

A direct way to evaluate food-based dietary guidelines is to assess if adherence is associated with development of non-communicable diseases. Thus, the objective was to develop an index to assess adherence to the 2013 Danish food-based dietary guidelines and to investigate the association between adherence to the index and risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Population-based cohort study with recruitment of participants in 1993-1997. Information on dietary intake was collected at baseline using an FFQ and an index ranging from 0 to 6 points was created to assess adherence to the 2013 Danish food-based dietary guidelines. MI cases were identified by record linkage to the Danish National Patient Register and the Causes of Death Register. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of MI. Greater areas of Aarhus and Copenhagen, Denmark. Men and women aged 50-64 years (n 55 021) from the Diet, Cancer and Health study. A total of 3046 participants were diagnosed with first-time MI during a median follow-up of 16·9 years. A higher Danish Dietary Guidelines Index score was associated with a lower risk of MI. After adjustment for potential confounders, the hazard of MI was 13 % lower among men with a score of 3-<4 (HR=0·87; 95 % CI 0·78, 0·96) compared with men with a score of <3. The corresponding HR among women was 0·76 (95 % CI 0·63, 0·93). Adherence to the 2013 Danish food-based dietary guidelines was inversely associated with risk of MI.

Clinical indications for antibiotic use in Danish general practice: results from a nationwide electronic prescription database

PubMed Central

Aabenhus, Rune; Hansen, Malene Plejdrup; Siersma, Volkert; Bjerrum, Lars

2017-01-01

Objective To assess the availability and applicability of clinical indications from electronic prescriptions on antibiotic use in Danish general practice. Design Retrospective cohort register-based study including the Danish National Prescription Register. Setting Population-based study of routine electronic antibiotic prescriptions from Danish general practice. Subjects All 975,626 patients who redeemed an antibiotic prescription at outpatient pharmacies during the 1-year study period (July 2012 to June 2013). Main outcome measures Number of prescriptions per clinical indication. Number of antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants by age and gender. Logistic regression analysis estimated the association between patient and provider factors and missing clinical indications on antibiotic prescriptions. Results A total of 2.381.083 systemic antibiotic prescriptions were issued by Danish general practitioners in the study period. We identified three main clinical entities: urinary tract infections (n = 506.634), respiratory tract infections (n = 456.354) and unspecified infections (n = 416.354). Women were more exposed to antibiotics than men. Antibiotic use was high in children under 5 years and even higher in elderly people. In 32% of the issued prescriptions, the clinical indication was missing. This was mainly associated with antibiotic types. We found that a prescription for a urinary tract agent without a specific clinical indication was uncommon. Conclusion Clinical indications from electronic prescriptions are accessible and available to provide an overview of drug use, in casu antibiotic prescriptions, in Danish general practice. These clinical indications may be further explored in detail to assess rational drug use and congruence with guidelines, but validation and optimisation of the system is preferable. PMID:28585886

[The Danish debate on priority setting in medicine - characteristics and results].

PubMed

Pornak, S; Meyer, T; Raspe, H

2011-10-01

Priority setting in medicine helps to achieve a fair and transparent distribution of health-care resources. The German discussion about priority setting is still in its infancy and may benefit from other countries' experiences. This paper aims to analyse the Danish priority setting debate in order to stimulate the German discussion. The methods used are a literature analysis and a document analysis as well as expert interviews. The Danish debate about priority setting in medicine began in the 1970s, when a government committee was constituted to evaluate health-care priorities at the national level. In the 1980s a broader debate arose in politics, ethics, medicine and health economy. The discussions reached a climax in the 1990s, when many local activities - always involving the public - were initiated. Some Danish counties tried to implement priority setting in the daily routine of health care. The Council of Ethics was a major player in the debate of the 1990s and published a detailed statement on priority setting in 1996. With the new century the debate about priority setting seemed to have come to an end, but in 2006 the Technology Council and the Danish Regions resumed the discussion. In 2009 the Medical Association called for a broad debate in order to achieve equity among all patients. The long lasting Danish debate on priority setting has entailed only very little practical consequences on health care. The main problems seem to have been the missing effort to bundle the various local initiatives on a national level and the lack of powerful players to put results of the discussion into practice. Nevertheless, today the attitude towards priority setting is predominantly positive and even politicians talk freely about it. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

[History of induced abortion in Denmark from 1200 to 1979].

PubMed

Manniche, E

1982-10-01

History of induced abortion in Denmark from 1200 to 1979 is reviewed. The 1st Danish law of 1200 did not touch upon the question of induced abortion. From the beginning of the 13th century to Religious Reformation in 1536, Roman Catholic law influenced every aspect of Danish life including induced abortion. In 1683 in King Christian V's constitution called Dansk Lov induced abortion was discussed. Immoral women who aborted fetuses or killed newborn babies were decapitated. In Copenhagen in the years 1624-1632 and 1638-1663 17 women were executed because of induced abortion or murder of newborn babies. Although Dansk Lov was effective till 1866, Danish kings came to treat female criminals less severely since about 1780-1800. For example, between 1855 and 1866 42 women convicted of murder of newborn babies or abortion were given pardon (12 years of imprisonment instead of life sentence). In 1866, abortion and murder of babies were treated separately in the Danish criminal law. Induced abortion meant up to 8 years of imprisonment and labor. In 1930 life sentence was abolished; induced abortion called for only up to 2 years of imprisonment, while those who assisted for money were punished more severely (up to 8 years in prison). In 1937 the Danes legalized induced abortion for medical, ethical, (e.g. rape case) and eugenic reasons. By 1973 legalized abortion was available, free of charge, to every Danish female resident within 12 weeks of pregnancy. In 1980 abortion rate was about 41% of total births. It is estimated 2/3 of Danish women experience abortion. Lastly, illegitimate births and miscarriages are on the rise due to changes in women's social status and role.

Breastfeeding practices in relation to country of origin among women living in Denmark: a population-based study.

PubMed

Busck-Rasmussen, Marianne; Villadsen, Sarah Fredsted; Norsker, Filippa Nyboe; Mortensen, Laust; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo

2014-12-01

The objective of this study was to describe breastfeeding practices and to compare the risk of suboptimal breastfeeding of women living in Denmark according to country of origin, and further to examine how socio-economic position and duration of stay in the country affected this risk. Information on breastfeeding of 42,420 infants born 2002-2009 and living in eighteen selected Danish municipalities was collected from the Danish Health Visitor's Child Health Database. The data was linked with data on maternal socio-demographic information from Danish population-covering registries. Suboptimal breastfeeding was defined as <4 months of full breastfeeding as described by the Danish Health and Medicines Authority. We used logistic regression to model the crude associations between suboptimal breastfeeding and country of origin, and taking maternal age and parity, and a variety of parental socio-economic measures into account. Suboptimal breastfeeding was more frequent among non-Western migrant women than among women of Danish origin. Women who were descendants of Turkish and Pakistani immigrants had a higher risk of suboptimal breastfeeding as compared to the group of women who had migrated from the same countries, suggesting that acculturation did not favor breastfeeding. For all but the group of women who had migrated from Pakistan, adjustment for socio-demographic indicators (age, parity, education, attachment to labour market, and income) eliminated the increased risk of suboptimal breastfeeding. There was no evidence for differences in the breastfeeding support provided at hospital level according to migrant status. Suboptimal breastfeeding was more frequent among women who were non-Nordic migrants and descendants of migrants than among women with Danish origin.

Brief Report: Clusters and Trajectories Across the Autism and/or ADHD Spectrum.

PubMed

LaBianca, S; Pagsberg, A K; Jakobsen, K D; Demur, A B; Bartalan, M; LaBianca, J; Werge, T

2018-06-07

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur and show high genetic correlation. With the introduction of DSM-5, there is a new concept of an ASD and/or ADHD spectrum (ASD/ADHD). This study aimed to identify predictors of severity and need of healthcare within this spectrum. 39 families with multiple individuals affected by ASD/ADHD were recruited from a psychiatric clinic. Diagnoses, functional and demographic characteristics were retrieved from journals while hospital admissions were identified in the Danish health register. An estimated fraction of 31% ASD/ADHD patients had never been hospitalized and 35% remained undiagnosed despite hospitalization. Cluster analysis identified trajectories that discriminate age of diagnosis, educational attainment to degree of severity, need of hospitalization and genetic risk.

Nationwide Genomic Study in Denmark Reveals Remarkable Population Homogeneity

PubMed Central

Athanasiadis, Georgios; Cheng, Jade Y.; Vilhjálmsson, Bjarni J.; Jørgensen, Frank G.; Als, Thomas D.; Le Hellard, Stephanie; Espeseth, Thomas; Sullivan, Patrick F.; Hultman, Christina M.; Kjærgaard, Peter C.; Schierup, Mikkel H.; Mailund, Thomas

2016-01-01

Denmark has played a substantial role in the history of Northern Europe. Through a nationwide scientific outreach initiative, we collected genetic and anthropometrical data from ∼800 high school students and used them to elucidate the genetic makeup of the Danish population, as well as to assess polygenic predictions of phenotypic traits in adolescents. We observed remarkable homogeneity across different geographic regions, although we could still detect weak signals of genetic structure reflecting the history of the country. Denmark presented genomic affinity with primarily neighboring countries with overall resemblance of decreasing weight from Britain, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and France. A Polish admixture signal was detected in Zealand and Funen, and our date estimates coincided with historical evidence of Wend settlements in the south of Denmark. We also observed considerably diverse demographic histories among Scandinavian countries, with Denmark having the smallest current effective population size compared to Norway and Sweden. Finally, we found that polygenic prediction of self-reported adolescent height in the population was remarkably accurate (R2 = 0.639 ± 0.015). The high homogeneity of the Danish population could render population structure a lesser concern for the upcoming large-scale gene-mapping studies in the country. PMID:27535931

Dentoalveolar oral surgery in children and adolescents: organization and surgical treatment in a large, Danish municipal dental service.

PubMed

Grønbæk, Anni Birgitte; Petersen, Flemming; Haubek, Dorte; Poulsen, Sven

2017-11-01

To describe a population-based organization of dentoalveolar surgical service for 0 to 18-year old subjects in a Danish municipal dental service, and analyze the type of dentoalveolar surgical interventions needed. The study was conducted in the Municipality of Aarhus, Denmark during five consecutive school-years. An internal referral system was established within the municipality where patients could be referred to colleagues with a higher level of competencies and more experiences with paediatric dentoalveolar surgery. The analysis includes a total of 1812 children and a total of 2854 surgical interventions. Almost 80% of the patients, representing more than 80% of the dentoalveolar surgical interventions needed, were referred internally. Denudations were the most frequent treatment type (40.3%) carried out, followed by removal of third molars (18.0%). Furthermore, 22 odontomas and 100 supernumerary teeth were removed. The need of dentoalveolar surgery in children and adolescents is relatively low, but includes a wide range of interventions. An organizational system, where dentists can refer to colleagues who have developed special competencies in this field, results in most of these surgical patients being referred and treated internally.

International online support to process optimisation and operation decisions.

PubMed

Onnerth, T B; Eriksson, J

2002-01-01

The information level at all technical facilities has developed from almost nothing 30-40 years ago to advanced IT--Information Technology--systems based on both chemical and mechanical on-line sensors for process and equipment. Still the basic part of information is to get the right data at the right time for the decision to be made. Today a large amount of operational data is available at almost any European wastewater treatment plant, from laboratory and SCADA. The difficult part is to determine which data to keep, which to use in calculations and how and where to make data available. With the STARcontrol system it is possible to separate only process relevant data to use for on-line control and reporting at engineering level, to optimise operation. Furthermore, the use of IT makes it possible to communicate internationally, with full access to the whole amount of data on the single plant. In this way, expert supervision can be both very local in local language e.g. Polish and at the same time very professional with Danish experts advising on Danish processes in Poland or Sweden where some of the 12 STARcontrol systems are running.

Psychiatric disorders in women with fertility problems: results from a large Danish register-based cohort study.

PubMed

Baldur-Felskov, B; Kjaer, S K; Albieri, V; Steding-Jessen, M; Kjaer, T; Johansen, C; Dalton, S O; Jensen, A

2013-03-01

Do women who don't succeed in giving birth after an infertility evaluation have a higher risk of psychiatric disorders compared with women who do? The results indicated that being unsuccessful in giving birth after an infertility evaluation could be an important risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Several studies have investigated the association between fertility treatment and psychological distress, but the results from these studies show substantial variation and lack of homogeneity that may be due to methodological limitations. A retrospective cohort study was designed using data from a cohort of 98 320 Danish women evaluated for fertility problems during 1973-2008 and linked to several Danish population-based registries. All women were followed from the date of first infertility evaluation until date of hospitalization for the psychiatric disorder in question, date of emigration, date of death or 31 December 2008, whichever occurred first. Owing to the precise linkage between the infertility cohort and the Danish population-based registries, using the unique Danish personal identification number, virtually no women were lost to follow-up. Information on reproductive status for all women in the infertility cohort was obtained by linkage to the Danish Medical Birth Registry. A total of 53 547 (54.5%) women gave birth after the initial infertility evaluation, whereas 44 773 (45.5%) women did not gave birth after the evaluation. To determine psychiatric disorders diagnosed in the women after enrolment in the infertility cohort, the cohort was linked to the Danish Psychiatric Central Registry. A total of 4633 women were hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between parity status after the initial infertility evaluation and risk of hospitalization for various groups of psychiatric disorders, including 'all mental disorders' and six main discharge subgroups labelled: 'alcohol and intoxicant abuse', 'schizophrenia and psychoses', 'affective disorders', 'anxiety, adjustment and obsessive compulsive disorders', 'eating disorder' and 'other mental disorders'. The incidence rate for all mental disorders was 393 cases per 100 000 person-years among women who did not succeed in giving birth after the infertility evaluation but only 353 cases per 100 000 person-years among women who succeeded in giving birth after the infertility evaluation. Women not giving birth after the infertility evaluation had an increased risk of hospitalization for all mental disorders (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.11; 1.25), alcohol and intoxicant abuse (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.69; 2.41), schizophrenia and psychoses (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.17; 1.82) and other mental disorders (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.27; 1.58) compared with women who gave birth after the infertility evaluation. In contrast, the risk of affective disorders (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.81; 0.99) was decreased among women not giving birth after the infertility evaluation. Finally, the risk of anxiety, adjustment and obsessive compulsive disorders (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.97; 1.17) as well as of eating disorders (HR 1.40, 95% CI 0.88; 2.22) was not significantly affected by parity status after the infertility evaluation. As only psychiatric conditions warranting hospitalization could be included in the present study, the true incidence of all psychiatric disorders among women with fertility problems is likely to be somewhat underestimated. Furthermore, since detailed information on fertility treatment was not available for all cohort members the association between different modalities of assisted reproductive techniques and risk of psychiatric disorders was not assessed. Clinicians and other healthcare personnel involved in diagnosis and treatment of women with fertility problems should be aware of the potential risk modification of psychiatric disorders associated with unsuccessful fertility treatment. Hence, our results may point to new aspects of follow-up of women with fertility problems who are unsuccessful in giving birth in order to prevent or identify and treat these possible psychological side effects. The study was supported by the Danish Cancer Society (award number: 96 222 54). All authors report no conflicts of interest.

Developments in greenhouse gas emissions and net energy use in Danish agriculture - how to achieve substantial CO(2) reductions?

PubMed

Dalgaard, T; Olesen, J E; Petersen, S O; Petersen, B M; Jørgensen, U; Kristensen, T; Hutchings, N J; Gyldenkærne, S; Hermansen, J E

2011-11-01

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture are a significant contributor to total Danish emissions. Consequently, much effort is currently given to the exploration of potential strategies to reduce agricultural emissions. This paper presents results from a study estimating agricultural GHG emissions in the form of methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide (including carbon sources and sinks, and the impact of energy consumption/bioenergy production) from Danish agriculture in the years 1990-2010. An analysis of possible measures to reduce the GHG emissions indicated that a 50-70% reduction of agricultural emissions by 2050 relative to 1990 is achievable, including mitigation measures in relation to the handling of manure and fertilisers, optimization of animal feeding, cropping practices, and land use changes with more organic farming, afforestation and energy crops. In addition, the bioenergy production may be increased significantly without reducing the food production, whereby Danish agriculture could achieve a positive energy balance. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structures and processes in spontaneous ADR reporting systems: a comparative study of Australia and Denmark.

PubMed

Aagaard, Lise; Stenver, Doris Irene; Hansen, Ebba Holme

2008-10-01

To explore the organisational structure and processes of the Danish and Australian spontaneous ADR reporting systems with a view to how information is generated about new ADRs. The Danish and Australian spontaneous ADR reporting systems. Qualitative analyses of documentary material, descriptive interviews with key informants, and observations were made. We analysed the organisational structure of the Danish and Australian ADR reporting systems with respect to structures and processes, including information flow and exchange of ADR data. The analysis was made based on Scott's adapted version of Leavitt's diamond model, with the components: goals/tasks, social structure, technology and participants, within a surrounding environment. The main differences between the systems were: (1) PARTICIPANTS: Outsourcing of ADR assessments to the pharmaceutical companies complicates maintenance of scientific skills within the Danish Medicines Agency (DKMA), as it leaves the handling of spontaneous ADR reports purely administrative within the DKMA, and the knowledge creation process remains with the pharmaceutical companies, while in Australia senior scientific staff work with evaluation of the ADR report; (2) Goals/tasks: In Denmark, resources are targeted at evaluating Periodic Safety Update Reports (PSUR) submitted by the companies, while the resources in Australia are focused on single case assessment resulting in faster and more proactive medicine surveillance; (3) Social structure: Discussions between scientific staff about ADRs take place in Australia, while the Danish system primarily focuses on entering and forwarding ADR data to the relevant pharmaceutical companies; (4) Technology: The Danish system exchanges ADR data electronically with pharmaceutical companies and the other EU countries, while Australia does not have a system for electronic exchange of ADR data; and (5) ENVIRONMENT: The Danish ADR system is embedded in the routines of cooperation within European pharmacovigilance network while the Australian system is acting alone, although they communicate with other systems. The two systems differ with regard to reporting requirements, report handling, resources being spent and information exchange with the environment. In Denmark, learning about ADRs primarily takes place in the safety divisions of the pharmaceutical companies and the authorities have no control over the knowledge creation process. In Australia, more learning and control of the knowledge is present than in Denmark.

Associations between adherence to the Danish Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and cardiometabolic risk factors in a Danish adult population: the DIPI study.

PubMed

Arentoft, Johanne L; Hoppe, Camilla; Andersen, Elisabeth W; Overvad, Kim; Tetens, Inge

2018-03-01

Diet is recognised as one modifiable lifestyle factor for ischaemic heart disease (IHD). We aimed at investigating the associations between adherence to the Danish Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) indicated by a Dietary Quality Index (DQI) and selected cardiometabolic risk factors in a cross-sectional study with 219 Danish adult participants (59 %women; age 31-65years) with a minimum of one self-rated risk marker of IHD. Information regarding diet was obtained using web-based dietary assessment software and adherence to the Danish FBDG was expressed by a DQI calculated from 5 food and nutrient indicators (whole grain, fish, fruit and vegetables, energy from saturated fat and from added sugar). Background information, blood samples and anthropometrics were collected and blood pressure was measured. Linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between DQI and cardiometabolic risk factors. DQI was inversely associated with LDL:HDL ratio and TAG (-0·089 per unit; 95 % CI -0·177, -0·002 and -5 % per unit; 95 % CI -9, 0, respectively) and positively associated with HDL-cholesterol (0·047 mmol/l per unit; 95 % CI 0·007, 0·088). For men, DQI was inversely associated with BMI (-3 %per unit; 95 % CI -5, -1), trunk fat (-1 % per unit; 95 % CI -2, -1), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (-30 % per unit; 95 % CI -41, -16 %), HbA1c (-0·09 % per unit; 95 % CI -0·14, -0·04), insulin (-13 % per unit; 95 % CI -19, -7) and homoeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (-14 % per unit; 95 % CI -21, -7). In women, DQI was positively associated with systolic blood pressure (2·6 mmHg per unit; 95 % CI 0·6, 4·6). In conclusion, higher adherence to the current Danish FBDG was associated with a more beneficial cardiometabolic risk profile in a Danish adult population with a minimum of one self-rated risk factor for IHD.

Parental questionnaire as a screening instrument for motor function at age five.

PubMed

Nordbye-Nielsen, Kirsten; Kesmodel, Ulrik Schiøler

2014-12-01

No standardised method is used to determine motor function in children in general practice in Denmark. Our aim was to evaluate the correlation between a parental questionnaire assessing motor function at the age of five years and the clinical test Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC), and to assess whether one or more questions could be used to screen for motor problems at the age of five years. This study was based on a parental questionnaire containing ten questions. The M-ABC was used as the gold standard. n = 755 children. The Mann-Whitney rank sum test, Pearson's χ(2)-test, logistic regression analyses and sensitivity and specificity were used to assess the correlation between the questionnaire and the M-ABC test. The best screening tool was six questions in combination: sensitivity 39.8%, specificity 87.1%. Asking if a health professional ever expressed concern about the childs motor development had a sensitivity of 17.0% and a specificity of 93.9%. A parental questionnaire used as a screening instrument to identify children with motor problems has a reasonable specificity, but a low sensitivity. The six questions can be used to identify children who do not have motor function difficulties with a relatively high certainty, and it can fairly well identify children with motor function problems. This study was primarily supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Additional support was obtained from The Danish Health and Medicines Authority, the Lundbeck Foundation, Ludvig & Daara Elsass Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation, and Aase & Ejnar Danielsens Foundation. The Danish National Research Foundation has established the Danish Epidemiology Science Centre that initiated and created the Danish National Birth Cohort. The cohort is furthermore a result of a major grant from this Foundation. Additional support for the Danish National Birth Cohort is obtained from the Pharmacy Foundation, the Egmont Foundation, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation and the Health Foundation. Approved by the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) Board of Directors, the DNBC Steering Committee, the Regional Ethics Committee, the Danish Data Protection Agency and the CDC Institutional Review Board.

Outcome of 24 years national surveillance in different hereditary colorectal cancer subgroups leading to more individualised surveillance.

PubMed

Lindberg, Lars Joachim; Ladelund, Steen; Frederiksen, Birgitte Lidegaard; Smith-Hansen, Lars; Bernstein, Inge

2017-05-01

Individuals with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) have a high risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). The benefits of colonic surveillance in Lynch syndrome and Amsterdam-positive (familial CRC type X familial colorectal cancer type X (FCCTX)) families are clear; only the interval between colonoscopies is debated. The potential benefits for families not fulfilling the Amsterdam criteria are uncertain. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of colonic surveillance in different hereditary subgroups and to evaluate the surveillance programmes. A prospective, observational study on the outcome of colonic surveillance in different hereditary subgroups based on 24 years of surveillance data from the national Danish HNPCC register. We analysed 13 444 surveillance sessions, including 8768 incidence sessions and 20 450 years of follow-up. CRC was more incident in the Lynch subgroup (2.0%) than in any other subgroup (0.0-0.4%, p<0.0001), but the incidence of advanced adenoma did not differ between the Lynch (3.6%) and non-Lynch (2.3-3.9%, p=0.28) subgroups. Non-Lynch Amsterdam-positive and Amsterdam-negative families were similar in their CRC (0.1-0.4%, p=0.072), advanced adenoma (2.3-3.3%, p=0.32) and simple adenoma (8.4-9.9%, p=0.43) incidence. In moderate-risk families, no CRC and only one advanced adenoma was found. The risk of CRC in Lynch families is considerable, despite biannual surveillance. We suggest less frequent and more individualised surveillance in non-Lynch families. Individuals from families with a strong history of CRC could be offered 5-year surveillance colonoscopies (unless findings at the preceding surveillance session indicate shorter interval) and individuals from moderate-risk families could be handled with the population-based screening programme for CRC after an initial surveillance colonoscopy. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Spotlight on VET Denmark

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 2012

2012-01-01

This paper presents data on the vocational education and training (VET) in Denmark. VET plays a key role in the Danish strategy for lifelong learning and meeting the challenges of globalisation and technological change. The Danish education and training system comprises a mainstream system providing qualifications at all levels, from compulsory…

Nature Guidance and Guidance in Friluftsliv.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulstrup, Svend

2001-01-01

Although Danish nature guides conduct outdoor biology classes and friluftsliv (open-air life) guides teach enjoyment of nature, cooperation is nonexistent. Danish students and schools are enthusiastic about friluftsliv, but authorities obstruct participation. Mass media depict nature as a challenge course for pleasure instead of a basis for…

Psychoactive substances in seriously injured drivers in Denmark.

PubMed

Wiese Simonsen, K; Steentoft, A; Bernhoft, I M; Hels, T; Rasmussen, B S; Linnet, K

2013-01-10

This study assesses the presence of a number of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, based on blood samples from 840 seriously injured drivers admitted to five selected hospitals located in five different regions of Denmark. The study was a part of the EU 6th framework program DRUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol and Medicines). Blood samples were screened for 30 illegal and legal psychoactive substances and metabolites as well as ethanol. Danish legal limits were used to evaluate the frequency of drivers violating the Danish legislation while limit of quantification (LOQ) was used for monitoring positive drivers. Tramadol is not included in the Danish legislation therefore the general cut off, as decided in the DRUID project was used. Overall, ethanol (18%) was the most frequently identified compound (alone or in combination with other drugs) exceeding the legal limit, which is 0.53g/l in Denmark. The percentage of seriously injured drivers testing positive for medicinal drugs at levels above the Danish legal limit was 6.8%. Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (6.4%) comprised the majority of this group. One or more illegal drugs (primarily amphetamines and cannabis) were found to be above the Danish legal limit in 4.9% of injured drivers. Young men (median age 31 years) were over-represented among injured drivers who violated Danish law for alcohol and drugs. Diazepam (4.4%), tramadol (3.2%), and clonazepam (3.0%) were the medicinal drugs most frequently detected at levels above LOQ, whereas amphetamines (5.4%) (amphetamine [5.2%] and methamphetamine [1.5%]), tetrahydrocannabinol (3.7%), and cocaine (3.3%), including the metabolite benzoylecgonine, were the most frequently detected illegal drugs. A driver could be positive for more than one substance; therefore, percentages are not mutually exclusive. Poly-drug use was observed in 112 (13%) seriously injured drivers. Tramadol was detected above DRUID cutoffs in 2.1% of seriously injured drivers. This is 3.5 times that observed in a Danish survey of randomly selected drivers. Moreover, illegal and medicinal drug levels above the Danish legal limit were present more than 10 times as frequently as in injured drivers, whereas ethanol was present more than 30 times as frequently than in randomly selected drivers. The results indicate that there is an increased risk in traffic when driving under the influence of psychoactive drugs, especially alcohol in young male drivers. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microclimatic temperatures at Danish cattle farms, 2000-2016: quantifying the temporal and spatial variation in the transmission potential of Schmallenberg virus.

PubMed

Haider, Najmul; Cuellar, Ana Carolina; Kjær, Lene Jung; Sørensen, Jens Havskov; Bødker, Rene

2018-03-05

Microclimatic temperatures provide better estimates of vector-borne disease transmission parameters than standard meteorological temperatures, as the microclimate represent the actual temperatures to which the vectors are exposed. The objectives of this study were to quantify farm-level geographic variations and temporal patterns in the extrinsic incubation period (EIP) of Schmallenberg virus transmitted by Culicoides in Denmark through generation of microclimatic temperatures surrounding all Danish cattle farms. We calculated the hourly microclimatic temperatures at potential vector-resting sites within a 500 m radius of 22,004 Danish cattle farms for the months April to November from 2000 to 2016. We then modeled the daily EIP of Schmallenberg virus at each farm, assuming vectors choose resting sites either randomly or based on temperatures (warmest or coolest available) every hour. The results of the model output are presented as 17-year averages. The difference between the warmest and coolest microhabitats at the same farm was on average 3.7 °C (5th and 95th percentiles: 1.0 °C to 7.8 °C). The mean EIP of Schmallenberg virus (5th and 95th percentiles) for all cattle farms during spring, summer, and autumn was: 23 (18-33), 14 (12-18) and 51 (48-55) days, respectively, assuming Culicoides select resting sites randomly. These estimated EIP values were considerably shorter than those estimated using standard meteorological temperatures obtained from a numerical weather prediction model for the same periods: 43 (39-52), 21 (17-24) and 57 (55-58) days, respectively. When assuming that vectors actively select the coolest resting sites at a farm, the EIP was 2.3 (range: 1.1 to 4.1) times longer compared to that of the warmest sites at the same farm. We estimated a wide range of EIP in different microclimatic habitats surrounding Danish cattle farms, stressing the importance of identifying the specific resting sites of vectors when modeling vector-borne disease transmission. We found a large variation in the EIP among different farms, suggesting disease transmission may vary substantially between regions, even within a small country. Our findings could be useful for designing risk-based surveillance, and in the control and prevention of emerging and re-emerging vector-borne diseases.

A hereditary disposition for bovine peripheral nerve sheath tumors in Danish Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Grossi, Anette B; Agerholm, Jørgen S; Christensen, Knud; Jensen, Henrik E; Leifsson, Páll S; Bendixen, Christian; Karlskov-Mortensen, Peter; Fredholm, Merete

2014-12-10

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) are frequently found in Danish cattle at slaughter. Bovine PNSTs share several gross and histopathological characteristics with the PNSTs in humans with heritable neurofibromatosis syndromes. The aim of the present study was to investigate a possible hereditary disposition to PNSTs in dairy cattle by statistical analysis performed on data from 567 cattle with PNSTs. Furthermore, a preliminary genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed on DNA isolated from 28 affected and 28 non-affected Holstein cows to identify loci in the bovine genome involved in the development of PNSTs. PNSTs were significantly more common in the Danish Holstein breed than in other breeds with 0.49% of Danish Holsteins slaughtered during an eight-year-period having PNSTs. PNSTs also occurred significantly more frequently in the offspring of some specific Holstein sires. Examination of three generation pedigrees showed that these sires were genetically related through a widely used US Holstein sire. The PNSTs included in GWAS were histologically classified as neurofibroma-schwannoma (43%), schwannoma (36%) and neurofibroma (21%) and derived from Holstein cows with multiple PNSTs. A single SNP on chromosome 27 reached genome-wide significance. Gross and histological characteristics of bovine PNSTs are comparable to PNSTs in humans (schwannomatosis). Danish Holsteins are genetically disposed to develop PNSTs but the examined materials are insufficient to allow determination of the mode of inheritance.

Positive predictive value of infective endocarditis in the Danish National Patient Registry: a validation study.

PubMed

Østergaard, Lauge; Adelborg, Kasper; Sundbøll, Jens; Pedersen, Lars; Loldrup Fosbøl, Emil; Schmidt, Morten

2018-05-30

The positive predictive value of an infective endocarditis diagnosis is approximately 80% in the Danish National Patient Registry. However, since infective endocarditis is a heterogeneous disease implying long-term intravenous treatment, we hypothesiszed that the positive predictive value varies by length of hospital stay. A total of 100 patients with first-time infective endocarditis in the Danish National Patient Registry were identified from January 2010 - December 2012 at the University hospital of Aarhus and regional hospitals of Herning and Randers. Medical records were reviewed. We calculated the positive predictive value according to admission length, and separately for patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device and a prosthetic heart valve using the Wilson score method. Among the 92 medical records available for review, the majority of the patients had admission length ⩾2 weeks. The positive predictive value increased with length of admission. In patients with admission length <2 weeks the positive predictive value was 65% while it was 90% for admission length ⩾2 weeks. The positive predictive value was 81% for patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device and 87% for patients with a prosthetic valve. The positive predictive value of the infective endocarditis diagnosis in the Danish National Patient Registry is high for patients with admission length ⩾2 weeks. Using this algorithm, the Danish National Patient Registry provides a valid source for identifying infective endocarditis for research.

Learning and feedback from the Danish patient safety incident reporting system can be improved.

PubMed

Moeller, Anders Damgaard; Rasmussen, Kurt; Nielsen, Kent Jacob

2016-06-01

The perceived usefulness of incident reporting systems is an important motivational factor for reporting. The usefulness may be facilitated by well-established feedback mechanisms and by learning processes. The aim of this study was to investigate how feedback mechanisms and learning processes were implemented at four Danish hospital units all located in one of the five Danish regions. Based on the concepts of feedback and learning from incident processes, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 335 patient safety representatives from 200 departments at four Danish hospital units in one of the five Danish regions. The study showed that external reporters were rarely contacted for dialogue, grouped front-line staff were sparsely involved in the learning process, few evaluated the effectiveness of implemented interventions and personal factors were frequently perceived as a primary contributory factor to these incidents. In contrast, the patient safety representatives perceived their competencies as sufficient for the job, internal reporters were often contacted for dialogue, evaluation was widely used and management supported the work with incident reports. The results of the study identified several shortcomings in the implementation of learning processes and feedback mechanisms. The apparent existence of a person-focused approach stands out as an element of notice. The insufficient implementation we observed indicates that there is room for improvement in the efforts made to maximise learning from incidents in the investigated population. not relevant. not relevant.

The CCC2000 Birth Cohort Study of Register-Based Family History of Mental Disorders and Psychotic Experiences in Offspring

PubMed Central

Jeppesen, Pia; Larsen, Janne Tidselbak; Clemmensen, Lars; Munkholm, Anja; Rimvall, Martin Kristian; Rask, Charlotte Ulrikka; van Os, Jim; Petersen, Liselotte; Skovgaard, Anne Mette

2015-01-01

Psychotic experiences (PE) in individuals of the general population are hypothesized to mark the early expression of the pathology underlying psychosis. This notion of PE as an intermediate phenotype is based on the premise that PE share genetic liability with psychosis. We examined whether PE in childhood was predicted by a family history of mental disorder with psychosis rather than a family history of nonpsychotic mental disorder and whether this association differed by severity of PE. The study examined data on 1632 children from a general population birth cohort assessed at age 11–12 years by use of a semistructured interview covering 22 psychotic symptoms. The Danish national registers were linked to describe the complete family history of hospital-based psychiatric diagnoses. Uni- and multivariable logistic regressions were used to test whether a family history of any mental disorder with psychosis, or of nonpsychotic mental disorder, vs no diagnoses was associated with increased risk of PE in offspring (hierarchical exposure variable). The occurrence of PE in offspring was significantly associated with a history of psychosis among the first-degree relatives (adjusted relative risk [RR] = 3.29, 95% CI: 1.82–5.93). The risk increased for combined hallucinations and delusions (adjusted RR = 5.90, 95% CI: 2.64–13.16). A history of nonpsychotic mental disorders in first-degree relatives did not contribute to the risk of PE in offspring nor did any mental disorder among second-degree relatives. Our findings support the notion of PE as a vulnerability marker of transdiagnostic psychosis. The effect of psychosis in first-degree relatives may operate through shared genetic and environmental factors. PMID:25452427

Socially disadvantaged parents of children treated with allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT): report from a supportive intervention study, Denmark.

PubMed

Larsen, Hanne Bækgaard; Heilmann, Carsten; Johansen, Christoffer; Adamsen, Lis

2013-06-01

This study was undertaken to test a daily Family Navigator Nurse (FNN) conducted intervention program, to support parents during the distressful experience of their child's Allogeneic Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT). A qualitative analysis of the supportive intervention program for parents whose child is under HSCT treatment while hospitalized. Parents to 25 children were included in the intervention group. Twenty-five parents were included in a participant observational study and 21 of these completed a semi-structured interview 100 days following HSCT. Three main problems faced by all parents included 1) the emotional strain of the child's HSCT; 2) re-organizing of the family's daily life to include hospitalization with the child; and 3) the financial strain of manoeuvring within the Danish welfare system. The FNN performed daily intervention rounds to ease each of these problems during the study period. Having the following pre-existing risk factors, negatively influenced the parents' ability to address these problems: 1) being a single parents; 2) low-level income; 3) low-level education; 4) low-level network support: 5) being a student or unemployed; 6) physical/psychiatric illness; and 7) ethnicity. Six families with 4 or more risk factors had complex emotional, social and financial problems that required extensive intervention by the FNN and that impacted their ability to provide care for the child. The parents' pre-existing risk factors were further complicated by their children's HSCT. A recommendation for clinical practice is to identify families with multiple interrelated problems and allocate resources to support these families. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pastoral Techniques in the Modern Danish Educational System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Klaus; Dalgaard, Susanne; Madsen, Sarah

2011-01-01

In recent years, therapeutic techniques have played an increasingly significant role in Danish educational thinking. One way in which this therapeutic thinking discloses itself is in the ever-growing use of educational-therapeutic games as part of the educational practice. Inspired by Foucault, we argue that educational-therapeutic games can be…

JPRS Report, West Europe, Reference Aid, Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations of Denmark

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-05-25

Security Companies, Inc. DFO Dansk Fryse 0konomi A/S Danish Frozen Economy, Inc. DGA Dansk Galvaniserings Anstalt A/S Danish Galvanizing Equipment...use YMCA] KGA K^benhavns Galvaniserings Anstalt A/S KGH Den Kongelige Gr^landske Handel Copenhagen Galvanizing Company,Inc. Royal Greenland

Denmark's Boernehavens: A Place to Grow

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mecham, Neil A.

2010-01-01

During the author's trips to Denmark as an instructor of American college students studying abroad, he led groups to visit several "boernehavens," which are the Danish equivalents of U.S. preschools for children ages 3 to 5. Danish society values confident individuals who can take initiative when faced with challenges and opportunities.…

Autonomous Learning--The Danes Vote Yes!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chambers, Gary; Sugden, David

1994-01-01

Examines techniques used by 2 Danish teachers of English as a Second Language with 11- and 12-year-olds that illustrate the autonomous learning approach to second language instruction. The role of the teacher and learners, class activities, and student journals in Danish second language classrooms are discussed. (six references) (MDM)

Effect of family nursing therapeutic conversations on health-related quality of life, self-care and depression among outpatients with heart failure: A randomized multi-centre trial.

PubMed

Østergaard, Birte; Mahrer-Imhof, Romy; Wagner, Lis; Barington, Torben; Videbæk, Lars; Lauridsen, Jørgen

2018-03-07

To evaluate the short-term (3 months) effects of family nursing therapeutic conversations (FNTC) on health-related quality of life, self-care and depression in outpatients with Heart failure (HF). A randomised multi-centre trial was conducted in three Danish HF clinics. The control group (n = 167) received usual care, and the intervention group (n = 180) received FNTCs as supplement to usual care. Primary outcome was clinically significant changes (6 points) in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) summary score between groups. Secondary outcomes were changes in self-care behaviour and depression scores. Data were assessed before first consultation and repeated after three months. No statistically significant difference was found in the change of KCCQ, self-care and depression scores between the groups. KCCQ scores of patients in the FNTC group changed clinically significant in seven domains, compared to one domain in the control group, with the highest improvement in self-efficacy, social limitation and symptom burden. FNTC was not superior to standard care of patients with HF regarding health-related quality of life, self-care and depression. Addressing the impact of the disease on the family, might improve self-efficacy, social limitation and symptom burden in patients with heart failure. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The long-term fiscal impact of funding cuts to Danish public fertility clinics.

PubMed

Connolly, Mark P; Postma, Maarten J; Crespi, Simone; Andersen, Anders Nyboe; Ziebe, Søren

2011-12-01

This study evaluated the fiscal impact attributed to recent policy changes that limited funding to public fertility clinics in Denmark. Taking into consideration that introducing patient co-payments will influence the numbers of couples treated, the number of children born every year from assisted reproductive technology will be affected. To reflect the government perspective, the model assessed the average life course of a cohort of assisted-conception singletons taking into consideration age-specific, per-capita government transfers (e.g. education, health care, family allowances, education, pensions) and lifetime gross tax contributions to derive the discounted net tax contribution from assisted-conception singletons. An investment of €11,078 in a mother aged <40 to achieve an assisted-conception singleton was valued at €154,100 in cumulative discounted net tax revenue when the child reaches age 50. A reduction in the number of live births generated additional savings of €67-112 million due to reduced government transfers by age 25. However, by age 50, because of fewer children born and consequently fewer tax payers, a €74-123 million loss to government was estimated. The projected discounted net tax revenue attributed to assisted-conception children suggests that publicly funded treatment provides economic benefits to government over the lifetime of the conceived children. In January 2011, the Danish Parliament introduced a law that limited reimbursement to publicly funded fertility clinics in Denmark. Because reimbursement for fertility services can influence couples' ability to receive treatment, this will consequently result in fewer children being born each year. To inform the policy decision, this study assessed the fiscal consequences of the policy change on the government over many generations. The analytical framework discussed here estimates the net tax revenue of a cohort of assisted-conception children and the discounted net tax revenue that these children pay to the Danish government over their lifetime. The analysis illustrates that the government will save more costs than those directly related to public fertility services because fewer children are likely to be born and consequently to require government services (e.g. education, health care, family allowances). However, over time as the assisted-conception cohort matures and enters the work force. the reduced number of assisted-conception children, attributed to the funding cuts, will negatively impact government accounts due to lost tax revenue. The policy analysis described here suggests that the economic impact of the fertility policy change is dependent on the time frame over which the analysis is considered. In the short term, it is possible to save on assisted reproduction treatment costs; however, taking into consideration the life course of the diminished size of the assisted-conception cohort, this will negatively influence government accounts in the future. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Early achievements of the Danish pharmaceutical industry-6 Pharmacia].

PubMed

Grevsen, Jørgen V; Kruse, Edith; Kruse, Poul R

2014-01-01

The article series provides a written and pictorial account of the Danish pharmaceutical industry's products from their introduction until about 1950. Part 6 deals with products from A/S Pharmacia. A/S Pharmacia was established in Copenhagen in 1922 as a Danish limited company by the enterprising pharmacist Edward Jacobsen. Pharmacia was not Jacobsen's first pharmaceutical company as previously he had established a pharmaceutical agency already in 1913 which in 1919 was reorganized to a limited company by the name of A/S Edward Jacobsen. This agency was later extended to include a production of generics. Jacobsen remained the co-owner and manager of Pharmacia until 1934 where he resigned and established another company, A/S Ejco, for the manufacture of generics. It is worth mentioning that already in 1911 a Swedish pharmaceutical company was established named AB Pharmacia. Today we do not know whether Edward Jacobsen knew about this Swedish company. Later on in 1936 AB Pharmacia and A/S Pharmacia made a contract concerning mutual market sharing, and a research cooperation was brought about between the two companies which resulted in an increase of turnover for A/S Pharmacia. In 1955 the cooperation between the two companies was increased as the Swedish company joined as principal shareholder with the purpose of continuing and developing the Danish company as an independent pharmaceutical company with its own research and development as well as manufacture, control and marketing. Therefore Pharmacia in Denmark was able to establish a synthesis factory in Koge and move the domicile to new premises in Hillered. In 1993 Pharmacia was presented in a printed matter as "The largest Nordic pharmaceutical company" as a result of the merger between the Swedish Kabi Pharmacia, formerly established by a merger between Kabi Vitrum and AB Pharmacia, and the Italian Farmitalia Carlo Erba. Only two years later in 1995 Pharmacia merged with the American pharmaceutical company The Upjohn Company under the name of Pharmacia & Upjohn. In 2000 this company was merged with the chemical group Monsanto under a new name, Pharmacia Corporation. Pharmacia Corporation was taken over by Pfizer in 2003. The early activities of A/S Pharmacia included not only the import of raw materials and ready-made articles, such as medicinal products, but also the manufacture of own medicinal products. This is not surprising considering the founder Edward Jacobsen's pharmaceutical career. Pharmacia's early manufacture of own medicinal products consisted mainly of generics, however, not only the expensive foreign medicinal products, but also any available Danish generics such as easily manufactured pharmacopeia products. It is thus worth mentioning that Pharmacia's own technological production capacity at that time was limited and required a cooperation with other (Danish) pharmaceutical companies. Pharmacia was able to produce tablet cores, but the sugarcoating had to be made by external business partners. Pharmacia was able to produce digitalis preparations, but the standardization of these had to be effected elsewhere. The total production of one of Pharmacia's products took place at an external business partner. Pharmacia was established at a time where the increasing use of industrially manufactured medicinal products, both Danish and foreign ones, had resulted in a considerable decrease in sales of pharmacy produced medicinal products. This had for a long time worried The Danish Association of Pharmacies, and this resulted in a reaction from the association, namely the DAK-products which by nature were produced in Denmark and thus became the most essential element in the fight against the industrially manufactured products--a fight which according to the association had to be fought with all legal means. Therefore The Danish Association of Pharmacies obviously reacted precipitated when in 1926 the association in writing stated that Pharmacia's products were not manufactured in Denmark in spite of the fact that they were labelled as such according to agreement with Landsforeningen Dansk Arbejde, i.e., The National Association Danish Work, which in 1925 allowed Pharmacia to use the labels of the association. The unemployment was high in the 1920'ies and increasing so when Pharmacia subsequently took legal action against the Association of Pharmacies and claimed that the statement was unjustified and might harm Pharmacia, it may indicate that the public of that time looked positively upon the manufacture and the use of Danish manufactured products. The Danish Association of Pharmacies lost the case as the claim according to the court was unjustified and thus unlawful. The suspicions of the association were not supported by facts, however, they were not either completely groundless. Following this The National Association Danish Work gave notice to terminate the contract with Pharmacia concerning the right to use the labels of the association. By expanding the cooperation and later on by merging with the Swedish Pharmacia AB the Danish A/S Pharmacia succeeded in continuing and developing a company where research, development and production of innovative medicinal products as well as of generics could take place in Denmark.

Safeguarding slaves: smallpox, vaccination, and governmental health policies among the enslaved population in the Danish West Indies, 1803-1848.

PubMed

Jensen, Niklas Thode

2009-01-01

During the first half of the nineteenth century, a unique system of vaccination against smallpox was developed in the island of St. Croix in the Danish West Indies. The primary intention was to protect the population of enslaved workers, which was of fundamental importance to the economy of the colony. However, because the Danish abolition of the slave trade in 1803 had stopped the imports of new enslaved workers from Africa, the population was also decreasing. The vaccination system's success was due to a high degree of governmental control of the enslaved population that was virtually unseen anywhere else in the Caribbean.

Sport or School? Dreams and Dilemmas for Talented Young Danish Football Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Mette Krogh; Sorensen, Jan Kahr

2009-01-01

Today's young semi-professional football players are expected to continue their education while honing their talents as footballers. This means they must balance the contradictory demands that come from their education establishments and their football clubs. The present study explores how young Danish male football talents experience and describe…

Accountability Practices in the History of Danish Primary Public Education from the 1660s to the Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ydesen, Christian; Andreasen, Karen E.

2014-01-01

This paper focuses on primary education accountability as a concept and as an organizational practice in the history of Danish public education. Contemporary studies of education policy often address questions of accountability, but the manifestations of school accountability differ significantly between different national settings. Furthermore,…

(Self)Confidence or Compliance: Students' Experience of Academic Quality in Study-Abroad Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaeger, Kirsten; Gram, Malene

2015-01-01

This article investigates the views of quality in higher education held by two groups of international students: Chinese students at a Danish university and Danish students at Chinese universities. Given that there are no agreed international "quality standards" in higher education, we analysed the students' understanding of the…

Autonomy and Control: Danish University Reform in the Context of Modern Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Susan; Orberg, Jakob Williams

2008-01-01

In 2003 the Danish government reformed universities to "set them free" from the state. Yet ministers are actively trying to shape universities and even set research agendas. How does the government's notion of "freedom" reconcile independence with control? We identify three discourses of freedom: freedom to use academic…

The Transnational and the Individual: A Life-History Narrative in a Danish University Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabricius, Anne H.

2014-01-01

This article explores linguistic and cultural border crossing and the long-term consequences of transnational mobility on a professional international academic. It provides an in-depth qualitative analysis of a research interview which investigated the internationalisation background of a Danish academic within an English-speaking context. This…

Exploring the Heterogeneity of Class in Higher Education: Social and Cultural Differentiation in Danish University Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomsen, Jens Peter

2012-01-01

This paper examines the relationship between social background, choice of university programme and academic culture among Danish university students. Statistically and sociologically, university students are often treated as a homogeneous group, but the ever-increasing number of students in higher education demands a closer examination of the…

A resolution to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the heroic rescue of Danish Jews during the Second World War by the Danish people.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ

2013-09-17

Senate - 10/04/2013 Resolution agreed to in Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Waiting Time: The De-Subjectification of Children in Danish Asylum Centres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vitus, Kathrine

2010-01-01

This article analyses the relationship between time and subjectification, focusing on the temporal structures created within Danish asylum centres and politics, and on children's experiences of and reactions to open-ended waiting. Such waiting leads to existential boredom which manifests in the children as restlessness, fatigue and despair. The…

The Internet and Services Marketing--The Case of Danish Retail Banking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mols, Niels Peter

2000-01-01

Examines various aspects of the motives, perceptions, and expectations connected with the introduction of Internet banking in Danish retail banking. Responses from questionnaires and results from a factor analysis and a hierarchical cluster analysis indicate a belief that Internet banking will become more important in the future. (Author/LRW)

Cultural Bases of Risk Behavior: Danish Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnett, Jeffrey; Balle-Jensen, Lene

1993-01-01

Risk behavior was investigated among 1,053 Danish adolescents aged 12-20. Behaviors included those related to driving, sex, and marijuana and other drug use. Found driving a car while intoxicated was rare even among oldest adolescents, though the majority reported riding a bicycle while intoxicated. Participation in risk behavior was analyzed in…

Educational Testing as an Accountability Measure: Drawing on Twentieth-Century Danish History of Education Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ydesen, Christian

2013-01-01

This article reveals perspectives based on experiences from twentieth-century Danish educational history by outlining contemporary, test-based accountability regime characteristics and their implications for education policy. The article introduces one such characteristic, followed by an empirical analysis of the origins and impacts of test-based…

The Relevance and Consequences of PISA Science in a Danish Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolin, Jens; Krogh, Lars Brian

2010-01-01

This article reports a case study that described and analyzed the changes in the Danish school culture induced and encouraged by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results. The educational policy and reforms that were temporally connected with the publication of the PISA 2000 results are outlined and the related…

Morphological Effects in Auditory Word Recognition: Evidence from Danish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balling, Laura Winther; Baayen, R. Harald

2008-01-01

In this study, we investigate the processing of morphologically complex words in Danish using auditory lexical decision. We document a second critical point in auditory comprehension in addition to the Uniqueness Point (UP), namely the point at which competing morphological continuation forms of the base cease to be compatible with the input,…

26 CFR 521.106 - Control of a domestic enterprise by a Danish enterprise.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 19 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Control of a domestic enterprise by a Danish enterprise. 521.106 Section 521.106 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS UNDER TAX CONVENTIONS DENMARK General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who...

Placement Supervision of Pedagogue Students in Denmark: The Role of University Colleges and Early Childhood Centres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Jytte Juul

2015-01-01

The article examines Danish pedagogue students' supervision during their placement periods in early childhood settings. Throughout the long history of Danish pedagogue education, discourses relating to the placement element have been located either within a "work" paradigm or a "scholastic" paradigm. These two understandings of…

26 CFR 521.106 - Control of a domestic enterprise by a Danish enterprise.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 19 2011-04-01 2010-04-01 true Control of a domestic enterprise by a Danish enterprise. 521.106 Section 521.106 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) REGULATIONS UNDER TAX CONVENTIONS DENMARK General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who...

Predictive value of stroke discharge diagnoses in the Danish National Patient Register.

PubMed

Lühdorf, Pernille; Overvad, Kim; Schmidt, Erik B; Johnsen, Søren P; Bach, Flemming W

2017-08-01

To determine the positive predictive values for stroke discharge diagnoses, including subarachnoidal haemorrhage, intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral infarction in the Danish National Patient Register. Participants in the Danish cohort study Diet, Cancer and Health with a stroke discharge diagnosis in the National Patient Register between 1993 and 2009 were identified and their medical records were retrieved for validation of the diagnoses. A total of 3326 records of possible cases of stroke were reviewed. The overall positive predictive value for stroke was 69.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 67.8-70.9%). The predictive values differed according to hospital characteristics, with the highest predictive value of 87.8% (95% CI 85.5-90.1%) found in departments of neurology and the lowest predictive value of 43.0% (95% CI 37.6-48.5%) found in outpatient clinics. The overall stroke diagnosis in the Danish National Patient Register had a limited predictive value. We therefore recommend the critical use of non-validated register data for research on stroke. The possibility of optimising the predictive values based on more advanced algorithms should be considered.

The Danish Inguinal Hernia database.

PubMed

Friis-Andersen, Hans; Bisgaard, Thue

2016-01-01

To monitor and improve nation-wide surgical outcome after groin hernia repair based on scientific evidence-based surgical strategies for the national and international surgical community. Patients ≥18 years operated for groin hernia. Type and size of hernia, primary or recurrent, type of surgical repair procedure, mesh and mesh fixation methods. According to the Danish National Health Act, surgeons are obliged to register all hernia repairs immediately after surgery (3 minute registration time). All institutions have continuous access to their own data stratified on individual surgeons. Registrations are based on a closed, protected Internet system requiring personal codes also identifying the operating institution. A national steering committee consisting of 13 voluntary and dedicated surgeons, 11 of whom are unpaid, handles the medical management of the database. The Danish Inguinal Hernia Database comprises intraoperative data from >130,000 repairs (May 2015). A total of 49 peer-reviewed national and international publications have been published from the database (June 2015). The Danish Inguinal Hernia Database is fully active monitoring surgical quality and contributes to the national and international surgical society to improve outcome after groin hernia repair.

Feasibility of Representing a Danish Microbiology Model Using FHIR.

PubMed

Andersen, Mie Vestergaard; Kristensen, Ida Hvass; Larsen, Malene Møller; Pedersen, Claus Hougaard; Gøeg, Kirstine Rosenbeck; Pape-Haugaard, Louise B

2017-01-01

Achieving interoperability in health is a challenge and requires standardization. The newly developed HL7 standard: Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) promises both flexibility and interoperability. This study investigates the feasibility of expressing a Danish microbiology message model content in FHIR to explore whether complex in-use legacy models can be migrated and what challenges this may pose. The Danish microbiology message model (the DMM) is used as a case to illustrate challenges and opportunities accosted with applying the FHIR standard. Mapping of content from DMM to FHIR was done as close as possible to the DMM to minimize migration costs except when the structure of the content did not fit into FHIR. From the DMM a total of 183 elements were mapped to FHIR. 75 (40.9%) elements were modeled as existing FHIR elements and 96 (52.5%) elements were modeled as extensions and 12 (6.6%) elements were deemed unnecessary because of build-in FHIR characteristics. In this study, it was possible to represent the content of a Danish message model using HL7 FHIR.

An overview of pedagogy and organisation in clinical interprofessional training units in Sweden and Denmark.

PubMed

Jakobsen, Flemming

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to provide an overview of the organization and pedagogy in Swedish and Danish interprofessional training units (ITUs) and to synthesize empirical findings from Swedish and Danish ITUs published in peer review journals. A questionnaire concerning organization and pedagogy was sent to twenty Swedish and Danish ITUs. After a bibliographic search aimed to find empirical studies from ITUs, twenty Swedish and eight Danish studies were included in the review. The questionnaires results showed that despite different wording, the overall aims for the ITUs were to provide students with the possibility of uniprofessional learning, interprofessional learning, and strengthening of professional identity. Furthermore, it appeared that there were different organizational and pedagogical approaches. The review revealed that differences in clinical tutors' affiliation and presence in the ITU were challenging. Also different pedagogical approaches were discussed. However, all articles showed that the goals for the ITUs in general were fulfilled. There is basis therefore to recommend the establishment of future clinical ITUs with the patient in the core and with the use of a student activating approach.

[Trends concerning medical articles 1989-1998. A study of Danish articles compared to other members of the European Union].

PubMed

Jørgensen, H L; Praetorius, L; Ingwersen, P

1999-11-15

The paper analyses the development of the total number of journal articles indexed in the Medline database published by authors affiliated to Denmark 1989-1998 in medicine compared to the development in the European Union during the same period. The publication analysis is then compared to the citation impact of articles published in the central journals indexed in Science Citation Index (ISI) 1987-1996 through use of the National Science Indicators (NIS, ISI) database. The total number of Danish journal articles has remained relatively constant compared to a 50% increase in the EU as a whole. The number of Danish articles published in central journals, however, has increased by 20% (compared to 27% for the EU) and the number of citations obtained by these articles by 58% (compared to 66% for the EU) in the 1987-1996 period. By population, Denmark ranked third in total number of articles in 1998. In conclusion, Denmark is very active in medical research but neither the quantity nor the quality of Danish medical research has increased at the same rate as the EU average.

Use of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

PubMed

Larsen, E R; Damkier, P; Pedersen, L H; Fenger-Gron, J; Mikkelsen, R L; Nielsen, R E; Linde, V J; Knudsen, H E D; Skaarup, L; Videbech, P

2015-01-01

To write clinical guidelines for the use of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy and breast-feeding for daily practice in psychiatry, obstetrics and paediatrics. As we wanted a guideline with a high degree of consensus among health professionals treating pregnant women with a psychiatric disease, we asked the Danish Psychiatric Society, the Danish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Danish Paediatric Society and the Danish Society of Clinical Pharmacology to appoint members for the working group. A comprehensive review of the literature was hereafter conducted. Sertraline and citalopram are first-line treatment among selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for depression. It is recommended to use lithium for bipolar disorders if an overall assessment finds an indication for mood-stabilizing treatment during pregnancy. Lamotrigine can be used. Valproate and carbamazepin are contraindicated. Olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine and clozapine can be used for bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. It is important that health professionals treating fertile women with a psychiatric disease discuss whether psychotropic drugs are needed during pregnancy and how it has to be administered. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[An international medical expert committee's participation in uncovering the truth on the liquidation of Polish officers found in mass graves at Katyn in the spring of 1943 and the biography of a Danish participant, Helge Tramsen (1910-1979)].

PubMed

Rosdahl, Nils

2008-01-01

The article is based on a paper read as a invited speaker at a conference, entitled "Medical experts and expertise in cases of humanitarian crises "convened by the University of Geneva and the Committee of the International Red Cross in April 2007. The article starts with an overview of Polish history from the end of World War I up to the disclosure of the mass graves in the spring of 1943, but is otherwise a translation of the original English lecture with some additions from new findings.in archives. Helge tramsen was born into a bourgois family in Copenhagen. After graduation in medicine from the University of Copenhegen in 1936 he married a British woman and joined the naval medical corps and also embarked on a surgical career.. From 1940 to 1943 he was prosector at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Copenhagen. After the finding of the mass graves at Katyn, Germany requested from a number of European countries under German control forensic experts to join an international commission to investigate the findings. As the professor of forensic medicine declined perobably due to health reasons Tramsen was sent. During the German occupation of Denmark 1940 to 1945 Tramsen according to family tradition participated in the resistance movement and he consulted with members of the more conservative part of it and was recommended to go to Germany with an added purpose of being able to transport material out of Germany. He went with special plane from Copenhagen to Berlin, where he joined the international group, which later flew to Smolensk via Warszawa. He conducted a post mortem on the body of a Polish officer, selected by himself. Following that he attended in the discussion on the final report, which later in Berlin was handed over to the German minister of health, and which later formed an important part of the official German material accusing the USSR for the killing. During his stay in Berlin he claimed to have collected material, which in his opinion was drawings of the Eder Möwe dams and brought it back to Copenhagen with the severed head of the body of the Polish officer, on which he has carried out the post mortem. After Tramsen's return to Denmark, a British agent obtained his travel report and sent it to London and he later obtained additional information from Tramsen on the unanimous and voluntary conclusion of the experts. No information on the drawings and the head can be found in British archives. According to Tramsen's own account as a naval officer on activities during the occupation, he participated in sabotage actions, but that can not be substantiated by other sources. However, he participated in July 1944 in an attach on a fortress north of Copenhagen, held by the German Navy; the attach failed, and Transen went under ground, but later returned to his flat in Copenhagen, where he was taken prisoner by German security police. As prisoner he underwent torture and was subjected to mocked execution. He was transferred to a concentration camp, but probably due to the intervention by the permanent secretary of the Danish Foreign office, which after the Danish Government has stopped functioning in August 1943 kept the administration running and retained contacts with the German occupation authorities, Tramsen was not sent to a concentration camp in Germany, where survival rates were very low, but to one in Denmark. After the German defeat in May 1945 Tramsen continued his career in surgery, but went into general practice in Copenhagen in 1947, when he also obtained a permanent position in the naval medical service., where he remained until normal retirement in 1970, in the latter part as the highest ranking medical naval officer. He also served as medical chief at the Danish hospital ship Jutlandia serving as Danish contribution to the UN off the coast of Korea during the Korean war. He also attended as representative of the Danish Ministry of Defence the conference on the revision of the Geneva Conventions. No doubt Tramsen feared Soviet retaliation, but on the other hand he also showed courage by giving evidence at the US congressional hearings in 1952, where he confirmed that there had been no German pressure on the participants, and their conclusions had been voluntary and unanimous. He also gave an interview on Radio Free Europe transmitted to Poland in 1962. in which he desribed his experiences in Katyn. In 1971 his eldest daughter died in Warsaw, offially by carbon-monoxid poisoning from a gas heater. In theory it could be an accident, homicide or suicide. He felt it could be a revenge and in his grief he felt responsible and had a nervous break down. He died from a somatic illness in 1979 and during his terminal illness he told about his experiences from the war to a nephew.

Development and validation of a brief, descriptive Danish pain questionnaire (BDDPQ).

PubMed

Perkins, F M; Werner, M U; Persson, F; Holte, K; Jensen, T S; Kehlet, H

2004-04-01

A new pain questionnaire should be simple, be documented to have discriminative function, and be related to previously used questionnaires. Word meaning was validated by using bilingual Danish medical students and asking them to translate words taken from the Danish version of the McGill pain questionnaire into English. Evaluative word value was estimated using a visual analog scale (VAS). Discriminative function was assessed by having patients with one of six painful conditions (postherpetic neuralgia, phantom limb pain, rheumatoid arthritis, ankle fracture, appendicitis, or labor pain) complete the questionnaire. We were not able to find Danish words that were reliably back-translated to the English words 'splitting' or 'gnawing'. A simple three-word set of evaluative terms had good separation when rated on a VAS scale ('let' 17.5+/-6.5 mm; 'moderat' 42.7+/-8.6 mm; and 'staerk' 74.9+/-9.7 mm). The questionnaire was able to discriminate among the six painful conditions with 77% accuracy by just using the descriptive words. The accuracy of the questionnaire increased to 96% with the addition of evaluative terms (for pain at rest and with activity), chronicity (acute vs. chronic), and location of the pain. A Danish pain questionnaire that subjects and patients can self-administer has been developed and validated relative to the words used in the English McGill Pain questionnaire. The discriminative ability of the questionnaire among some common painful conditions has been tested and documented. The questionnaire may be of use in patient care and research.

The Danish oral health care service for children: an international appraisal.

PubMed

Davies, G N; Downer, M C; Holloway, P J

1983-09-01

The Danish children's oral health care service has been so successful in achieving its objectives that it will need to change and adapt in order to survive. It is suggested that the service should gradually become community-based rather than child-based. This process can be commenced by introducing treatment for the elderly, the handicapped and the indigent, converting the school clinics to municipal oral health units. Although it is important that private practice is maintained, private dentists should be encouraged to work in the system part-time, leading teams of supporting auxiliary personnel trained within an integrated system. Eventually, the facilities could form the basis of primary health care centres. The lessons to be learnt from the Danish experience have a wider application to other countries. In developing countries it is obvious that they should first place limited dental resources into public health prevention and only invest in expensive treatment clinics as funds become more available. Manpower planning should ensure that personnel are not overtrained for the needs of the community. In developed countries, increasingly more resources will need to be channelled into adult dental care, and dental education must lead the profession into this new era. Difficult though these changes will be, the stable relationships that have developed between the various arms of the service under the guidance of the Danish Dental Association, will ensure that the profession will survive and flourish for the benefit of the Danish people.

Comparison of Danish dichotomous and BI-RADS classifications of mammographic density.

PubMed

Hodge, Rebecca; Hellmann, Sophie Sell; von Euler-Chelpin, My; Vejborg, Ilse; Andersen, Zorana Jovanovic

2014-06-01

In the Copenhagen mammography screening program from 1991 to 2001, mammographic density was classified either as fatty or mixed/dense. This dichotomous mammographic density classification system is unique internationally, and has not been validated before. To compare the Danish dichotomous mammographic density classification system from 1991 to 2001 with the density BI-RADS classifications, in an attempt to validate the Danish classification system. The study sample consisted of 120 mammograms taken in Copenhagen in 1991-2001, which tested false positive, and which were in 2012 re-assessed and classified according to the BI-RADS classification system. We calculated inter-rater agreement between the Danish dichotomous mammographic classification as fatty or mixed/dense and the four-level BI-RADS classification by the linear weighted Kappa statistic. Of the 120 women, 32 (26.7%) were classified as having fatty and 88 (73.3%) as mixed/dense mammographic density, according to Danish dichotomous classification. According to BI-RADS density classification, 12 (10.0%) women were classified as having predominantly fatty (BI-RADS code 1), 46 (38.3%) as having scattered fibroglandular (BI-RADS code 2), 57 (47.5%) as having heterogeneously dense (BI-RADS 3), and five (4.2%) as having extremely dense (BI-RADS code 4) mammographic density. The inter-rater variability assessed by weighted kappa statistic showed a substantial agreement (0.75). The dichotomous mammographic density classification system utilized in early years of Copenhagen's mammographic screening program (1991-2001) agreed well with the BI-RADS density classification system.

Use of history science methods in exposure assessment for occupational health studies

PubMed Central

Johansen, K; Tinnerberg, H; Lynge, E

2005-01-01

Aims: To show the power of history science methods for exposure assessment in occupational health studies, using the dry cleaning industry in Denmark around 1970 as the example. Methods: Exposure data and other information on exposure status were searched for in unconventional data sources such as the Danish National Archives, the Danish Royal Library, archives of Statistics Denmark, the National Institute of Occupational Health, Denmark, and the Danish Labor Inspection Agency. Individual census forms were retrieved from the Danish National Archives. Results: It was estimated that in total 3267 persons worked in the dry cleaning industry in Denmark in 1970. They typically worked in small shops with an average size of 3.5 persons. Of these, 2645 persons were considered exposed to solvents as they were dry cleaners or worked very close to the dry cleaning process, while 622 persons were office workers, drivers, etc in shops with 10 or more persons. It was estimated that tetrachloroethylene constituted 85% of the dry cleaning solvent used, and that a shop would normally have two machines using 4.6 tons of tetrachloroethylene annually. Conclusion: The history science methods, including retrieval of material from the Danish National Archives and a thorough search in the Royal Library for publications on dry cleaning, turned out to be a very fruitful approach for collection of exposure data on dry cleaning work in Denmark. The history science methods proved to be a useful supplement to the exposure assessment methods normally applied in epidemiological studies. PMID:15961618

Melanoma of the Skin in the Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Melanoma Database: A Validation Study.

PubMed

Pedersen, Sidsel Arnspang; Schmidt, Sigrun Alba Johannesdottir; Klausen, Siri; Pottegård, Anton; Friis, Søren; Hölmich, Lisbet Rosenkrantz; Gaist, David

2018-05-01

The nationwide Danish Cancer Registry and the Danish Melanoma Database both record data on melanoma for purposes of monitoring, quality assurance, and research. However, the data quality of the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database has not been formally evaluated. We estimated the positive predictive value (PPV) of melanoma diagnosis for random samples of 200 patients from the Cancer Registry (n = 200) and the Melanoma Database (n = 200) during 2004-2014, using the Danish Pathology Registry as "gold standard" reference. We further validated tumor characteristics in the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database. Additionally, we estimated the PPV of in situ melanoma diagnoses in the Melanoma Database, and the sensitivity of melanoma diagnoses in 2004-2014. The PPVs of melanoma in the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database were 97% (95% CI = 94, 99) and 100%. The sensitivity was 90% in the Cancer Registry and 77% in the Melanoma Database. The PPV of in situ melanomas in the Melanoma Database was 97% and the sensitivity was 56%. In the Melanoma Database, we observed PPVs of ulceration of 75% and Breslow thickness of 96%. The PPV of histologic subtypes varied between 87% and 100% in the Cancer Registry and 93% and 100% in the Melanoma Database. The PPVs for anatomical localization were 83%-95% in the Cancer Registry and 93%-100% in the Melanoma Database. The data quality in both the Cancer Registry and the Melanoma Database is high, supporting their use in epidemiologic studies.

Psychiatric disease incidence among Danish Seventh-day Adventists and Baptists.

PubMed

Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Dalton, Susanne Oksbjerg; Johansen, Christoffer; Ross, Lone; Kessing, Lars Vedel; Hvidt, Niels Christian

2013-10-01

Previous studies suggest that religious practice can have a positive effect on mental health, but may also have potential for harm. In Denmark, unique possibilities are available for studying the influence of religious practice on mental health: Denmark is characterized as a secular society and it is possible to follow members of religious societies in nationwide registers. In this study, we follow a cohort of Danish Seventh-day Adventists (SDA) and Baptists in a nationwide psychiatry register and compare the incidence in this cohort with the general population. We followed a cohort of 5,614 SDA and 3,663 Baptists in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register, which contained information on psychiatric hospitalizations from 1970 to 2009. Psychiatric disease incidence in the cohort was compared with that in the general Danish population as standardized incidence ratios and within-cohort comparisons were made with a Cox model. The cohort had decreased incidence of abuse disorders compared to the general population. Furthermore, among Baptists, decreased incidence of unipolar disorders among men and decreased incidence of schizophrenia among women were observed. Surprisingly, we observed an increased incidence rate of unipolar disorder among women. In this nationwide cohort study with 40 years of follow-up, we observed increased incidence rates of unipolar disorders among women and decreased rates of alcohol- and drug-related psychiatric disorders compared to the general Danish population. We have no mechanistic explanation for the increased incidence of unipolar disorders among women, but discuss several hypotheses that could explain this observation.

Danish Rural Eye Study: the association of preschool vision screening with the prevalence of amblyopia.

PubMed

Høeg, Tracy B; Moldow, Birgitte; Ellervik, Christina; Klemp, Kristian; Erngaard, Ditte; la Cour, Morten; Buch, Helena

2015-06-01

To determine the prevalence of amblyopia in Denmark before and after the initiation of the Danish national preschool vision screening programme. In a population-based cross-sectional study, 3826 participants of the Danish General Suburban Population Study (GESUS) aged 20 years and older from a Danish rural municipality received a complete general health examination and an ophthalmological interview and examination. This study included a comprehensive ophthalmologic interview, measurement of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in each eye, Hirschberg's test for strabismus and two 45-degree retinal fundus photographs of each eye. A complete ophthalmologic examination was performed when indicated. The prevalence of monocular visual impairment (MVI) was 4.26% (95% CI, 3.66-4.95, n = 163). Amblyopia was the most common cause, accounting for 33%. The prevalence of amblyopia was 1.44% (95% CI, 1.01-1.81, n = 55), being higher among non-preschool vision screened persons compared to those who were offered (estimated 95% attendance) preschool vision screening (1.78%, n = 41, 95% CI 1.24-2.33 versus 0.44%, n = 2, 95% CI, 0.12-1.60, p = 0.024). The leading cause of amblyopia was anisometropia (45.5%, 25/55). Amblyopia was the most common cause of MVI. Following the initiation of the Danish national preschool vision screening programme, which has an approximate attendance rate of 95%, the prevalence of amblyopia decreased by fourfold. © 2014 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Danish VISA-A questionnaire with validation and reliability testing for Danish-speaking Achilles tendinopathy patients.

PubMed

Iversen, J V; Bartels, E M; Jørgensen, J E; Nielsen, T G; Ginnerup, C; Lind, M C; Langberg, H

2016-12-01

The VISA-A questionnaire has proven to be a valid and reliable tool for assessing severity of Achilles tendinopathy (AT). The aim was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the VISA-A questionnaire for a Danish-speaking AT population, and subsequently perform validity and reliability tests. Translation and following cross-cultural adaptation was performed as translation, synthesis, reverse translation, expert review, and pretesting. The final Danish version (VISA-A-DK) was tested for reliability on healthy controls (n = 75) and patients (n = 36). Tests for internal consistency, validity, and structure were performed on 71 patients. VISA-A-DK showed good reliability for patients (r = 0.80 ICC = 0.79) and healthy individuals (r = 0.98 ICC = 0.97). Internal consistency was 0.73 (Cronbach's alpha). The mean VISA-A-DK score in AT patients was 51 [47-55]. This was significantly lower than healthy controls with a score of 93 (90-95). Criterion validity was considered good when comparing the scores of the Danish version with the original version in both healthy individuals and patients. VISA-A-DK is a valid and reliable instrument and has shown compatible to the original version in assessment of AT patients. VISA-A-DK is a useful tool in the assessment of AT, both in research and in a clinical setting. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Use of history science methods in exposure assessment for occupational health studies.

PubMed

Johansen, K; Tinnerberg, H; Lynge, E

2005-07-01

To show the power of history science methods for exposure assessment in occupational health studies, using the dry cleaning industry in Denmark around 1970 as the example. Exposure data and other information on exposure status were searched for in unconventional data sources such as the Danish National Archives, the Danish Royal Library, archives of Statistics Denmark, the National Institute of Occupational Health, Denmark, and the Danish Labor Inspection Agency. Individual census forms were retrieved from the Danish National Archives. It was estimated that in total 3267 persons worked in the dry cleaning industry in Denmark in 1970. They typically worked in small shops with an average size of 3.5 persons. Of these, 2645 persons were considered exposed to solvents as they were dry cleaners or worked very close to the dry cleaning process, while 622 persons were office workers, drivers, etc in shops with 10 or more persons. It was estimated that tetrachloroethylene constituted 85% of the dry cleaning solvent used, and that a shop would normally have two machines using 4.6 tons of tetrachloroethylene annually. The history science methods, including retrieval of material from the Danish National Archives and a thorough search in the Royal Library for publications on dry cleaning, turned out to be a very fruitful approach for collection of exposure data on dry cleaning work in Denmark. The history science methods proved to be a useful supplement to the exposure assessment methods normally applied in epidemiological studies.

Simulating the spread of classical swine fever virus between a hypothetical wild-boar population and domestic pig herds in Denmark.

PubMed

Boklund, A; Goldbach, S G; Uttenthal, A; Alban, L

2008-07-15

Denmark has no free-range wild-boar population. However, Danish wildlife organizations have suggested that wild boar should be reintroduced into the wild to broaden national biodiversity. Danish pig farmers fear that this would lead to a higher risk of introduction of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), which could have enormous consequences in terms of loss of pork exports. We conducted a risk assessment to address the additional risk of introducing and spreading CSFV due to the reintroduction of wild boar. In this paper, we present the part of the risk assessment that deals with the spread of CSFV between the hypothetical wild-boar population and the domestic population. Furthermore, the economic impact is assessed taking the perspective of the Danish national budget and the Danish pig industry. We used InterSpreadPlus to model the differential classical swine fever (CSF) risk due to wild boar. Nine scenarios were run to elucidate the effect of: (a) presence of wild boar (yes/no), (b) locations for the index case (domestic pig herd/wild-boar group), (c) type of control strategy for wild boar (hunting/vaccination) and (d) presence of free-range domestic pigs. The presence of free-range wild boar was simulated in two large forests using data from wildlife studies and Danish habitat data. For each scenario, we estimated (1) the control costs borne by the veterinary authorities, (2) the control-related costs to farmers and (3) the loss of exports associated with an epidemic. Our simulations predict that CSFV will be transmitted from the domestic pig population to wild boar if the infected domestic pig herd is located close to an area with wild boar (<5 km). If an outbreak begins in the wild-boar population, the epidemic will last longer and will occasionally lead to several epidemics because of periodic transfer of virus from groups of infected wild boar to domestic pig herds. The size and duration of the epidemic will be reduced if there are no free-range domestic pig herds in the area with CSF-infected wild boar. The economic calculations showed that the total national costs for Denmark (i.e. the direct costs to the national budget and the costs to the pig industry) related to an outbreak of CSF in Denmark will be highly driven by the reactions of the export markets and in particular of the non-EU markets. Unfortunately, there is a substantial amount of uncertainty surrounding this issue. If hunting is used as a control measure, the average expenses related to a CSF outbreak will be 40% higher if wild boar are present compared with not present. However, a vaccination strategy for wild boar will double the total costs compared with a hunting strategy.

Danish auroral science history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stauning, P.

2011-01-01

Danish auroral science history begins with the early auroral observations made by the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe during the years from 1582 to 1601 preceding the Maunder minimum in solar activity. Included are also the brilliant observations made by another astronomer, Ole Rømer, from Copenhagen in 1707, as well as the early auroral observations made from Greenland by missionaries during the 18th and 19th centuries. The relations between auroras and geomagnetic variations were analysed by H. C. Ørsted, who also played a vital role in the development of Danish meteorology that came to include comprehensive auroral observations from Denmark, Iceland and Greenland as well as auroral and geomagnetic research. The very important auroral investigations made by Sophus Tromholt are outlined. His analysis from 1880 of auroral observations from Greenland prepared for the significant contributions from the Danish Meteorological Institute, DMI, (founded in 1872) to the first International Polar Year 1882/83, where an expedition headed by Adam Paulsen was sent to Greenland to conduct auroral and geomagnetic observations. Paulsen's analyses of the collected data gave many important results but also raised many new questions that gave rise to auroral expeditions to Iceland in 1899 to 1900 and to Finland in 1900 to 1901. Among the results from these expeditions were 26 unique paintings of the auroras made by the artist painter, Harald Moltke. The expedition to Finland was headed by Dan la Cour, who later as director of the DMI came to be in charge of the comprehensive international geomagnetic and auroral observations made during the Second International Polar Year in 1932/33. Finally, the article describes the important investigations made by Knud Lassen during, among others, the International Geophysical Year 1957/58 and during the International Quiet Sun Year (IQSY) in 1964/65. With his leadership the auroral and geomagnetic research at DMI reached a high international level that came to be the background for the first Danish satellite, Ørsted, successfully launched in 1999 and still in operation.

No Correlation Between Work-Hours and Operative Volumes--A Comparison Between United States and Danish Operative Volumes Achieved During Surgical Residency.

PubMed

Kjærgaard, Jane; Sillesen, Martin; Beier-Holgersen, Randi

2016-01-01

Since 2003, United States residents have been limited to an 80-hour workweek. This has prompted concerns of reduced educational quality, especially inadequate operating exposure. In contrast, the Danish surgical specialty-training program mandates a cap on working hours of 37 per week. We hypothesize that there is no direct correlation between work-hours and operative volume achieved during surgical residency. To test the hypothesis, we compare Danish and US operative volumes achieved during surgical residency training. Retrospective comparative study. The data from the US population was extracted from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education database for General Surgery residents from 2012 to 2013. For Danish residents, a questionnaire with case categories matching the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education categories were sent to all Danish surgeons graduating the national surgical residency program in 2012 or 2013, 54 in total. In all, 30 graduated residents (55%) responded to the Danish survey. We found no significant differences in mean total major procedures (1002.4 vs 976.9, p = 0.28) performed during residency training, but comparing average major procedures per year, the US residents achieve significantly more (132.3 vs 195.4, p <0.01). When factoring in differences in time spent in training, this amounts to a weekly average difference of 1.2 cases throughout training. In this study, we find no difference in overall surgical volumes between Danes and US residents during their surgical training. When time in training was accounted for, differences between weekly surgical volumes achieved were minor, indicating a lack of direct correlation between weekly work-hours and operative volumes achievable. Factors other than work-hours seem to effect on operative volumes achieved during training. Copyright © 2016 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dementia and Traffic Accidents: A Danish Register-Based Cohort Study.

PubMed

Petersen, Jindong Ding; Siersma, Volkert; Nielsen, Connie Thurøe; Vass, Mikkel; Waldorff, Frans Boch

2016-09-27

As a consequence of a rapid growth of an ageing population, more people with dementia are expected on the roads. Little is known about whether these people are at increased risk of road traffic-related accidents. Our study aims to investigate the risk of road traffic-related accidents for people aged 65 years or older with a diagnosis of dementia in Denmark. We will conduct a nationwide population-based cohort study consisting of Danish people aged 65 or older living in Denmark as of January 1, 2008. The cohort is followed for 7 years (2008-2014). Individual's personal data are available in Danish registers and can be linked using a unique personal identification number. A person is identified with dementia if the person meets at least one of the following criteria: (1) a diagnosis of the disease in the Danish National Patient Register or in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register, and/or (2) at least one dementia diagnosis-related drug prescription registration in the Danish National Prescription Registry. Police-, hospital-, and emergency room-reported road traffic-related accidents occurred within the study follow-up are defined as the study outcome. Cox proportional hazard regression models are used for the main analysis. Our study protocol has 3 phases including data collection, data analysis, and reporting. The first phase of register-based data collection of 853,228 individual's personal information was completed in August, 2016. The next phase is data analysis, which is expected to be finished before December 2016, and thereafter writing publications based on the findings. The study started in January 2016 and will end in December 2018. This study covers the entire elderly population of Denmark, and thereby will avoid selection bias due to nonparticipation and loss to follow-up. Furthermore, this ensures that the study results are reliable and generalizable. However, underreporting of traffic-related accidents may occur, which will limit estimation of absolute risks.

Dementia and Traffic Accidents: A Danish Register-Based Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Siersma, Volkert; Nielsen, Connie Thurøe; Vass, Mikkel; Waldorff, Frans Boch

2016-01-01

Background As a consequence of a rapid growth of an ageing population, more people with dementia are expected on the roads. Little is known about whether these people are at increased risk of road traffic-related accidents. Objective Our study aims to investigate the risk of road traffic-related accidents for people aged 65 years or older with a diagnosis of dementia in Denmark. Methods We will conduct a nationwide population-based cohort study consisting of Danish people aged 65 or older living in Denmark as of January 1, 2008. The cohort is followed for 7 years (2008-2014). Individual’s personal data are available in Danish registers and can be linked using a unique personal identification number. A person is identified with dementia if the person meets at least one of the following criteria: (1) a diagnosis of the disease in the Danish National Patient Register or in the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register, and/or (2) at least one dementia diagnosis-related drug prescription registration in the Danish National Prescription Registry. Police-, hospital-, and emergency room-reported road traffic-related accidents occurred within the study follow-up are defined as the study outcome. Cox proportional hazard regression models are used for the main analysis. Results Our study protocol has 3 phases including data collection, data analysis, and reporting. The first phase of register-based data collection of 853,228 individual’s personal information was completed in August, 2016. The next phase is data analysis, which is expected to be finished before December 2016, and thereafter writing publications based on the findings. The study started in January 2016 and will end in December 2018. Discussion This study covers the entire elderly population of Denmark, and thereby will avoid selection bias due to nonparticipation and loss to follow-up. Furthermore, this ensures that the study results are reliable and generalizable. However, underreporting of traffic-related accidents may occur, which will limit estimation of absolute risks. PMID:27678553

Book Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vickridge, Ian

2007-09-01

These two volumes present a series of papers that have arisen from a discussion meeting held at the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in May 2006, under a strong impetus from Prof. Peter Sigmund. A significant number of central players in the 'ion beam' family were invited to participate in the discussions and most of them contributed to these two volumes. The prime purpose of the volumes, as stated in the Abstract, is 'to help those engaged in basic and applied research within ion-beam science to stay or become alert with respect to central problems in and around their area', whilst not having the pretension to be either 'a comprehensive review or a tutorial'. The overall result is stunning, and ion beam scientists from all realms are likely to want these two volumes, which together comprise some 750 pages, on their bookshelves.

[Greenhouse gardeners and sickness absence. A questionnaire study among greenhouse gardeners in Aarhus region].

PubMed

Pallesen, Ellen; Nielsen, Claus Vinther; Drews, Birgit Mammen

2007-02-26

The aim of the study was to examine sickness absence and risk factors for sickness absence in a population of greenhouse gardeners in the county of Arhus. The study was cross sectional and based on data from questionnaires sent to all employees and greenhouse gardens in the county. Greenhouse gardeners had an average of four days of sickness absence a year. Self-rated health was poorer than average of the Danish population in general. Female gender, age below 40 years, troublesome relationships to family and friends, "poor" physical working environment and job insecurity were all predictors for increased risk of sickness absence lasting more than two weeks a year. Sickness absence was low compared to the average of the Danish labour market. Considering poorer self-rated health and frequent occurrence of some of the above-mentioned predictors for increased risk of sickness absence--female gender, age below 40 years and for women, high exposure to "poor" physical working environment--an average sickness absence of only four days was a puzzle. The data from the study were not sufficient to explain this paradox. It might be due to compensating factors at work or at a personal level. It might be due to information bias, as sickness absence could be underestimated, but agreement between reported sickness absence from employees and greenhouse gardens diminished that probability. It might have been a consequence of selection bias, the "healthy workers'" effect. Employees with considerable sickness absence might have been dismissed for long-term absence or might have quit the job because they were not able to cope with it.

Hamlet's Transformation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usher, P. D.

1997-12-01

William Shakespeare's Hamlet has much evidence to suggest that the Bard was aware of the cosmological models of his time, specifically the geocentric bounded Ptolemaic and Tychonic models, and the infinite Diggesian. Moreover, Shakespeare describes how the Ptolemaic model is to be transformed to the Diggesian. Hamlet's "transformation" is the reason that Claudius, who personifies the Ptolemaic model, summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who personify the Tychonic. Pantometria, written by Leonard Digges and his son Thomas in 1571, contains the first technical use of the word "transformation." At age thirty, Thomas Digges went on to propose his Perfit Description, as alluded to in Act Five where Hamlet's age is given as thirty. In Act Five as well, the words "bore" and "arms" refer to Thomas' vocation as muster-master and his scientific interest in ballistics. England's leading astronomer was also the father of the poet whose encomium introduced the First Folio of 1623. His oldest child Dudley became a member of the Virginia Company and facilitated the writing of The Tempest. Taken as a whole, such manifold connections to Thomas Digges support Hotson's contention that Shakespeare knew the Digges family. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet bear Danish names because they personify the Danish model, while the king's name is latinized like that of Claudius Ptolemaeus. The reason Shakespeare anglicized "Amleth" to "Hamlet" was because he saw a parallel between Book Three of Saxo Grammaticus and the eventual triumph of the Diggesian model. But Shakespeare eschewed Book Four, creating this particular ending from an infinity of other possibilities because it "suited his purpose," viz. to celebrate the concept of a boundless universe of stars like the Sun.

Work-related acute physical injuries, chronic overuse complaints, and the psychosocial work environment in Danish primary care chiropractic practice - a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Hansen, Mille Charlotte; Aagaard, Tine; Christensen, Henrik Wulff; Hartvigsen, Jan

2018-01-01

Little is known about the physical and psychosocial work environment of chiropractors and their work-related health complaints, and this has never been described for Danish chiropractors. The aim of this study was, therefore, to describe work-related acute physical injuries, overuse complaints, and psychosocial stress in Danish chiropractic work settings. We developed a questionnaire specifically for this study and distributed it electronically in August 2016 using SurveyXact to all 575 members of the Danish Chiropractors' Association working in primary care clinics. Chiropractors were asked about their work-related acute physical injuries and overuse complaints as well as any psychosocial stress they experienced at work during the previous year. We described our sample and variables using means, medians, ranges, and confidence intervals where appropriate. Statistically significant differences between genders, types of complaints and injuries, and between clinic owners and associates were examined using Chi-square and Fischer's exact tests, where appropriate, or by examining confidence intervals for non-overlap. 355 (65.2%) chiropractors answered the survey. Of these, 216 (61%, 95% CI 56-66) had experienced a work-related acute physical injury and/or overuse complaint during the previous year. Work-related overuse complaints were most commonly reported in the low back, wrist, thumb, and shoulder, and were more common among women (63%, 95% CI 56-70) than men (51%, 95% CI 43-59). Chiropractors with more than five years in practice (59%, 95% CI 52-64) reported significantly fewer work-related acute injuries and overuse complaints during the previous year compared with chiropractors with less than five years in practice (83%, 95% CI 73-91). In general, these practicing Danish chiropractors reported having a good psychosocial work environment, and 90% of chiropractors "always" or "often" felt that they were motivated and committed to their work. This sample of Danish practicing chiropractors commonly reported work-related acute physical injuries or overuse complaints. Overuse complaints were most commonly reported in the low back, wrist, thumb, and shoulder and were more common among women than men. Newly educated chiropractors reported more overuse complaints than experienced chiropractors. Collectively, this sample of Danish chiropractors reported that they had a good psychosocial work environment.

Evaluation and application of site-specific data to revise the first-order decay model for estimating landfill gas generation and emissions at Danish landfills.

PubMed

Mou, Zishen; Scheutz, Charlotte; Kjeldsen, Peter

2015-06-01

Methane (CH₄) generated from low-organic waste degradation at four Danish landfills was estimated by three first-order decay (FOD) landfill gas (LFG) generation models (LandGEM, IPCC, and Afvalzorg). Actual waste data from Danish landfills were applied to fit model (IPCC and Afvalzorg) required categories. In general, the single-phase model, LandGEM, significantly overestimated CH₄generation, because it applied too high default values for key parameters to handle low-organic waste scenarios. The key parameters were biochemical CH₄potential (BMP) and CH₄generation rate constant (k-value). In comparison to the IPCC model, the Afvalzorg model was more suitable for estimating CH₄generation at Danish landfills, because it defined more proper waste categories rather than traditional municipal solid waste (MSW) fractions. Moreover, the Afvalzorg model could better show the influence of not only the total disposed waste amount, but also various waste categories. By using laboratory-determined BMPs and k-values for shredder, sludge, mixed bulky waste, and street-cleaning waste, the Afvalzorg model was revised. The revised model estimated smaller cumulative CH₄generation results at the four Danish landfills (from the start of disposal until 2020 and until 2100). Through a CH₄mass balance approach, fugitive CH₄emissions from whole sites and a specific cell for shredder waste were aggregated based on the revised Afvalzorg model outcomes. Aggregated results were in good agreement with field measurements, indicating that the revised Afvalzorg model could provide practical and accurate estimation for Danish LFG emissions. This study is valuable for both researchers and engineers aiming to predict, control, and mitigate fugitive CH₄emissions from landfills receiving low-organic waste. Landfill operators use the first-order decay (FOD) models to estimate methane (CH₄) generation. A single-phase model (LandGEM) and a traditional model (IPCC) could result in overestimation when handling a low-organic waste scenario. Site-specific data were important and capable of calibrating key parameter values in FOD models. The comparison study of the revised Afvalzorg model outcomes and field measurements at four Danish landfills provided a guideline for revising the Pollutants Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) model, as well as indicating noteworthy waste fractions that could emit CH₄at modern landfills.

The impact of social relations among men and women in fertility treatment on the decision to terminate treatment.

PubMed

Vassard, Ditte; Lund, Rikke; Pinborg, Anja; Boivin, Jacky; Schmidt, Lone

2012-12-01

Do social support and social strain from social relations have an impact on the decision to terminate fertility treatment among men and women after 1 year of unsuccessful treatment? Several functional aspects of social relations show an impact on the probability to terminate treatment; social support from family significantly decreases the probability to terminate and experience of conflicts or problematic communication with the partner significantly increases the probability to terminate treatment. Fertility patients can experience psychological, physical and economical strain as consequences of infertility and fertility treatment, and previous studies have shown that these pressures increase the probability of deciding to terminate treatment before the treatment options are exhausted. Some studies have indicated that social relations can also have an effect. This study is part of the prospective Infertility Cohort from the Copenhagen Multi-centre Psychosocial Infertility Research Programme. Baseline data were collected during January 2000-August 2001 among patients recruited at five Danish fertility clinics during their initial visit and follow-up data were collected after 1 year. The study group (n = 777; 427 women, 350 men) consisted of patients who did not achieve a live birth or an ongoing pregnancy during follow-up. Social support and strain from the patients' partner, family, family-in-law, friends and colleagues were measured at baseline and the decision to terminate treatment while treatment options were not yet exhausted was measured as the outcome at the 1-year follow-up. At the 1-year follow-up, 23% of the study group had decided to terminate treatment. For women, low levels of family support, specifically with regard to infertility, were associated with the termination of treatment after 1 year [odds ratio (OR) 6.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2-16.8] and, for men, low levels of general family support had a similar impact (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.0-7.0). For men, difficulties in communicating with their partner about the infertility increased the probability of terminating the treatment (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.1) and, for women, frequent conflicts with their partner increased the probability of terminating the treatment (OR 12.4, 95% CI 2.9-54.1). For women, conflicts with friends were also a predictor of treatment termination (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.2). Functional aspects of social relations have an impact on the decision to terminate fertility treatment among men and women. The findings in this study provide new insights into how the close social environment can have implications for men and women going through fertility treatment. This study has received support from the Danish Health Insurance Fund (J.nr. 11/097-97), the Else and Mogens Wedell-Wedellsborgs Fund, the manager E. Danielsens and Wife's Fund, the merchant L.F. Foghts Fund, the Jacob Madsen and Wife Olga Madsen's Fund, and the Engineer K.A. Rohde and Wife's Fund. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Social consequences of multiple sclerosis. Part 2. Divorce and separation: a historical prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Pfleger, C C H; Flachs, E M; Koch-Henriksen, Nils

2010-07-01

There is a need for follow-up studies of the familial situation of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. To evaluate the probability of MS patients to remain in marriage or relationship with the same partner after onset of MS in comparison with the population. All 2538 Danes with onset of MS 1980-1989, retrieved from the Danish MS-Registry, and 50,760 matched and randomly drawn control persons were included. Information on family status was retrieved from Statistics Denmark. Cox analyses were used with onset as starting point. Five years after onset, the cumulative probability of remaining in the same relationship was 86% in patients vs. 89% in controls. The probabilities continued to deviate, and at 24 years, the probability was 33% in patients vs. 53% in the control persons (p < 0.001). Among patients with young onset (< 36 years of age), those with no children had a higher risk of divorce than those having children less than 7 years (Hazard Ratio 1.51; p < 0.0001), and men had a higher risk of divorce than women (Hazard Ratio 1.33; p < 0.01). MS significantly affects the probability of remaining in the same relationship compared with the background population.

The aftermath of an industrial disaster.

PubMed

Elklit, A

1997-01-01

An explosion in a Danish supertanker under construction in 1994 caused the death of six workers and injured 15. Six months later 270 workers took part in this study, which analyses the relationships between objective stressors, the workers' own feelings and the reactions of their families after the explosion together with training, attitude to the workplace, general out-look, and received crisis help. Traumatisation, coping style and crisis support was assessed via the Impact of Event Scale (IES), the Coping Styles Questionnaire (CSQ) and the Crisis Support Scale (CSS). Emotionally, workers and their families were strongly affected by the explosion. The IES-score was 17.6 and the invasion score 9.1. The degree of traumatisation was higher in the group who had an 'audience position' than in the group who was directly hit by the explosion. Training in rescue work did not protect against adverse effects. Rescue work had a strong impact on the involved. Social support was a significant factor, that seems to buffer negative effects. High level of social integration, effective leadership in the situation, and professional crisis intervention characterised the disaster situation. All the same, 41 per cent of the workers reached the caseness criteria by Horowitz (IES > or = 19).

"We Got Incredibly Drunk...It Was Damned Fun": Drinking Stories among Danish Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tutenges, Sebastien; Rod, Morten Hulvej

2009-01-01

Drinking stories are immensely popular among contemporary Danish youth. The stories are shared with much enthusiasm in school, at parties, over the telephone and via the Internet. But why are the young so compelled by these seemingly vulgar stories? Applying the theories of, most importantly, Bakhtin (1968), Ricoeur (1991), and Jackson (2002),…

University Academics at a Crossroads? Continuity and Transformation in Danish University Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krejsler, John B.; Carney, Stephen

2009-01-01

Within an overall policy script aimed at creating fewer "world-class" institutions, Danish universities are currently being remade to better serve the world of work and employment, the demands of high-technology industry, and the needs of society, which are increasingly described and defined in terms of appeals to "relevance to the…

The Seeds of Social Change from Denmark.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberson, Donald N., Jr.

N.F.S. Grundtvig was a priest, historian, poet, and founder of the Danish Folk High School. He believed that education for adults should be geared to adults and wanted schools to be independent of the church. Grundtvig was among the first to call for Denmark's schools to use the native Danish language. Grundtvig believed that each group or culture…

Information Literacy, Learning, and the Public Library: A Study of Danish High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielsen, Bo Gerner; Borlund, Pia

2011-01-01

The paper reports on a study of 12 Danish high school students' perceptions of public libraries' role in learning, user education, information literacy, and librarians' information competencies. The study is undertaken by use of literature review and interviews with a purposive select sample of public library users in Denmark. The study…

Mortality and Causes of Death in Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Update

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mouridsen, Svend Erik; Bronnum-Hansen, Henrik; Rich, Bente; Isager, Torben

2008-01-01

This study compared mortality among Danish citizens with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with that of the general population. A clinical cohort of 341 Danish individuals with variants of ASD, previously followed over the period 1960-93, now on average 43 years of age, were updated with respect to mortality and causes of death. Standardized…

Independent School Success Challenging the Danish Public School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ringsmose, Charlotte

2013-01-01

Denmark has had a long history of placing a high priority on education and public schooling. It is a declared goal of the Danish welfare system to provide comprehensive schooling, where children from different socioeconomic backgrounds can go to school together and have the same opportunities through education. It is also a declared goal for…

Evaluation of the Danish Leave Schemes. Summary of a Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersen, Dines; Appeldorn, Alice; Weise, Hanne

An evaluation examined how the Danish leave schemes, an offer to employed and unemployed persons who qualify for unemployment benefits, were functioning and to what extent the objectives have been achieved. It was found that 60 percent of those taking leave had previously been unemployed; women accounted for two-thirds of those joining the scheme;…

Psychosocial Development in a Danish Population of Children with Cochlear Implants and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dammeyer, Jesper

2010-01-01

Research has shown a prevalence of psychosocial difficulties ranging from about 20% to 50% among children with hearing loss. This study evaluates the prevalence of psychosocial difficulties in a Danish population in relation to different explanatory variables. Five scales and questionnaires measuring sign language, spoken language, hearing…

Using Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Healthy Eating among Danish Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gronhoj, Alice; Bech-Larsen, Tino; Chan, Kara; Tsang, Lennon

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to apply the theory of planned behavior to predict Danish adolescents' behavioral intention for healthy eating. Design/methodology/approach: A cluster sample survey of 410 students aged 11 to 16 years studying in Grade 6 to Grade 10 was conducted in Denmark. Findings: Perceived behavioral control followed by…

Looking for the Information Needle in the Internet Haystack.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clausen, Helge

This paper presents the results of an empirical survey conducted in the winter of 1995-96 among 413 Danish Internet users (business people, higher education/research and students). Data from a recent Danish Mediacenter Internet survey (n=2981) are also included. Findings indicate that women tend to use the Internet to solve well-defined problems,…

Is Drop-Out from University Dependent on National Culture and Policy? The Case of Denmark

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Troelsen, Rie; Laursen, Per F.

2014-01-01

National cultures are known to influence educational institutions and practices in many ways. It therefore seems reasonable to assume that drop-out from university is also influenced by differences in national cultures. In this article, we compare drop-out from Danish universities with drop-out from European universities. Based on Danish national…

A Lexical Comparison of Signs from Icelandic and Danish Sign Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldersson, Russell R.; McEntee-Atalianis, Lisa J.

2008-01-01

This article reports on a comparison of lexical items in the vocabulary of Icelandic and Danish sign languages prompted by anecdotal reports of similarity and historical records detailing close contact between the two communities. Drawing on previous studies, including Bickford (2005), McKee and Kennedy (1998, 2000a, 2000b) and Parkhurst and…

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Photometry of 3 open clusters (Andreuzzi+, 2011)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreuzzi, G.; Bragaglia, A.; Tosi, M.; Marconi, G.

2012-02-01

Be20 and Be66 were observed with DOLORES at TNG (Telescopio Nazionale Galileo) in 24-Nov-2000 and 03-Oct-2000 (Be66); To2 was observed on 07-Mar-1995 (ESO/Danish), 15-May-2001 (ESO/Danish with DFOSC), and 15-Mar-2002 (ESO/NTT with SuSI2) (3 data files).

Using the SOLO Taxonomy to Analyze Competence Progression of University Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brabrand, Claus; Dahl, Bettina

2009-01-01

During 2007 all Danish university curricula were reformulated to explicitly state course objectives due to the adoption of a new Danish national grading scale which stipulated that grades were to be given based on how well students meet explicit course objectives. The Faculties of Science at University of Aarhus and University of Southern Denmark…

Europeanisation and Policy Change in the Danish Vocational Education and Training System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cort, Pia

2010-01-01

This article aims to analyse the interrelationship between the Copenhagen Process, EU vocational education and training policy, and Danish initial vocational education and training policies in order to shed light on the role of EU policies in policy and institutional change. The article points to the complexity of policy-making and the…

Triple-reassortant influenza A virus with H3 of human seasonal origin, NA of swine origin, and internal A(H1N1) pandemic 2009 genes is established in Danish pigs.

PubMed

Krog, Jesper Schak; Hjulsager, Charlotte Kristiane; Larsen, Michael Albin; Larsen, Lars Erik

2017-05-01

This report describes a triple-reassortant influenza A virus with a HA that resembles H3 of human seasonal influenza from 2004 to 2005, N2 from influenza A virus already established in swine, and the internal gene cassette from A(H1N1)pdm09 has spread in Danish pig herds. The virus has been detected in several Danish pig herds during the last 2-3 years and may possess a challenge for human as well as animal health. © 2017 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reproductive motivation and family-size preferences among Nigerian men.

PubMed

Isiugo-Abanihe, U C

1994-01-01

Data collected from 3,073 couples in four Nigerian cities and one semi-urban settlement were used to examine reproductive decision-making and male motivation for large family size. The report concludes that the characteristic male-dominant and patrilineal traditions support large family size and that men's reproductive motivation, to a large extent, affects the reproductive behavior of their wives. Therefore, the factors influencing men's reproductive outcomes and intentions are considered important for fertility transition in Nigeria. Male education, age at marriage, monogamy, interspousal communication, and intention not to rely on children for old-age support are significantly related to smaller actual family size and preferences for smaller families, while being in a male-dominant family setting has a strong relation with large family size and preferences for larger families. The policy implication of this study is the need for programs targeted at men and designed to change their attitudes about population matters and motivate them, and hence their wives, to produce smaller families.

Effects of preference heterogeneity among landowners on spatial conservation prioritization.

PubMed

Nielsen, Anne Sofie Elberg; Strange, Niels; Bruun, Hans Henrik; Jacobsen, Jette Bredahl

2017-06-01

The participation of private landowners in conservation is crucial to efficient biodiversity conservation. This is especially the case in settings where the share of private ownership is large and the economic costs associated with land acquisition are high. We used probit regression analysis and historical participation data to examine the likelihood of participation of Danish forest owners in a voluntary conservation program. We used the results to spatially predict the likelihood of participation of all forest owners in Denmark. We merged spatial data on the presence of forest, cadastral information on participation contracts, and individual-level socioeconomic information about the forest owners and their households. We included predicted participation in a probability model for species survival. Uninformed and informed (included land owner characteristics) models were then incorporated into a spatial prioritization for conservation of unmanaged forests. The choice models are based on sociodemographic data on the entire population of Danish forest owners and historical data on their participation in conservation schemes. Inclusion in the model of information on private landowners' willingness to supply land for conservation yielded at intermediate budget levels up to 30% more expected species coverage than the uninformed prioritization scheme. Our landowner-choice model provides an example of moving toward more implementable conservation planning. © 2016 Society for Conservation Biology.

Genetically distinct isolates of Spirocerca sp. from a naturally infected red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from Denmark.

PubMed

Al-Sabi, Mohammad Nafi Solaiman; Hansen, Mette Sif; Chriél, Mariann; Holm, Elisabeth; Larsen, Gitte; Enemark, Heidi Larsen

2014-09-15

Spirocerca lupi causes formation of nodules that may transform into sarcoma in the walls of aorta, esophagus and stomach of infected canids. In February 2013, post mortem examination of a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) hunted in Denmark revealed the presence of several nodules containing adult worms of Spirocerca sp. in the stomach and the omentum. The nodules largely consisted of fibrous tissue with infiltration of mononuclear cells, neutrophilic granulocytes and macrophages with hemosiderin deposition. Parasitological examination by three copromicroscopic methods, sedimentation, flotation with saturated sugar-salt solution, and sieving failed to detect eggs of Spirocerca sp. in feces collected from the colon. This is the first report of spirocercosis in Denmark, and may have been caused by a recent introduction by migrating paratenic or definitive host. Analysis of two overlapping partial sequences of the cox1 gene, from individual worms, revealed distinct genetic variation (7-9%) between the Danish worms and isolates of S. lupi from Europe, Asia and Africa. This was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis that clearly separated the Danish worms from other isolates of S. lupi. The distinct genetic differences of the current worms compared to other isolates of S. lupi may suggest the presence of a cryptic species within Spirocerca. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sex-specific impact of socio-economic factors on suicide risk: a population-based case-control study in Denmark.

PubMed

Andrés, Antonio Rodríguez; Collings, Sunny; Qin, Ping

2010-06-01

Although many authors have investigated the impact of sex on the association between socio-economic status (SES) and suicide, a definite consensus has not yet emerged. Using Danish population registration data including 15 648 suicide deaths of individuals aged 18-65 year during 1981-97 and matched population controls, we investigate the associations of multiple SES factors with suicide risk and explore the sex-specific aspects of these associations. We use conditional logistic regression models to estimate the statistical relationship between SES, sex and suicide. SES, proxied by low income, unskilled blue-collar work, non-specific wage work and unemployment, increases suicide risk more prominently for men than for women. Marital status has a comparable influence on suicide risk in both sexes; parenthood is protective against suicide, and the effect is larger for women. Living in a large city raises suicide risk for women but reduces it for men; residents with a foreign citizenship in Denmark have a lower risk of suicide compared with Danish citizens, but this protection is confined to male immigrants. Our results demonstrate that suicide risk is associated with a range of SES proxies but the strength and/or direction of the association can differ by sex. Risk assessment and, therefore, prevention approaches should take this into consideration.

[The Rockefeller Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation and Danish medical biology in the interwar years. Effects on research and education throughout the 20th century].

PubMed

Rasmussen, L

1999-01-01

Three large scientific institutes were built in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1928 and 1938 supported by the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. The three institutes were: the Rockefeller Institute of Copenhagen, Juliane Mariesvej, the Biological Institute of the Carlsberg Foundation, and the Institute of Human Genetics, both on Tagensvej (The Carlsberg Foundation in Copenhagen participated in the financing of the two first ones.) In the same period the Rockefeller Foundation supported the construction of a cyclotron at Niels Bohr's Institute of Theoretical Physics. These institutes in Copenhagen sent many co-workers both to the Rockefeller University in New York and to other places in the world for further education supported by stipends from the Rockefeller Foundation. The scientific nucleus around which these activities crystallized included: the physiologist (and Nobel Prize winner) Aug. Krogh, the physicist (and Nobel Prize winner) Niels Bohr, the chemist S.P.L. Sorensen, the geneticist W. Johannsen, the plant physiologist Peter Boysen Jensen, and the cell culturist Albert Fischer. The international co-operation between the two foundations began early in the 20th century and it can be traced in Danish medical/biological science through the rest of that century.

Chocolate Intake and Risk of Clinically Apparent Atrial Fibrillation: the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study

PubMed Central

Mostofsky, Elizabeth; Johansen, Martin Berg; Tjønneland, Anne; Chahal, Harpreet S.; Mittleman, Murray A.; Overvad, Kim

2018-01-01

Objective To evaluate the association between chocolate intake and incident clinically apparent atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF).. Methods The Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study is a large population-based prospective cohort study. The present study is based on 55,502 participants (26,400 men and 29,102 women) aged 50–64 years who had provided information on chocolate intake at baseline. Incident cases of AF were ascertained by linkage with nationwide registries. Results During a median of 13.5 years, there were 3,346 cases of AF. Compared with chocolate intake less than once per month, the rate of AF was lower for people consuming 1–3 servings/month (Hazard Ratio [HR]= 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.82–0.98), 1 serving/week (HR= 0.83, 95% CI 0.74–0.92), 2–6 servings/week (HR= 0.80, 95% CI 0.71–0.91) and 1 servings/day (HR= 0.84, 95 %CI 0.65–1.09; p-linear trend<0.0001), with similar results for men and women. Conclusions Accumulating evidence indicates that moderate chocolate intake may be inversely associated with AF risk, though residual confounding cannot be ruled out. PMID:28536115

Temperature affects the timing of spawning and migration of North Sea mackerel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jansen, Teunis; Gislason, Henrik

2011-01-01

Climate change accentuates the need for knowing how temperature impacts the life history and productivity of economically and ecologically important species of fish. We examine the influence of temperature on the timing of the spawning and migrations of North Sea Mackerel using data from larvae CPR surveys, egg surveys and commercial landings from Danish coastal fisheries in the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and inner Danish waters. The three independent sources of data all show that there is a significant relationship between the timing of spawning and sea surface temperature. Large mackerel are shown to arrive at the feeding areas before and leave later than small mackerel and the sequential appearance of mackerel in each of the feeding areas studied supports the anecdotal evidence for an eastward post-spawning migration. Occasional commercial catches taken in winter in the Sound N, Kattegat and Skagerrak together with catches in the first quarter IBTS survey furthermore indicate some overwintering here. Significant relationships between temperature and North Sea mackerel spawning and migration have not been documented before. The results have implications for mackerel resource management and monitoring. An increase in temperature is likely to affect the timing and magnitude of the growth, recruitment and migration of North Sea mackerel with subsequent impacts on its sustainable exploitation.

Malignant melanoma risk after exposure to fertility drugs: results from a large Danish cohort study.

PubMed

Hannibal, Charlotte Gerd; Jensen, Allan; Sharif, Heidi; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger

2008-09-01

The aim was to examine the effects of fertility drugs on malignant melanoma risk using data from the largest cohort of infertile women to date. A cohort of 54,362 women with infertility problems referred to Danish fertility clinics in the period 1963-1998 was established. A detailed data collection including information about type and amount of treatment was conducted. Using case-cohort techniques, we calculated rate ratios (RRs) of malignant melanoma associated with different fertility drugs after adjustment for parity status. 112 malignant melanomas were identified during follow-up through 2000. Use of clomiphene, gonadotrophins, hCG or GnRH did not affect risk of malignant melanoma significantly. When stratifying for parity, however, use of gonadotrophins (RR = 2.29; CI: 1.16-4.52) or GnRH (RR = 3.26; 95% CI: 1.50-7.09) among parous women was associated with a significant increased risk. For all groups of fertility drugs, we found no association with number of cycles of use or years since first use (latency). Our findings showed no strong association between malignant melanoma risk and use of fertility drugs, although the results indicated that use of gonadotrophins or GnRH might increase risk in parous women. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm our findings.

Effectiveness of anti-tumour necrosis factor-α therapy in Danish patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

PubMed

Bank, Steffen; Andersen, Paal Skytt; Burisch, Johan; Pedersen, Natalia; Roug, Stine; Galsgaard, Julie; Turino, Stine Ydegaard; Brodersen, Jacob Broder; Rashid, Shaista; Avlund, Sara; Olesen, Thomas Bastholm; Green, Anders; Hoffmann, Hans Jürgen; Thomsen, Marianne Kragh; Thomsen, Vibeke Østergaard; Nexø, Bjørn Andersen; Vogel, Ulla; Andersen, Vibeke

2015-03-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of anti-tumour necrosis factor-α (anti-TNF) treatment in a large cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in clinical practice and to establish a cohort for future studies of genetic markers associated with treatment response. A national, clinically based cohort of previously naïve anti-TNF treated patients from 18 medical departments was established. The patients were screened for tuberculosis prior to treatment initiation. By combining the unique personal identification number of Danish citizens (the CPR number) from blood samples with data from the National Patient Registry, patients with International Classification of Diseases, Version 10 (ICD-10) codes K50-K63 were identified. Treatment efficacy reflected the maximum response within 22 weeks. Among 492 patients with CD and 267 patients with UC, 74%/13%/14% and 65%/12%/24% were responders, partial responders and non-responders to anti-TNF therapy, respectively. More patients with UC than with CD were non-responders (odds ratio (OR) = 1.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.34-2.87, p = 0.001). Young age was associated with a beneficial response (p = 0.03), whereas smoking ≥ 10 cigarettes/day was associated with non-response among patients with CD (OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.13-4.81, p = 0.03). In this clinically based cohort of Danish patients with IBD treated with anti-TNF, high response rates were found. Heavy smoking was associated with non-response, whereas young age at treatment initiation was associated with a beneficial response among patients with CD. Thus, the results obtained in this cohort recruited from clinical practice were similar to those previously obtained in clinical trials. The work was funded by Health Research Fund of Central Denmark Region, Colitis-Crohn Foreningen and the University of Aarhus (PhD grant). Clinicaltrials NCT02322008.

Relation of body mass index to risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease amongst women in the Danish National Birth Cohort.

PubMed

Mendall, Michael; Harpsøe, Maria Christina; Kumar, Devinder; Andersson, Mikael; Jess, Tine

2018-01-01

Crohn's disease (CD) has traditionally been associated with weight loss and low BMI, yet paradoxically obesity has recently been suggested as a risk factor for CD, but not for ulcerative colitis (UC). We therefore hypothesized that the relation between BMI and CD is U shaped. To conduct a large population-based prospective cohort study of BMI and later risk of IBD, taking age at IBD diagnosis into account. A cohort of 74,512 women from the Danish National Birth Cohort, with BMI measured pre-pregnancy and 18 months after delivery, was followed for 1,022,250 person-years for development of IBD, according to the Danish National Patient Register. Associations were tested by Cox regression. Overweight subjects (25≤BMI<30 kg/m2) had the lowest risk of CD, whereas obesity (BMI≥30kg/m2) increased the risk of CD at all ages, and low BMI (BMI<18.5kg/m2) associated with CD diagnosed at age 18-<40 years. Hence, using normal weight subjects as the reference, adjusted HRs for risk of developing CD (at age 18-<40 years) were 1.8(95%CI, 0.9-3.7) for underweight, 0.6(0.3-1.2) for overweight, and 1.5(0.8-2.7) for obese individuals (pre-pregnancy BMI). HRs were greater for BMI determined 18 months after delivery. Splines for CD risk according to waist:height ratio confirmed a U-shaped relationship with CD occurring <40 years, and a linear relationship with CD diagnosed at age 40+. There was no relationship between BMI and risk of UC. For the first time, we demonstrate that both high BMI and low BMI are risk factors for CD. Underweight may be a pre-clinical manifestation of disease being present many years before onset with obesity being a true risk factor. This raises the question as to whether there may be two distinct forms of CD.

Space-Time Analysis of Testicular Cancer Clusters Using Residential Histories: A Case-Control Study in Denmark

PubMed Central

Sloan, Chantel D.; Nordsborg, Rikke B.; Jacquez, Geoffrey M.; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Meliker, Jaymie R.

2015-01-01

Though the etiology is largely unknown, testicular cancer incidence has seen recent significant increases in northern Europe and throughout many Western regions. The most common cancer in males under age 40, age period cohort models have posited exposures in the in utero environment or in early childhood as possible causes of increased risk of testicular cancer. Some of these factors may be tied to geography through being associated with behavioral, cultural, sociodemographic or built environment characteristics. If so, this could result in detectable geographic clusters of cases that could lead to hypotheses regarding environmental targets for intervention. Given a latency period between exposure to an environmental carcinogen and testicular cancer diagnosis, mobility histories are beneficial for spatial cluster analyses. Nearest-neighbor based Q-statistics allow for the incorporation of changes in residency in spatial disease cluster detection. Using these methods, a space-time cluster analysis was conducted on a population-wide case-control population selected from the Danish Cancer Registry with mobility histories since 1971 extracted from the Danish Civil Registration System. Cases (N=3297) were diagnosed between 1991 and 2003, and two sets of controls (N=3297 for each set) matched on sex and date of birth were included in the study. We also examined spatial patterns in maternal residential history for those cases and controls born in 1971 or later (N= 589 case-control pairs). Several small clusters were detected when aligning individuals by year prior to diagnosis, age at diagnosis and calendar year of diagnosis. However, the largest of these clusters contained only 2 statistically significant individuals at their center, and were not replicated in SaTScan spatial-only analyses which are less susceptible to multiple testing bias. We found little evidence of local clusters in residential histories of testicular cancer cases in this Danish population. PMID:25756204

Space-time analysis of testicular cancer clusters using residential histories: a case-control study in Denmark.

PubMed

Sloan, Chantel D; Nordsborg, Rikke B; Jacquez, Geoffrey M; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Meliker, Jaymie R

2015-01-01

Though the etiology is largely unknown, testicular cancer incidence has seen recent significant increases in northern Europe and throughout many Western regions. The most common cancer in males under age 40, age period cohort models have posited exposures in the in utero environment or in early childhood as possible causes of increased risk of testicular cancer. Some of these factors may be tied to geography through being associated with behavioral, cultural, sociodemographic or built environment characteristics. If so, this could result in detectable geographic clusters of cases that could lead to hypotheses regarding environmental targets for intervention. Given a latency period between exposure to an environmental carcinogen and testicular cancer diagnosis, mobility histories are beneficial for spatial cluster analyses. Nearest-neighbor based Q-statistics allow for the incorporation of changes in residency in spatial disease cluster detection. Using these methods, a space-time cluster analysis was conducted on a population-wide case-control population selected from the Danish Cancer Registry with mobility histories since 1971 extracted from the Danish Civil Registration System. Cases (N=3297) were diagnosed between 1991 and 2003, and two sets of controls (N=3297 for each set) matched on sex and date of birth were included in the study. We also examined spatial patterns in maternal residential history for those cases and controls born in 1971 or later (N= 589 case-control pairs). Several small clusters were detected when aligning individuals by year prior to diagnosis, age at diagnosis and calendar year of diagnosis. However, the largest of these clusters contained only 2 statistically significant individuals at their center, and were not replicated in SaTScan spatial-only analyses which are less susceptible to multiple testing bias. We found little evidence of local clusters in residential histories of testicular cancer cases in this Danish population.

Shift work at young age is associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis in a Danish population.

PubMed

Gustavsen, S; Søndergaard, H B; Oturai, D B; Laursen, B; Laursen, J H; Magyari, M; Ullum, H; Larsen, M H; Sellebjerg, F; Oturai, A B

2016-09-01

Epidemiological studies suggest an important role for environmental factors in developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Furthermore several studies have indicated that the effect of environmental factors may be especially pronounced in adolescents. Recently only one study investigated and found that shift work at young age is associated with an increased risk of developing MS. In this study we focused on the effect of shift work in the vulnerable period between 15-19 years. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between shift work at young age and the risk of developing MS. We performed a large case-control study including 1723 patients diagnosed with MS and 4067 controls. MS patients were recruited from the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Biobank and controls from The Danish Blood Donor Study. Information on working patterns and lifestyle factors was obtained using a comprehensive lifestyle-environmental factor questionnaire with participants enrolled between 2009 and 2014. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between shift work at age 15-19 years and the subsequent risk of MS and were controlled for effects due to established MS risk factors. We found a statistically significant association when total numbers of night shifts were compared with non-shift workers. For every additional 100 night shifts the odds ratio (OR) for MS was 1.20 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.34, p=0.001). Increasing intensity of shift work also increased MS risk. For every additional night per month the OR was 1.04 (95% CI, 1.01-1.06, p=0.002). Duration of shift work in years was not associated with risk of MS. This study supports a statistically significant association between shift work at age 15-19 years and MS risk. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

School and class-level variations and patterns of physical activity: a multilevel analysis of Danish high school students.

PubMed

Steenholt, Carina Bjørnskov; Pisinger, Veronica Sofie Clara; Danquah, Ida Høgstedt; Tolstrup, Janne Schurmann

2018-02-14

There is limited knowledge of physical activity (PA) patterns among high school students. High schools plays an important role as context for the students, but it is uncertain to what extent schools influence student participation in PA during leisure time. The purpose of this study is to describe patterns of PA and assess variations between schools and classes in PA, in a large cohort of Danish high school students. Self-reported cross-sectional data came from The Danish National Youth Study, comprising a total of 70,674 students attending 119 different schools and 3213 classes. Multilevel logistic regressions were applied to evaluate the association between socio-demographic variables and patterns of PA, and to assess the impact of schools and classes on PA measures. Students whose parents have achieved a lower level of education, older students and girls of perceived ethnic minority generally participated less in several forms of PA during leisure time. Substantial variations between schools were observed in terms of participation in PA at school during leisure time and in terms of use of active transportation to and from school. The school-level accounted for 9% (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.09 (95% CI: 0.06-0.11)) and 8% (ICC = 0.08 (95% CI: 0.07-0.11)) of the variation for participation in PA during leisure time and active transportation. Overall, students whose parents achieved a lower level of education, older students and girls of perceived ethnic minority represent vulnerable groups in relation to participation in several forms of PA during leisure time. The ICCs indicate that schools, in particular, have the potential to influence participation in PA at school during leisure time and active transportation to and from school. Thus, high schools should encourage and facilitate activities aimed at engaging students in PA during leisure time as well as encourage active transportation.

Consumer clusters in Denmark based on coarse vegetable intake frequency, explained by hedonics, socio-demographic, health and food lifestyle factors. A cross-sectional national survey.

PubMed

Beck, Tove K; Jensen, Sidsel; Simmelsgaard, Sonni Hansen; Kjeldsen, Chris; Kidmose, Ulla

2015-08-01

Vegetable intake seems to play a protective role against major lifestyle diseases. Despite this, the Danish population usually eats far less than the recommended daily intake. The present study focused on the intake of 17 coarse vegetables and the potential barriers limiting their intake. The present study drew upon a large Danish survey (n = 1079) to study the intake of coarse vegetables among Danish consumers. Four population clusters were identified based on their intake of 17 different coarse vegetables, and profiled according to hedonics, socio-demographic, health, and food lifestyle factors. The four clusters were characterized by a very low intake frequency of coarse vegetables ('low frequency'), a low intake frequency of coarse vegetables; but high intake frequency of carrots ('carrot eaters'), a moderate coarse vegetable intake frequency and high intake frequency of beetroot ('beetroot eaters'), and a high intake frequency of all coarse vegetables ('high frequency'). There was a relationship between reported liking and reported intake frequency for all tested vegetables. Preference for foods with a sweet, salty or bitter taste, in general, was also identified to be decisive for the reported vegetable intake, as these differed across the clusters. Each cluster had distinct socio-demographic, health and food lifestyle profiles. 'Low frequency' was characterized by uninvolved consumers with lack of interest in food, 'carrot eaters' vegetable intake was driven by health aspects, 'beetroot eaters' were characterized as traditional food consumers, and 'high frequency' were individuals with a strong food engagement and high vegetable liking. 'Low frequency' identified more barriers than other consumer clusters and specifically regarded low availability of pre-cut/prepared coarse vegetables on the market as a barrier. Across all clusters a low culinary knowledge was identified as the main barrier. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of mobile phones and risk of brain tumours: update of Danish cohort study

PubMed Central

Poulsen, Aslak H; Johansen, Christoffer; Olsen, Jørgen H; Steding-Jessen, Marianne; Schüz, Joachim

2011-01-01

Objective To investigate the risk of tumours in the central nervous system among Danish mobile phone subscribers. Design Nationwide cohort study. Setting Denmark. Participants All Danes aged ≥30 and born in Denmark after 1925, subdivided into subscribers and non-subscribers of mobile phones before 1995. Main outcome measures Risk of tumours of the central nervous system, identified from the complete Danish Cancer Register. Sex specific incidence rate ratios estimated with log linear Poisson regression models adjusted for age, calendar period, education, and disposable income. Results 358 403 subscription holders accrued 3.8 million person years. In the follow-up period 1990-2007, there were 10 729 cases of tumours of the central nervous system. The risk of such tumours was close to unity for both men and women. When restricted to individuals with the longest mobile phone use—that is, ≥13 years of subscription—the incidence rate ratio was 1.03 (95% confidence interval 0.83 to 1.27) in men and 0.91 (0.41 to 2.04) in women. Among those with subscriptions of ≥10 years, ratios were 1.04 (0.85 to 1.26) in men and 1.04 (0.56 to 1.95) in women for glioma and 0.90 (0.57 to 1.42) in men and 0.93 (0.46 to 1.87) in women for meningioma. There was no indication of dose-response relation either by years since first subscription for a mobile phone or by anatomical location of the tumour—that is, in regions of the brain closest to where the handset is usually held to the head. Conclusions In this update of a large nationwide cohort study of mobile phone use, there were no increased risks of tumours of the central nervous system, providing little evidence for a causal association. PMID:22016439

The outcome of antenatal ultrasound diagnosed anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract in a large Danish birth cohort.

PubMed

Andrés-Jensen, Liv; Jørgensen, Finn Stener; Thorup, Jorgen; Flachs, Julie; Madsen, Jan Lysgaard; Maroun, Lisa Leth; Nørgaard, Pernille; Vinicoff, Pablo Gustavo; Olsen, Beth Härstedt; Cortes, Dina

2016-09-01

Antenatal ultrasound diagnosed anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (AUDAKUT) are reported in 0.3%-5% on prenatal ultrasound (US) and 0.3%-4.5% on postnatal US. The anterior-posterior diameter of the renal pelvis (APD) is an essential measurement. Series with low threshold values of APD prenatally and postnatally will include healthy infants. It is important to avoid follow-up of such infants. In 2006, new Danish guidelines for AUDAKUT were introduced. Investigations of incidences and type of AUDAKUT based on Danish guidelines, including long-term follow-up. Cohort study. Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre and Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Denmark. Consecutive cases with AUDAKUT in the second and third trimesters, which were either terminated before 22 completed weeks of gestation or born in the 8-year period January 2006-December 2013. Patients were followed until June 2014. 50 193 live born children and 24 terminated fetuses (0.05%) were included. The prevalence of AUDAKUT was only 0.39% prenatally, 0.29% at first postnatal US and 0.22% at the end of follow-up, including terminated cases. The greater the prenatal and postnatal APD, the higher risk of febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) and surgical intervention, and lower probability of resolution. 25% of the identified patients had fUTI and/or surgery. We recommend threshold values of APD at least 10 mm in the third trimester and in general at least 12 mm at first postnatal US for intensive follow-up. In this largest to date unselected birth cohort of AUDAKUT, the incidences of clinically significant AUDAKUT were in the lowest range of those previously published. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Validity of the coding for herpes simplex encephalitis in the Danish National Patient Registry.

PubMed

Jørgensen, Laura Krogh; Dalgaard, Lars Skov; Østergaard, Lars Jørgen; Andersen, Nanna Skaarup; Nørgaard, Mette; Mogensen, Trine Hyrup

2016-01-01

Large health care databases are a valuable source of infectious disease epidemiology if diagnoses are valid. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of the recorded diagnosis coding of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) in the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR). The DNPR was used to identify all hospitalized patients, aged ≥15 years, with a first-time diagnosis of HSE according to the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision (ICD-10), from 2004 to 2014. To validate the coding of HSE, we collected data from the Danish Microbiology Database, from departments of clinical microbiology, and from patient medical records. Cases were classified as confirmed, probable, or no evidence of HSE. We estimated the positive predictive value (PPV) of the HSE diagnosis coding stratified by diagnosis type, study period, and department type. Furthermore, we estimated the proportion of HSE cases coded with nonspecific ICD-10 codes of viral encephalitis and also the sensitivity of the HSE diagnosis coding. We were able to validate 398 (94.3%) of the 422 HSE diagnoses identified via the DNPR. Hereof, 202 (50.8%) were classified as confirmed cases and 29 (7.3%) as probable cases providing an overall PPV of 58.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 53.0-62.9). For "Encephalitis due to herpes simplex virus" (ICD-10 code B00.4), the PPV was 56.6% (95% CI: 51.1-62.0). Similarly, the PPV for "Meningoencephalitis due to herpes simplex virus" (ICD-10 code B00.4A) was 56.8% (95% CI: 39.5-72.9). "Herpes viral encephalitis" (ICD-10 code G05.1E) had a PPV of 75.9% (95% CI: 56.5-89.7), thereby representing the highest PPV. The estimated sensitivity was 95.5%. The PPVs of the ICD-10 diagnosis coding for adult HSE in the DNPR were relatively low. Hence, the DNPR should be used with caution when studying patients with encephalitis caused by herpes simplex virus.

Measuring Family Outcomes Early Intervention: Findings from a Large-Scale Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raspa, Melissa; Bailey, Donald B., Jr.; Olmsted, Murrey G.; Nelson, Robin; Robinson, Nyle; Simpson, Mary Ellen; Guillen, Chelsea; Houts, Renate

2010-01-01

This article reports data from a large-scale assessment using the Family Outcomes Survey with families participating in early intervention. The study was designed to determine how families describe themselves with regard to outcomes achieved, the extent to which outcomes are interrelated, and the extent to which child, family, and program factors…

Occupational accidents in the Danish merchant fleet and the nationality of seafarers.

PubMed

Adám, Balázs; Rasmussen, Hanna Barbara; Pedersen, Randi Nørgaard Fløe; Jepsen, Jørgen Riis

2014-01-01

The aim of the study was to examine occupational accidents reported from non-passenger merchant ships registered in the Danish International Ship Register in 2010-2012, with a focus on analysing nationality differences in the risk of getting injured in an accident. Data about notified occupational accidents were collected from notifications sent to the Danish Maritime Authority and from records of contact with Danish Radio Medical. Events were matched by personal identification and accident data to create a unified database. Stratified cumulative time spent on board by seafarers was used to calculate accident rates. Incidence rates of different nationalities were compared by Poisson regression. Western European seafarers had an overall accident rate of 17.5 per 100000 person-days, which proved to be significantly higher than that of Eastern European, South East Asian and Indian seaman (adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.53, 0.51 and 0.74, respectively), although differences decreased over the investigated period. Smaller but in most cases still significant discrepancies were observed for serious injuries. The back injury rate of Western European employees was found especially high, while eye injuries seem to be more frequent among South East Asian workers. The study identified substantial differences between nationalities in the rate of various accidents reported from merchant ships sailing under the Danish flag. The differences may be attributed to various factors such as safety behaviour. Investigation of special injury types and characterisation of effective elements of safety culture can contribute to the improvement of workplace safety in the maritime sector.

Characterization of the genetic profile of five Danish dog breeds.

PubMed

Pertoldi, C; Kristensen, T N; Loeschcke, V; Berg, P; Praebel, A; Stronen, A V; Proschowsky, H F; Fredholm, M

2013-11-01

This investigation presents results from a genetic characterization of 5 Danish dog breeds genotyped on the CanineHD BeadChip microarray with 170,000 SNP. The breeds investigated were 1) Danish Spitz (DS; n=8), 2) Danish-Swedish Farm Dog (DSF; n=18), 3) Broholmer (BR; n=22), 4) Old Danish Pointing Dog (ODP; n=24), and 5) Greenland Dog (GD; n=23). The aims of the investigation were to characterize the genetic profile of the abovementioned dog breeds by quantifying the genetic differentiation among them and the degree of genetic homogeneity within breeds. The genetic profile was determined by means of principal component analysis (PCA) and through a Bayesian clustering method. Both the PCA and the Bayesian clustering method revealed a clear genetic separation of the 5 breeds. The level of genetic variation within the breeds varied. The expected heterozygosity (HE) as well as the degree of polymorphism (P%) ranked the dog breeds in the order DS>DSF>BR>ODP>GD. Interestingly, the breed with a tenfold higher census population size compared to the other breeds, the Greenland Dog, had the lowest within-breed genetic variation, emphasizing that census size is a poor predictor of genetic variation. The observed differences in variation among and within dog breeds may be related to factors such as genetic drift, founder effects, genetic admixture, and population bottlenecks. We further examined whether the observed genetic patterns in the 5 dog breeds can be used to design breeding strategies for the preservation of the genetic pool of these dog breeds.

Susceptibility of vancomycin-resistant and -sensitive Enterococcus faecium obtained from Danish hospitals to benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide biocides.

PubMed

Alotaibi, Sulaiman M I; Ayibiekea, Alafate; Pedersen, Annemette Frøling; Jakobsen, Lotte; Pinholt, Mette; Gumpert, Heidi; Hammerum, Anette M; Westh, Henrik; Ingmer, Hanne

2017-12-01

In Danish hospitals, the number of infections caused by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE faecium) has dramatically increased in recent years. Hospital disinfectants are essential in eliminating pathogenic microorganisms, and reduced susceptibility may contribute to hospital-associated infections. We have addressed whether clinical VRE faecium display decreased biocide susceptibility when compared to vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus faecium (VSE faecium) isolates. In total 12 VSE faecium and 37 VRE faecium isolates obtained from Danish hospitals over an extended time period were tested for susceptibility towards three commonly applied biocides, namely benzalkonium chloride, chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide. For benzalkonium chloride, 89 % of VRE faecium strains had a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 mg l -1 , whereas for VSE faecium, only 25 % of the strains had an MIC of 8 mg l -1 . For chlorhexidine, the MIC of 95 % of VRE faecium strains was 4 mg l -1 or higher, while only 33 % of VSE faecium strains displayed MIC values at the same level. In contrast, both VRE and VSE faecium displayed equal susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide, but a higher minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) was found for the former. The efflux activity was also assessed, and this was generally higher for the VRE faecium strains compared to VSE faecium. VRE faecium from Danish hospitals demonstrated decreased susceptibility towards benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine compared to VSE faecium, where the use of chlorhexidine is particularly heavy in the hospital environment. These findings suggest that biocide tolerance may characterize VRE faecium isolated in Danish hospitals.

Under-reporting of conflicts of interest among trialists: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

Schroll, Jeppe; Gøtzsche, Peter C; Lundh, Andreas

2015-01-01

Objectives To determine the prevalence of conflicts of interest (COIs) among Danish physicians who are authors of clinical drug trial reports and determine the extent of undisclosed COIs in trial publications. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The 100 most recent drug trial reports with at least one Danish non-industry employed physician author published in a journal adhering to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE) manuscript guidelines. For each article, two observers independently extracted trial characteristics and the authors' COIs. Disclosed COIs were compared to what was registered on the Danish Health and Medicines Authority's public disclosure list. Participants Trial authors who are Danish physicians. Main outcome measures Number of disclosed and undisclosed COIs. Results One observer screened 928 articles and two observers assessed 120 articles for eligibility. The 100 included trials were published from February 2011 to May 2013 and included 318 Danish non-industry employed authors. Eighty-six of the 318 authors (27%) reported one or more COIs in the journal article. We found undisclosed COIs for 40 of 318 authors (13%) related to the trial sponsor or manufacturer of trial drugs. Seventy-nine of 318 authors (25%) had undisclosed COIs related to competing companies manufacturing drugs for the same indication and 136 (43%) had undisclosed COIs with any drug manufacturer. Conclusions Almost half of all authors had undisclosed COIs in clinical trials reported in journals adhering to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ manuscript guidelines. Self-declared COIs cannot be trusted, but public registries may assist editors in ensuring that more COIs are being reported. PMID:25389230

No-fault compensation for treatment injuries in Danish public hospitals 2006-12.

PubMed

Tilma, Jens; Nørgaard, Mette; Mikkelsen, Kim Lyngby; Johnsen, Søren Paaske

2016-02-01

We aimed to determine the incidence rate and time trend of approved treatment injuries in Danish public hospitals from 2006 to 2012 and also to identify independent predictors of severe treatment injuries among patient and system factors and characterize the injuries. We performed a nationwide, historical observational study on data from the Danish Patient Compensation Association, which receives all compensation claims from Danish health care. All approved closed claims of treatment injuries occurring in public hospitals 2006-12 were included. Health care activity information was obtained through Statistics Denmark. Incidence rates were determined as treatment injuries per year by population and by public hospital contacts. By using a multivariable logistic regression model, we calculated mutually adjusted odds ratios to assess the association between potential predictors and severe injuries among approved claims. We identified 10,959 approved treatment injury claims in 2006-12. The total payout was USD 339 million. The mean incidence rate medians were 27.9 injuries/100,000 inhabitants/year and 0.21 injuries/1000 public hospital contacts/year. These did not increase overtime. Severe injuries and preventable cases comprised 11.0 and 41.0%, respectively. Predictors of severe injury included age 0 and above 40 years, male gender and higher level of comorbidity. The incidence rate of approved closed claims at Danish public hospitals appears stable. A high proportion of injuries are preventable and both patient- and system-related factors may predict severe injuries. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Association between CST3 rs2424577 polymorphism and corpulence related phenotypes during lifetime in populations of European ancestry.

PubMed

Hooton, Henri; Dubern, Beatrice; Henegar, Corneliu; Paternoster, Lavinia; Nohr, Ellen A; Alili, Rohia; Rousseau, Francis; Pelloux, Veronique; Galan, Pilar; Hercberg, Serge; Arner, Peter; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Clément, Karine

2011-01-01

Cystatin C, a protein coded by CST3 gene, is implicated in adipose tissue biology. Our hypothesis is that common variants in CST3 gene could play a role in the development of corpulence during lifetime. Two tag SNPs were selected to capture all SNPs in the CST3 region. We first investigated the association of the two tag SNPs individually and combined into haplotypes with corpulence related phenotypes in 4,288 French subjects (BMI = 24.31 ( 3.74 kg/m²). Significant findings were replicated in five independent populations--790 Danish lean men (BMI = 24.63 ( 2.30 kg/m²), 672 Danish obese men (BMI = 33.23 ( 2.34 kg/m²), 763 Swedish women (BMI = 21.73 ( 2.87 kg/m²), 1,848 Danish lean women (BMI = 22.66 ( 2.85 kg/m²) and 2,061 Danish obese women (BMI = 37.01 ( 3.59 kg/m²). Rs2424577 was associated with BMI in three independent populations--G/G carriers were less corpulent than A/A carriers in the French individuals (p = 0.045) and in the Danish lean men (p = 0.021), and they were more corpulent in the group of Swedish women (p = 0.004). This phenomenon has been described as a flip-flop phenomenon, probably caused by a multilocus effect. CST3 rs2424577 is associated with BMI in a complex fashion. This association is probably caused by the interaction between several functional variants. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Association between sexually transmitted disease and church membership. A retrospective cohort study of two Danish religious minorities

PubMed Central

Kørup, Alex Kappel; Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Christensen, René dePont; Johansen, Christoffer; Søndergaard, Jens; Hvidt, Niels Christian

2016-01-01

Objectives Studies comprising Danish Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) and Danish Baptists found that members have a lower risk of chronic diseases including cancer. Explanations have pointed to differences in lifestyle, but detailed aetiology has only been sparsely examined. Our objective was to investigate the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among Danish SDAs and Baptists as a proxy for cancers related to sexual behaviour. Methods We followed the Danish Cohort of Religious Societies from 1977 to 2009, and linked it with national registers of all inpatient and outpatient care contacts using the National Patient Register. We compared the incidence of syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia among members of the cohort with the general population. Results The cohort comprised 3119 SDA females, 1856 SDA males, 2056 Baptist females and 1467 Baptist males. For the entire cohort, we expected a total of 32.4 events of STD, and observed only 9. Female SDAs and Baptists aged 20–39 years had significant lower incidence of chlamydia (both p<0.001). Male SDAs and Baptists aged 20–39 years also had significant lower incidence of chlamydia (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). No SDA members were diagnosed with gonorrhoea, when 3.4 events were expected, which, according to Hanley's ‘rule of three’, is a significant difference. No SDA or Baptist was diagnosed with syphilis. Conclusions The cohort shows significant lower incidence of STD, most likely including human papillomavirus, which may partly explain the lower incidence of cancers of the cervix, rectum, anus, head and neck. PMID:27016243

26 CFR 521.108 - Exemption from, or reduction in rate of, United States tax in the case of dividends, interest and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations... dividends received from sources within the United States by (i) a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien individual, fiduciary and partnership) who is a resident of Denmark, or (ii) a Danish corporation...

26 CFR 521.108 - Exemption from, or reduction in rate of, United States tax in the case of dividends, interest and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations... dividends received from sources within the United States by (i) a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien individual, fiduciary and partnership) who is a resident of Denmark, or (ii) a Danish corporation...

26 CFR 521.108 - Exemption from, or reduction in rate of, United States tax in the case of dividends, interest and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations... dividends received from sources within the United States by (i) a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien individual, fiduciary and partnership) who is a resident of Denmark, or (ii) a Danish corporation...

26 CFR 521.108 - Exemption from, or reduction in rate of, United States tax in the case of dividends, interest and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations... dividends received from sources within the United States by (i) a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien individual, fiduciary and partnership) who is a resident of Denmark, or (ii) a Danish corporation...

26 CFR 521.108 - Exemption from, or reduction in rate of, United States tax in the case of dividends, interest and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... General Income Tax Taxation of Nonresident Aliens Who Are Residents of Denmark and of Danish Corporations... dividends received from sources within the United States by (i) a nonresident alien (including a nonresident alien individual, fiduciary and partnership) who is a resident of Denmark, or (ii) a Danish corporation...

Change Management at a Danish University: The Introduction of a Common Market for Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bundgaard, Helle

2012-01-01

This article discusses the approach to the management of change taken by a Danish university when introducing a university-wide market for education and it explores the different positions taken by some of the central stakeholders in one of the faculties involved. I argue that neither the inadequacies of a popular management model nor insufficient…

The Courage to Be: The Impact of Lebensphilosophie on Danish RE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowadt, Pia Rose

2009-01-01

The article deals with the impact of Lebensphilosophie on Danish RE in the elementary and lower secondary school--an impact which is subjected to a critical analysis with special attention given to anti-intellectualism, criticism of reason and criticism of modernity as well as the romantic view of the child. The thesis of this article is that…

Pedagogical Transformations of "Religion" into "Culture" in Danish State Mass Schooling from the 1900s to the 1930s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buchardt, Mette

2013-01-01

Particularly after the Danish political system changed to parliamentarism in 1901, a growing interest in, and expanded meaning of, culture as a pedagogical category developed in relation to state schooling, on the road to a comprehensive school system for "the whole population". This article elaborates on the role played by theological…

Process Document, Joint Verification Protocol, and Joint Test Plan for Verification of HACH-LANGE GmbH LUMIStox 300 Bench Top Luminometer and ECLOX Handheld Luminometer for Luminescent Bacteria Test for use in Wastewater

EPA Science Inventory

The Danish Environmental Technology Verification program (DANETV) Water Test Centre operated by DHI, is supported by the Danish Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation. DANETV, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Technology Verification Progra...

Situating beyond the Social: Understanding the Role of Materiality in Danish Nursing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soffer, Ann Katrine B.

2016-01-01

Situated learning serves as an analytical framework for learning in a community of practice and has been widely used to understand the learning process that is entailed in becoming a nurse. Yet in this paper, the difficulties encountered with the original notion of situated learning once it is applied to contemporary Danish nursing education are…

Time Trends over 16 Years in Incidence-Rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders across the Lifespan Based on Nationwide Danish Register Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Christina Mohr; Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Lauritsen, Marlene Briciet

2014-01-01

This study investigated time trends and associated factors of incidence rates of diagnosed autism spectrum disorders (ASD) across the lifespan from 1995 to 2010, using data from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Registry. First time diagnosis of childhood autism, atypical autism, Asperger's syndrome, or pervasive developmental…

Studies in the Major Modern Languages (English, German, French) at University Level in Denmark by 1980/81.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dollerup, Cay

This is a descriptive outline of the language situation in the Danish education system. The introductory material discusses the reason for foreign language study. A major reason is that Denmark is a small country with a difficult native language for speakers of other languages to learn. Therefore, the Danish population is exposed to foreign…

Danish and British Architects at Work: A Micro-Study of Architectural Encounters after the Second World War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Coninck-Smith, Ning

2010-01-01

Invoking a statement by the cultural geographer David Livingstone--that location is essential to knowing--this paper focuses on Danish school architecture during the 1950s and 1960s and the interplay between local geography and developments and discussions on the national and international scene. Through exhibitions and study tours and…

"Profits to the Danes, for Us--Hog Stench?" The Campaign against Danish Swine CAFOs in Rural Lithuania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juska, Arunas

2010-01-01

The paper analyzes a grass-roots campaign to limit the expansion of Danish-owned industrial hog operator Saerimner in Lithuania. The industrialization of livestock production as well as local responses to the restructuring of meat production are interpreted within the broader context of the incorporation of peripheral regions into global agro-food…

Training in the Food and Beverages Sector in Denmark. Report for the FORCE Programme.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holst, Ole

A study of the food sector in Denmark was limited to the slaughterhouse, dairy, beverages sectors. The food sector was the most important single industry in the Danish economy. It was the largest manufacturing sector, generated one-third of total manufacturing, and comprised approximately 8 percent of the total Danish gross domestic product. It…

The Emergence of the "s"-Genitive in Danish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perridon, Harry

2013-01-01

The -"s" genitives of English and Swedish play an important role in grammaticalization theory, as they are often used as counterexamples to the main tenet of that theory, viz. that grammatical change is unidirectional. In this paper I look at the emergence of the -"s" genitive in Danish, hoping that it may shed some new light on the evolution of…

Scaring the Students Away? Institutional Selection through Assessment Practices in the Danish Vocational and Educational Training System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grønborg, Lisbeth

2013-01-01

This paper sheds light on how competence assessment takes place in the Danish Vocational and Educational Training System. It discusses how intentions formulated by the government have unintentional effects when implemented in practice. The qualitative methods used in this study consist of participant observations from my field study of dropouts in…

"The Rotten Banana" Fires Back: The Story of a Danish Discourse of "Inclusive" Rurality in the Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winther, Malene Brandt; Svendsen, Gunnar Lind Haase

2012-01-01

The popularity of a particular term--the Rotten Banana--has paralleled the one-sided centralisation of public services since the Danish Municipal Reform of 2007. The Rotten Banana denotes peripheral Denmark, which takes a geographically curved form that resembles a banana, and it symbolises the belief that rural areas are backward and (too)…

Discriminative Validity of the Danish Version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stahlhut, Michelle; Gard, Gunvor; Aadahl, Mette; Christensen, Jette

2011-01-01

The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) assesses functional status in children with disabilities aged 0.5-7.5 years. The purpose of this study was to examine if the Danish version of the PEDI was able to discriminate between nondisabled children and children with cerebral palsy (CP) or juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).…

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Work Role Functioning Questionnaire 2.0 to Norwegian and Danish.

PubMed

Johansen, Thomas; Lund, Thomas; Jensen, Chris; Momsen, Anne-Mette Hedeager; Eftedal, Monica; Øyeflaten, Irene; Braathen, Tore N; Stapelfeldt, Christina M; Amick, Ben; Labriola, Merete

2018-01-01

A healthy and productive working life has attracted attention owing to future employment and demographic challenges. The aim was to translate and adapt the Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (WRFQ) 2.0 to Norwegian and Danish. The WRFQ is a self-administered tool developed to identify health-related work limitations. Standardised cross-cultural adaptation procedures were followed in both countries' translation processes. Direct translation, synthesis, back translation and consolidation were carried out successfully. A pre-test among 78 employees who had returned to work after sickness absence found idiomatic issues requiring reformulation in the instructions, four items in the Norwegian version, and three items in the Danish version, respectively. In the final versions, seven items were adjusted in each country. Psychometric properties were analysed for the Norwegian sample (n = 40) and preliminary Cronbach's alpha coefficients were satisfactory. A final consensus process was performed to achieve similar titles and introductions. The WRFQ 2.0 cross-cultural adaptation to Norwegian and Danish was performed and consensus was obtained. Future validation studies will examine validity, reliability, responsiveness and differential item response. The WRFQ can be used to elucidate both individual and work environmental factors leading to a more holistic approach in work rehabilitation.

Whole Genome-Sequencing and Phylogenetic Analysis of a Historical Collection of Bacillus anthracis Strains from Danish Cattle

PubMed Central

Derzelle, Sylviane; Girault, Guillaume; Kokotovic, Branko; Angen, Øystein

2015-01-01

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is known as one of the most genetically monomorphic species. Canonical single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing and whole-genome sequencing were used to investigate the molecular diversity of eleven B. anthracis strains isolated from cattle in Denmark between 1935 and 1988. Danish strains were assigned into five canSNP groups or lineages, i.e. A.Br.001/002 (n = 4), A.Br.Ames (n = 2), A.Br.008/011 (n = 2), A.Br.005/006 (n = 2) and A.Br.Aust94 (n = 1). The match with the A.Br.Ames lineage is of particular interest as the occurrence of such lineage in Europe is demonstrated for the first time, filling an historical gap within the phylogeography of the lineage. Comparative genome analyses of these strains with 41 isolates from other parts of the world revealed that the two Danish A.Br.008/011 strains were related to the heroin-associated strains responsible for outbreaks of injection anthrax in drug users in Europe. Eight novel diagnostic SNPs that specifically discriminate the different sub-groups of Danish strains were identified and developed into PCR-based genotyping assays. PMID:26317972

Do Performance-Based Codes Support Universal Design in Architecture?

PubMed

Grangaard, Sidse; Frandsen, Anne Kathrine

2016-01-01

The research project 'An analysis of the accessibility requirements' studies how Danish architectural firms experience the accessibility requirements of the Danish Building Regulations and it examines their opinions on how future regulative models can support innovative and inclusive design - Universal Design (UD). The empirical material consists of input from six workshops to which all 700 Danish Architectural firms were invited, as well as eight group interviews. The analysis shows that the current prescriptive requirements are criticized for being too homogenous and possibilities for differentiation and zoning are required. Therefore, a majority of professionals are interested in a performance-based model because they think that such a model will support 'accessibility zoning', achieving flexibility because of different levels of accessibility in a building due to its performance. The common understanding of accessibility and UD is directly related to buildings like hospitals and care centers. When the objective is both innovative and inclusive architecture, the request of a performance-based model should be followed up by a knowledge enhancement effort in the building sector. Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives is suggested as a tool for such a boost. The research project has been financed by the Danish Transport and Construction Agency.

Risk Factors for Post-treatment Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS): An Analysis of 647 Cases of CRPS from the Danish Patient Compensation Association.

PubMed

Petersen, Pelle B; Mikkelsen, Kim L; Lauritzen, Jes B; Krogsgaard, Michael R

2018-03-01

Complex regional pain syndrome is a challenging condition that includes a broad spectrum of sensory, autonomic, and motor features predominantly in extremities recovering from a trauma. Few large-scale studies have addressed occurrence of and factors associated with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) following orthopedic treatment. The present study aimed to identify factors associated with post-treatment development of CRPS. Using the Danish Patient Compensation Association's database, we identified 647 patients claiming post-treatment CRPS between 1992 and 2015. Age, gender, initial diagnosis, treatment, and amount of compensation were extracted. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify variables associated with approval of the claim. For carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) patients, we registered whether symptoms were bilateral or unilateral and if neurophysiology prior to treatment was pathologic. The following ratios were found: women:men was 4:1, primary diagnosis to the upper limb:lower limb was 2.5:1, and surgical:nonsurgical treatment was 3:1. Mean age was 47.5 ± 13.7 years, and no intergender difference was detected. Antebrachial fracture (23%) and CTS (9%) were the most common primary conditions. Surgical treatment was associated with approval of the claim (odds ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval 2.3 to 5.3; P < 0.001). Half of CTS patients had normal neurophysiology prior to surgery; among patients with unilateral symptoms, 71.4% had normal neurophysiology. Female gender, surgical treatment, and treatment to the upper limb were risk factors. Elective surgery accounted for a large number of post-treatment CRPS patients. In CTS patients developing CRPS, normal neurophysiological examination findings were common, and it could be suspected that these patients were suffering from an pre-clinical stage of CRPS, not CTS. © 2017 World Institute of Pain.

Mode of delivery is not associated with celiac disease.

PubMed

Dydensborg Sander, Stine; Hansen, Anne Vinkel; Størdal, Ketil; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Murray, Joseph A; Husby, Steffen

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between mode of delivery and the risk of celiac disease in two large population-based birth cohorts with different prevalence of diagnosed celiac disease. This is an observational register-based cohort study using two independent population cohorts. We used data from administrative registers and health administrative registers from Denmark and Norway and linked the data at the individual level. We included all children who were born in Denmark from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2010 and all children who were born in Norway from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2012. We included 1,051,028 children from Denmark. Cesarean sections were registered for 196,512 children (18.9%). Diagnosed celiac disease was registered for 1,395 children (0.13%). We included 537,457 children from Norway. Cesarean sections were registered for 90,128 children (16.8%). Diagnosed celiac disease was registered for 1,919 children (0.35%). We found no association between the mode of delivery and the risk of diagnosed celiac disease. The adjusted odds ratio for celiac disease for children delivered by any type of cesarean section compared to vaginal delivery was 1.11 (95% CI: 0.96-1.29) in the Danish cohort and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.84-1.09) in the Norwegian cohort. The adjusted odds ratio for celiac disease for children delivered by elective cesarean section compared to vaginal delivery was 1.20 (95% CI: 1.00-1.43) in the Danish cohort and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.79-1.17) in the Norwegian cohort. In this large registry-based study, mode of delivery was not associated with an increased risk of diagnosed celiac disease.

Public health research in Denmark in the years 1995--2005.

PubMed

Gulis, G; Eriksen, M L; Aro, A R

2010-02-01

The objective of this study was to find out the number of publications (in Danish) and research projects (including grey literature) either carried out or ongoing within the field of public health in Denmark, using the same criteria as the SPHERE project, but looking at Danish research databases. The Danish research database served as the main resource for the study supported by national research reports. There is an increasing trend in the number of public health research projects and publications. Compared with public health research projects published in English there are differences in some categories. Overall, public health research in Denmark seems to contribute around 4.8%-6.5% of the total amount of health research. Public health research has a relatively low share of overall health research in Denmark.

Creating a Family-Like Atmosphere in Child Care Settings: All the More Difficult in Large Child Care Centers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehead, Linda C.; Ginsberg, Stacey I.

1999-01-01

Presents suggestions for creating family-like programs in large child-care centers in three areas: (1) physical environment, incorporating cozy spaces, beauty, and space for family interaction; (2) caregiving climate, such as sharing home photographs, and serving meals family style; and (3) family involvement, including regular conversations with…

Joint genome-wide association study for milk fatty acid traits in Chinese and Danish Holstein populations.

PubMed

Li, X; Buitenhuis, A J; Lund, M S; Li, C; Sun, D; Zhang, Q; Poulsen, N A; Su, G

2015-11-01

The identification of causal genes or genomic regions associated with fatty acids (FA) will enhance our understanding of the pathways underlying FA synthesis and provide opportunities for changing milk fat composition through a genetic approach. The linkage disequilibrium between adjacent markers is highly consistent between the Chinese and Danish Holstein populations, such that a joint genome-wide association study (GWAS) can be performed. In this study, a joint GWAS was performed for 16 milk FA traits based on data of 784 Chinese and 371 Danish Holstein cows genotyped by a high-density bovine single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. A total of 486,464 SNP markers on 29 bovine autosomes were used. Bonferroni corrections were applied to adjust the significance thresholds for multiple testing at the genome- and chromosome-wide levels. According to the analysis of either the Chinese or Danish data individually, the total numbers of overlapping SNP that were significant at the chromosome level were 94 for C14:1, 208 for the C14 index, and 1 for C18:0. Joint analysis using the combined data of the 2 populations detected greater numbers of significant SNP compared with either of the individual populations alone for 7 and 10 traits at the genome- and chromosome-wide significance levels, respectively. Greater numbers of significant SNP were detected for C18:0 and the C18 index in the Chinese population compared with the joint analysis. Sixty-five significant SNP across all traits had significantly different effects in the 2 populations. Ten FA were influenced by a quantitative trait loci (QTL) region including DGAT1. Both C14:1 and the C14 index were influenced by a QTL region including SCD1 in the combined population. Other QTL regions also showed significant associations with the studied FA. A large region (14.9-24.9 Mbp) in BTA26 significantly influenced C14:1 and the C14 index in both populations, mostly likely due to the SNP in SCD1. A QTL region (69.97-73.69 Mbp) on BTA9 showed a significantly different effect on C18:0 between the 2 populations. Detection of these important SNP and the corresponding QTL regions will be helpful for follow-up studies to identify causal mutations and their interaction with environments for milk FA in dairy cattle. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Haplotype Reconstruction in Large Pedigrees with Many Untyped Individuals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xin; Li, Jing

Haplotypes, as they specify the linkage patterns between dispersed genetic variations, provide important information for understanding the genetics of human traits. However haplotypes are not directly available from current genotyping platforms, and hence there are extensive investigations of computational methods to recover such information. Two major computational challenges arising in current family-based disease studies are large family sizes and many ungenotyped family members. Traditional haplotyping methods can neither handle large families nor families with missing members. In this paper, we propose a method which addresses these issues by integrating multiple novel techniques. The method consists of three major components: pairwise identical-bydescent (IBD) inference, global IBD reconstruction and haplotype restoring. By reconstructing the global IBD of a family from pairwise IBD and then restoring the haplotypes based on the inferred IBD, this method can scale to large pedigrees, and more importantly it can handle families with missing members. Compared with existing methods, this method demonstrates much higher power to recover haplotype information, especially in families with many untyped individuals.

A hindcast and forecast of management of agricultural nutrient losses in Denmark: a change in paradigm (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

kronvang, B.; Blicher-Mathiesen, G.; Windolf, J.; Grant, R.

2013-12-01

Four major Action Plans on the Aquatic Environment have been implemented in Denmark since 1987 with the aim to reduce by 50% the nitrogen (N) loading and by 80% the phosphorus (P) loading to the aquatic environment. At the same time the Danish National Aquatic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (NOVA) was launched with the aim to follow the effects of the obligatory implemented management strategies in Danish agriculture. Monitoring of the effects took place in 5 small agricultural catchments in soil water, groundwater and surface waters with annual interviews of farmers practices at field level as well as a general monitoring of nutrient concentrations in groundwater, streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries all over Denmark. Considerable changes in agricultural practice (storage of slurry, ban on slurry spreading in autumn and winter, strict requirements to N-use in animal manure, N-norms to all crops to be fixed to 10% below economic optimum, etc.) have resulted in a reduction of the net N-surplus from 136 to 75 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (45%) and the net P-surplus from 19 to around 0 kg P ha-1 yr-1 (100%) during the period 1985-2011..Twenty-five years of experience gathered from NOVA have shown that the losses of total N (TN) and total P (TP) to the marine environment from both point sources and diffuse sources has decreased with 50% and 50%, respectively. The reduction in TN losses alone amounts to 40%, whereas no general reduction in TP from diffuse losses can be detected. Despite the great efforts in improving the management of N and P in Danish agriculture the sector is today still the major source of both N (80%) and P (50%) in Danish streams, lakes and coastal waters. The ecological conditions in Danish streams, lakes and estuaries are still below the at least good ecological quality required by the EU Water Framework Directive adopted in year 2000. As global demand for food is increasing the Danish Government last year initiated a commission to publish a white book on ';Nature and Agriculture'. The commission has just published their recommendations for the future regulation and management of the Danish agricultural production as the aquatic environment still needs to be improved, and concurrently, the airborne nutrient load on nature must be reduced, and agriculture must help reduce the overall climate change impact. The Commission suggests that the current environmental regulation of agriculture with general fertilizer norms and limits on production cannot alone deal with the challenges, because the costs will be too high for the farmers. They, conclude that it is necessary to explore new territory and make regulation more targeted. Trends in the use of chemical fertilizers in Danish agriculture 1950-2012 and the responses following adopted Action Plans (APAE= Action Plan Aquatic Environment).

Is family size related to adolescence mental hospitalization?

PubMed

Kylmänen, Paula; Hakko, Helinä; Räsänen, Pirkko; Riala, Kaisa

2010-05-15

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between family size and psychiatric disorders of underage adolescent psychiatric inpatients. The study sample consisted of 508 adolescents (age 12-17) admitted to psychiatric impatient care between April 2001 and March 2006. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition-based psychiatric diagnoses and variables measuring family size were obtained from the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL). The family size of the general Finnish population was used as a reference population. There was a significant difference between the family size of the inpatient adolescents and the general population: 17.0% of adolescents came from large families (with 6 or more children) while the percentage in the general population was 3.3. A girl from a large family had an about 4-fold risk of psychosis other than schizophrenia. However, large family size was not associated with a risk for schizophrenia. Large family size was overrepresented among underage adolescents admitted for psychiatric hospitalization in Northern Finland. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Platform based design of EAP transducers in Danfoss PolyPower A/S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarban, Rahimullah; Gudlaugsson, Tómas V.

2013-04-01

Electroactive Polymer (EAP) has gained increasing focus, in research communities, in last two decades. Research within the field of EAP has, so far, been mainly focused on material improvements, characterization, modeling and developing demonstrators. As the EAP technology matures, the need for a new area of research namely product development emerges. Product development can be based on an isolated design and production for a single product or platform design where a product family is developed. In platform design the families of products exploits commonality of platform modules while satisfying a variety of different market segments. Platform based approach has the primary benefit of being cost efficient and short lead time to market when new products emerges. Products development based on EAP technology is challenging both technologically as well as from production and processing point of view. Both the technological and processing challenges need to be addressed before a successful implementation of EAP technology into products. Based on this need Danfoss PolyPower A/S has, in 2011, launched a EAP platform project in collaboration with three Danish universities and three commercial organizations. The aim of the project is to develop platform based designs and product family for the EAP components to be used in variety of applications. This paper presents the structure of the platform project as a whole and specifically the platform based designs of EAP transducers. The underlying technologies, essential for EAP transducers, are also presented. Conceptual design and solution for the concepts are presented as well.

Assessment of the probability of introduction of bovine tuberculosis to Danish cattle farms via imports of live cattle from abroad and immigrant workers.

PubMed

Foddai, Alessandro; Nielsen, Liza Rosenbaum; Krogh, Kaspar; Alban, Lis

2015-12-01

Denmark has been recognized as officially free (OTF) from bovine tuberculosis (bTB) since 1980. In this study, we estimated the annual probability (PIntro) of introducing Mycobacterium bovis into the Danish cattle population, through (a) imports of cattle and (b) foreign personnel working in Danish cattle herds. Data from 2000 to 2013 with date, number and origin of imported live cattle were obtained from the Danish Cattle Federation. Information on immigrants working in Danish cattle herds was obtained through a questionnaire sent by email to a sample of Danish cattle farmers (N=460). Inputs obtained from data analysis, expert opinion, the questionnaire and literature were fed into three stochastic scenario tree models used to simulate the effect of import trade patterns, and contact between immigrant workers and cattle. We also investigated the opportunity of testing animals imported from OTF countries by tuberculin skin test and animals from non-OTF countries by interferon-γ test (IFN-γ), exemplified by using year 2009 where the number of imported animals was higher than usual. Results showed that PIntro is driven mainly by importation of live cattle. The combined median annual probability of introducing M. bovis into the Danish cattle population by either imported live cattle or infectious immigrant workers, ranged from 0.3% (90% prediction interval (P.I.): 0.04%:1.4%) in 2001 to 4.9% (90% P.I.: 0.6%; 19.2%) in 2009. The median of the median PIntro estimates from the 14 years was 0.7% (median of 90% P.I.: 0.08%; 3.5%). Hence, on average, at least one introduction each 143 years could be expected, if the annual number of imported animals does not change remarkably in the future. If the number of imported animals increases, compared to the years we analyzed, additional testing of imported cattle might be considered. For example, in 2009, PIntro would have been reduced from 4.9% to 0.8% (90% P.I.: 0.1%; 4.7%) if animals from OTF countries had been tested with the tuberculin skin test and animals from non-OTF countries had been tested with the IFN-γ test. The presented model could be used easily in other countries with similar bTB status to Denmark, where wildlife represents a negligible probability of infection for domestic cattle and where the imported live cattle represent the main pathway of bTB introduction into the local cattle population. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Applying a Danish Version of the Learning Transfer System Inventory and Testing It for Different Types of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soerensen, Peter; Stegeager, Nikolaj; Bates, Reid

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to answer two research questions. First, will an exploratory factor analysis of a Danish version of the Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) result in a factor structure which is consistent with the original American LTSI factor structure? Second, does the mean score in the factor analysis vary in a statistically…

Fractures in Individuals with and without a History of Infantile Autism. A Danish Register Study Based on Hospital Discharge Diagnoses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mouridsen, Svend Erik; Rich, Bente; Isager, Torben

2012-01-01

We compared the prevalence and types of fractures in a clinical sample of 118 individuals diagnosed as children with infantile autism (IA) with 336 matched controls from the general population. All participants were screened through the nationwide Danish National Hospital Register. The average observation time was 30.3 years (range 27.3-30.4…

Epilepsy in Individuals with a History of Asperger's Syndrome: A Danish Nationwide Register-Based Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mouridsen, Svend Erik; Rich, Bente; Isager, Torben

2013-01-01

We performed a nationwide, register-based retrospective follow-up study of epilepsy in all people who were born between January 1, 1980 and June 29, 2006 and registered in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register with Asperger's syndrome on February 7, 2011. All 4,180 identified cases with AS (3,431 males and 749 females) were screened through the…

Multilingual Acquisition of Vowels in L1 Polish, L2 Danish and L3 English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sypianska, Jolanta

2016-01-01

The aim of this paper is to determine whether all languages in the linguistic repertoire of a multilingual speaker manifest cross-linguistic influence (CLI) and establish the directions of CLI on the basis of chosen vowels from the linguistic repertoire of two groups: the Bilingual group (L1 Polish/L2 Danish) and the Multilingual group (L1…

Danish Passives and Subject Positions as a Mood System--A Content Analysis; and Paradigmatic Structure, Word Order and Grammaticalization. ROLIG-Papir 54.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heltoft, Lars; Jakobsen, Lisbeth Falster

Two papers on linguistic theory are presented. The first examines the relationship between two subsystems of Danish grammar: (1) the morphology and meaning of the two passives (a morphological passive and a periphrastic passive); and (2) the word order rules and meanings attached to indefinite subjects, irrespective of voice. It is claimed that…

[The Danish Health Act and health-care services to undocumented migrants].

PubMed

Aabenhus, Rune; Hallas, Peter

2012-09-17

Health-care workers may experience uncertainty regarding legal matters when attending to medical needs of undocumented migrants. This paper applies a pragmatic focus when addressing the legal aspects involved in providing health-care services to undocumented migrants with examples from the Danish Health Act and international conventions. The delivery of medical care to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children is described.

Environmental Radioactivity in Denmark in 1986

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-11-01

The marine environments at Barsebk and Ringhals were monitored for 137Cs and corrosion products (58Co 60Co, 652n, 54Mn). The Chernobyl accident caused a...and radiocesium in Danish cheese............................ 129 5.2.4. Iodine-131 in Danish milk after Chernobyl .......................... 130 5.3...and Lanqeland Belt areas ........... 214 8.6. The Baltic island, Bornholm ................... 216 8.7. Estimatinq the external dose from Chernobyl

Language Ideologies in a Danish Company with English as a Corporate Language: "It Has to Be English"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lønsmann, Dorte

2015-01-01

With the spread of English as a global language, concerns have been voiced over the impact of English on local languages. This article presents results from an ethnographic study of language ideologies in a Danish workplace with a particular focus on ideologies of English in relation to the local language and to other foreign languages. In this…

Putting Education in Its Place: Mapping the Observations of Danish and English Architects on 1950s School Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Catherine

2010-01-01

During the years following the Second World War, there were efforts in several European countries to grasp the opportunity to re-imagine "school" created through the need to rebuild on a mass scale. This article examines in detail an episode in the exchange of knowledge between English and Danish architects and educators during a period…

The Danish Perspective on Baltic Security.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

policy. This socialist wing mirrors a general reluctance in the population against engaging in a centralized federal European union. This reluctance...minister Andrei Kozyrev in 1993 that an effective presence in Kaliningrad is essential, and he characterized the area as the cornerstone of Russian...government and was able to heavily influence Denmark’s NATO policy. The socialist wing mirrors a general reluctance of the Danish populace to

Patterns of Contact with Hospital for Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Danish Register-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atladottir, Hjordis Osk; Schendel, Diana E.; Lauritsen, Marlene B.; Henriksen, Tine Brink; Parner, Erik T.

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to study patterns of contact with hospital for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using Danish population based register data. We included all children born in Denmark from 1994 through 2002. We found that children diagnosed with ASD had an increased rate of contact with hospital, almost regardless of the cause…

Technology in Intersecting Figured Worlds.

PubMed

Esbensen, Gertrud Lynge; Hasse, Cathrine

2015-01-01

In this chapter we analyze aspects of how Danish student nurses acquire technological literacy during their clinical internship at a Danish hospital. The argument is supported by several cases from Esbensen's empirical work. We focus on a Techno-Anthropological study of how student nurses learn to engage in technological mediated relations, and discuss how we think the ideas of intersecting worlds help to analyze some of the difficulties, student's experience.

Is There Something Rotten in the State of Denmark? The Paradoxical Policies of Inclusive Education--Lessons from Denmark

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engsig, Thomas T.; Johnstone, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

By 2015, 96% of the entire student body in the Danish public school system must receive his or her education within the regular classrooms, and referrals to segregated special education must be reduced radically. This is the consequence of the so-called "Inclusion Law" passed in the Danish parliament in April 2012. The law contains a…

‘Everything just seems much more right in nature’: How veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder experience nature-based activities in a forest therapy garden

PubMed Central

Poulsen, Dorthe Varning; Stigsdotter, Ulrika K; Djernis, Dorthe; Sidenius, Ulrik

2016-01-01

Available evidence shows that an increasing number of soldiers are seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder. The post-traumatic stress disorder condition has big emotional and psychological consequences for the individual, his/her family and the society. Little research has been done to explore the impact of nature-based therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder although there is a growing amount of evidence pointing towards positive outcome. This qualitative study aims to achieve a deeper understanding of this relationship from the veteran’s perspective. Eight Danish veterans participated in a 10-week nature-based therapy. Qualitative interviews were conducted and analysed using the interpretative phenomenological method. The results indicated that the veterans have achieved tools to use in stressful situations and experienced an improvement in their post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. PMID:28070397

Child-to-teacher ratio and day care teacher sickness absenteeism.

PubMed

Gørtz, Mette; Andersson, Elvira

2014-12-01

The literature on occupational health points to work pressure as a trigger of sickness absence. However, reliable, objective measures of work pressure are in short supply. This paper uses Danish day care teachers as an ideal case for analysing whether work pressure measured by the child-to-teacher ratio, that is, the number of children per teacher in an institution, affects teacher sickness absenteeism. We control for individual teacher characteristics, workplace characteristics, and family background characteristics of the children in the day care institutions. We perform estimations for two time periods, 2002-2003 and 2005-2006, by using generalized method of moments with lagged levels of the child-to-teacher ratio as instrument. Our estimation results are somewhat mixed. Generally, the results indicate that the child-to-teacher ratio is positively related to short-term sickness absence for nursery care teachers, but not for preschool teachers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cancer incidence among Danish seafarers: a population based cohort study

PubMed Central

Kaerlev, L; Hansen, J; Hansen, H; Nielsen, P

2005-01-01

Aims: Seafarers aboard oil and chemical tankers may be exposed to many chemicals, including substances like benzene that are known to be carcinogenic. Other seafarers are exposed to engine exhaust, different oil products, and chemicals used aboard and some years ago asbestos was also used extensively in ships. The aim of this study was to study cancer morbidity among Danish seafarers in relation to type of ship and job title. Methods: A cohort of all Danish seafarers during 1986–1999 (33 340 men; 11 291 women) registered by the Danish Maritime Authority with an employment history was linked with the nationwide Danish Cancer Registry and followed up for cancer until the end of 2002. The number of person years at risk was 517 518. Standardised incidence ratios (SIR) were estimated by use of the corresponding national rates. Results: The SIR of all cancers combined was higher than expected: 1.26 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.32) for men and 1.07 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.20) for women. This was mainly due to an excess of cancer of the larynx, lung, tongue, mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, pancreas, kidney, urinary bladder, colon, and bone as well as skin melanomas among men (the three latter borderline significantly increased), and an excess of cancer of the lung, rectum, and cervix uteri among women. The differences in risk pattern for lung cancer between the different job categories among men ranged in terms of SIR from 1.2 (95% CI 0.9 to 1.7) (engine officers) to 2.3 (1.6 to 3.3) (engine room crew), and 4.1 (2.1 to 7.4) among maintenance crew. Non-officers had a 1.5 times higher lung cancer risk than officers. No increased occurrence of all lymphatic and haematopoietic malignancies combined was found for employees on tankers, but the number of cases was limited to a total of 7. Conclusions: Danish seafarers, especially men, face an increased overall cancer risk, in particular a risk for lung cancer and other tobacco associated cancers. PMID:16234401

Cost and health care resource use associated with noncompliance with oral bisphosphonate therapy: an analysis using Danish health registries.

PubMed

Kjellberg, J; Jorgensen, A D; Vestergaard, P; Ibsen, R; Gerstoft, F; Modi, A

2016-12-01

We estimated the rate of compliance with oral bisphosphonates among Danish women and examined its association with health care resource use and cost. Approximately 30 % of Danish females aged >55 who take bisphosphonates are noncompliant, and noncompliance is significantly associated with increased health care resource use and cost. Two objectives of this study were to estimate the rate of oral bisphosphonate compliance among Danish women and to examine the association of noncompliance with health care resource use and cost. Women ≥55 with an index prescription claim for an oral bisphosphonate were identified from Danish national health registries between 2003 and 2008. Compliance was measured as the medication possession ratio (MPR) during the first 12 months post-index. Cost and health care resource use were collected for the following 12 months. Among the 38,234 women meeting the study inclusion criteria, 29.9 % were noncompliant (MPR <70 %). Younger age was associated with higher odds of compliance (OR [95 % CI] 1.22 [1.15-1.29] for ages 55-64 and 1.18 [1.12-1.24] for ages 65-74; reference age group ≥75 years). Rates of all-cause health care resource use were significantly higher in noncompliant subjects: 28.9 versus 23.0 % had inpatient admissions, 16.5 versus 13.0 % had emergency room visits, and 48.7 versus 43.3 % used outpatient services (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). The total mean (SD) all-cause cost per patient (excluding office visits) was €626 (2344) and €4178 (7854), respectively. The mean (SD) osteoporosis-related cost per patient (excluding office visits) was €572 (2085) and €754 (2857) for compliant and non-compliant subjects, respectively. The compliant subjects accrued significantly lower all-cause and OP-related cost than noncompliant subjects, regardless of whether the total cost or medical cost only was considered. Approximately 30 % of Danish females aged 55 or older who take bisphosphonates are noncompliant. Noncompliance is significantly associated with increased health care resource use and cost.

Risk for borderline ovarian tumours after exposure to fertility drugs: results of a population-based cohort study.

PubMed

Bjørnholt, Sarah Marie; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger; Nielsen, Thor Schütt Svane; Jensen, Allan

2015-01-01

Do fertility drugs increase the risk for borderline ovarian tumours, overall and according to histological subtype? The use of any fertility drug did not increase the overall risk for borderline ovarian tumours, but an increased risk for serous borderline ovarian tumours was observed after the use of progesterone. Many epidemiological studies have addressed the connection between fertility drugs use and risk for ovarian cancer; most have found no strong association. Fewer studies have assessed the association between use of fertility drugs and risk for borderline ovarian tumours, and the results are inconsistent. A retrospective case-cohort study was designed with data from a cohort of 96 545 Danish women with fertility problems referred to all Danish fertility clinics in the period 1963-2006. All women were followed for first occurrence of a borderline ovarian tumour from the initial date of infertility evaluation until a date of migration, date of death or 31 December 2006, whichever occurred first. The median length of follow-up was 11.3 years. Included in the analyses were 142 women with borderline ovarian tumours (cases) and 1328 randomly selected sub-cohort members identified in the cohort during the follow-up through 2006. Cases were identified by linkage to the Danish Cancer Register and the Danish Register of Pathology by use of personal identification numbers. To obtain information on use of fertility drugs, hospital files and medical records of infertility-associated visits to all Danish fertility clinics were collected and supplemented with information from the Danish IVF register. We used case-cohort techniques to calculate rate ratios (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for borderline ovarian tumours, overall and according to histological subtype, associated with the use of any fertility drug or five specific groups of fertility drugs: clomiphene citrate, gonadotrophins (human menopausal gonadotrophins and follicle-stimulating hormone), gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, human chorionic gonadotrophins and progesterone. Analyses within the cohort showed that the overall risk for borderline ovarian tumours was not associated with the use of any fertility drug (RR 1.00; 95% CI 0.67-1.51) or of gonadotrophins (RR 1.32; 95% CI 0.81-2.14), clomiphene citrate (RR 0.96; 95% CI 0.64-1.44), human chorionic gonadotrophins (RR 0.91; 95% CI 0.61-1.36) or gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues (RR 1.10; 95% CI 0.66-1.81). Furthermore, no associations were observed between the risk for borderline ovarian tumours and these groups of fertility drugs according to the number of cycles of use, length of follow-up or parity. In contrast, use of progesterone increased the risk for borderline ovarian tumours, particularly serous tumours, for which statistically significantly increased risks were observed with any use of progesterone (RR 1.82; 95% CI 1.03-3.24), among women treated with ≥4 cycles of progesterone (RR 2.63; 95% CI 1.04-6.64) and for all women followed up for ≥4 years after their first treatment with progesterone. Although we tried to minimize the effects of the underlying infertility, the severity of infertility might have affected our risk estimates, as women with more severe fertility problems may receive more treatment. The results from the subgroup analyses, e.g. the findings of an elevated risk for borderline ovarian tumours associated with increased time since first use of progesterone and with increased number of treatment cycles, should be interpreted with caution as these analyses are based on a limited number of women with borderline ovarian tumours. Although this study, which is the largest to date, provides reassuring evidence that there is no strong link between the use of fertility drugs and risk for borderline ovarian tumours, the novel observation of an increased risk for serous tumours after use of progesterone should be investigated in large epidemiological studies. The results of the present study provide valuable knowledge for clinicians and other health care personnel involved in the diagnosis and treatment of fertility problems. No conflict of interest was reported. S.M.B. was supported by a research scholarship from the Danish Cancer Society. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Familial recurrence-pattern analysis of nonsyndromic isolated cleft palate - A Danish registry study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Christensen, K.; Mitchell, L.E.

1996-01-01

The finding of an association between genetic variation at the transforming growth-factor alpha (TGFA) locus and nonsyndromic isolated cleft palate (CP) represents a potentially important breakthrough in our understanding of this condition. The present study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of detecting linkage to putative CP-susceptibility loci, such as TGFA. To this end, the familial recurrence pattern for CP was evaluated to determine the most likely mode of inheritance for this condition. The study took advantage of the high ascertainment and uniform registration of CP in Denmark. In addition, the study utilized estimates of familial recurrence that were obtainedmore » by register linkage and, hence, were not subject to either recall bias or the potentially biasing influence of nonresponders. The recurrence risks for first-, second-, and third-degree relatives of 1,364 nonsyndromic CP probands were estimated to be 2.74% (72/2,628), 0.28% (3/1,068), and 0.00% (0/360), respectively. These estimates are close to published estimates based on questionnaire and interview data. The population prevalence for nonsyndromic CP was, however, found to be considerable higher than usually reported (0.058% [1,456/2,523,023]). Analyses of these and previously published data, using the method presented by Risch, indicated that major-locus or additive multilocus inheritance of CP is unlikely. The familial recurrence pattern was, however, consistent with CP being determined by several interacting loci. Under such a model, a single locus accounting for more than a sixfold increase in the risk to first-degree relatives of CP probands is unlikely, whereas a single locus accounting for a threefold increase provided a good fit to the data. Such a locus could be detected in a realistic sample of affected sib pairs. 26 refs., 3 tabs.« less

Does multidisciplinary rehabilitation of tortured refugees represent 'value-for-money'? A follow-up of a Danish case-study.

PubMed

Bager, Line; Hansen, Kristian Schultz; Andersen, Carit Jacques; Wang, Shr-Jie

2018-05-18

The recent surge of asylum seekers in the European Union (EU) is raising questions about the EU's ability to integrate newcomers into the economy and into society; particularly those who need specialized services for the treatment of severe trauma. This study investigated whether rehabilitating traumatised refugees represents 'value-for-money' (VfM) in terms of intervention cost per health gain and in a long-term and societal perspective. The economic evaluation comprised a cost-utility analysis (CUA) and a partial cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The CUA incorporated data on Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY) for 45 patients who were treated at the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2001-2004 and followed for up to 2 years, to determine the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER). For the CBA, data was collected for 44 patients who completed treatment between 2001 and 2004 and 44 matched controls on the waiting list, for the patients' primary health care utilisation, and personal and family labour income from 2001 to 2014. This was analysed to evaluate the Net Social Benefit (NSB) of the programme. The average cost of treatment was found to be about 32,000 USD per patient (2016 prices) with an average gain in QALY of 0.82. The treatment was cost effective according to the ICER threshold suggested by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (UK). At the individual level, the NSB remained negative throughout the study period. However, at the family income level the intervention proved to have been beneficial after 3 years. The implication of the study is, that providing rehabilitation to severely traumatised refugee families can be an economically viable strategy, considering the economic effects observed at the family level.

Presence of psychoactive substances in oral fluid from randomly selected drivers in Denmark.

PubMed

Simonsen, K Wiese; Steentoft, A; Hels, T; Bernhoft, I M; Rasmussen, B S; Linnet, K

2012-09-10

This roadside study is the Danish part of the EU-project DRUID (Driving under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol, and Medicines) and included three representative regions in Denmark. Oral fluid samples (n=3002) were collected randomly from drivers using a sampling scheme stratified by time, season, and road type. The oral fluid samples were screened for 29 illegal and legal psychoactive substances and metabolites as well as ethanol. Fourteen (0.5%) drivers were positive for ethanol (alone or in combination with drugs) at concentrations above 0.53g/l, which is the Danish legal limit. The percentage of drivers positive for medicinal drugs above the Danish legal concentration limit was 0.4%; while, 0.3% of the drivers tested positive for one or more illicit drug at concentrations exceeding the Danish legal limit. Tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, and amphetamine were the most frequent illicit drugs detected above the limit of quantitation (LOQ); while, codeine, tramadol, zopiclone, and benzodiazepines were the most frequent legal drugs. Middle aged men (median age 47.5 years) dominated the drunk driving group, while the drivers positive for illegal drugs consisted mainly of young men (median age 26 years). Middle aged women (median age 44.5 years) often tested positive for benzodiazepines at concentrations exceeding the legal limits. Interestingly, 0.6% of drivers tested positive for tramadol, at concentrations above the DRUID cut off; although, tramadol is not included in the Danish list of narcotic drugs. It can be concluded that driving under the influence of drugs is as serious a road safety problem as drunk driving. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Night shift work and incidence of diabetes in the Danish Nurse Cohort.

PubMed

Hansen, Anne B; Stayner, Leslie; Hansen, Johnni; Andersen, Zorana J

2016-04-01

Night shift work has been associated with poor sleep, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, which are recognised risk factor for diabetes. However, only a few studies have examined the effect of shift work on diabetes risk. Here, we study the association between shift work and incidence of diabetes in Danish nurses. We used the Danish Nurse Cohort with 28,731 participating female nurses recruited in 1993 (19,898) or 1999 (8833), when self-reported baseline information on diabetes prevalence, lifestyle and working time were collected, and followed them in the Danish Diabetes Register for incidence of diabetes until 2013. Nurses reported whether they worked night, evening, rotating or day shifts. We analysed the association between working time and diabetes incidence using a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for diabetes risk factors, separately with and without adjustment for body mass index (BMI) which might be an intermediate variable. Of 19,873 nurses who worked and were diabetes-free at recruitment, 837 (4.4%) developed diabetes during 15 years of follow-up. The majority of nurses (62.4%) worked day shifts, 21.8% rotating shift, 10.1% evening and 5.5% night shifts. Compared with nurses who worked day shifts, we found statistically significantly increased risk of diabetes in nurses who worked night (1.58; 1.25 to 1.99) or evening shifts (1.29; 1.04 to 1.59) in the fully adjusted models including BMI. Danish nurses working night and evening shifts have increased risk for diabetes, with the highest risk associated with current night shift work. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Compliance with national recommendations for exercise during early pregnancy in a Danish cohort.

PubMed

Broberg, Lotte; Ersbøll, Anne S; Backhausen, Mette G; Damm, Peter; Tabor, Ann; Hegaard, Hanne K

2015-11-27

Exercise during pregnancy is associated with health benefits for both the mother and the fetus, and is therefore recommended in several national guidelines. Only few studies investigate whether these guideline recommendations are met. The aims of this study were 1. To assess the prevalence of pregnant women meeting the Danish recommendations for exercise during early pregnancy, 2. To identify pre-pregnancy factors associated with a lower probability for meeting the recommendations, and 3. To describe which types of exercise pregnant women prefer before and during pregnancy. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire during the first trimester among 7,915 women participating in the prospective Copenhagen Pregnancy Cohort. Associations were estimated by multivariate regression analyses. In early pregnancy, 38 % of the study population met the recommendation for exercise from the Danish Health and Medicines Authority (≥3.5 hours a week). Multiparity, previous miscarriage use of assisted reproductive technology, no engagement in exercise before pregnancy, smoking, pregnancy following assisted reproductive technology, overweight, not understanding Danish language and a low educational level were all factors associated a lower probability for meeting the recommendations. The preferred types of exercise before and during pregnancy were bicycling, brisk walking, running and strength training. The proportion of women engaged in any type of exercise decreased in early pregnancy with the exception of swimming and aquatic exercise. In this cohort, more than one-third met the Danish recommendation for exercise during early pregnancy. Exercise in pregnancy is still an issue to address because the most vulnerable groups of pregnant women do not exercise. This is a cause of concern because it may reflect social inequalities in health and highlights the need for a structural and systematic approach to preconception care and early antenatal counselling.

Cross-cultural Adaption and Validation of the Danish Voice Handicap Index.

PubMed

Sorensen, Jesper Roed; Printz, Trine; Mehlum, Camilla Slot; Heidemann, Christian Hamilton; Groentved, Aagot Moeller; Godballe, Christian

2018-02-02

We aimed to assess psychometric properties, including internal consistency, reliability, and clinical validity of the Danish version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI). A cross-sectional survey study was carried out. For validation, the existing nonvalidated Danish version of the VHI was used. Data from 208 patients with voice disorders of different etiology (neurogenic, functional, and structural) and a control group of 85 vocally healthy individuals were included. A test-retest reliability analysis of 42 patients and 45 control persons was performed. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and clinical validity of the questionnaire were assessed. Internal consistency was high with a Cronbach α >0.90 for both the patient and control group. Test-retest reliability measured as intraclass correlation coefficient was good with 0.93 (95% confidence interval [95% confidence interval]: 0.87-0.96) for patients and 0.78 (95% confidence interval: 0.63-0.87) for the control group which indicates sufficient reliability of the questionnaire. The Danish VHI has good clinical validity as it has a strong correlation between patient's perception of the severity of their voice disorder and the VHI score from the Spearman correlation of 0.69. The existing Danish version of the VHI has been thoroughly validated and found to be in line with the original VHI from Jacobsen et al. It showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and clinical validity. It is suitable for use in daily practice and in research projects as it is able to assess patients' perception of their voice disorder severity. Copyright © 2018 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Should I stay or should I go? Motivational profiles of Danish seafaring officers and non-officers.

PubMed

Haka, Miia; Borch, Daniel F; Jensen, Chris; Leppin, Anja

2011-01-01

Other studies have shed light on specific types of seafarers' job stressors and job satisfaction. However, so far there have not been any systematic attempts to capture the motivational profile of seafarers when it comes to both work demands and work resources. The purpose of this study is to explore the motivational profiles of seafarers in the Danish merchant fleet by identifying factors which motivate or demotivate seafarers to stay in their specific profession. Furthermore, we examine if there is a difference in work motivators and demotivators between Danish seafaring officers and non-officers. Material and methods. A questionnaire was sent out to 560 Danish-speaking seafarers with a Danish postal address; 346 seafarers returned the questionnaire, equalling a 61% response rate. The work motivators which were identified were: duration of home leave, level of responsibility, and level of challenge. The main demotivating factors that were identified were: being away from home, shipping company´s HRM, and regulatory requirements. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of how seafarers perceive their occupation, and help to identify areas and aspects which might need change if employers want to retain their workforce in the long run. Overall, the results show that most of the job demands and job resources that seafarers perceive are psychosocial. When it comes to the best aspects of seafaring, over 70% of the answers were related to psychosocial factors rather than organizational or structural factors. In relation to the perceived worst aspects in seafaring, about 85% of the responses fell into psychosocial categories. The differences in the motivational profiles of officers and non-officers showed the importance of not only looking at the seafaring profession as a whole but also considering the different characteristics of various jobs onboard.

Subcutaneous administration of a 10-fold-lower dose of a commercial human tuberculosis vaccine, Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin Danish, induced levels of protection against bovine tuberculosis and responses in the tuberculin intradermal test similar to those induced by a standard cattle dose.

PubMed

Buddle, Bryce M; Hewinson, R Glyn; Vordermeier, H Martin; Wedlock, D Neil

2013-10-01

Vaccination of cattle with a commercial human tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Danish, at a dose equivalent to 5 human doses of BCG has protected these animals against TB in field and experimental trials. There is interest in determining whether a 10-fold-lower dose could still protect cattle but not induce a tuberculin intradermal test response. Two groups of calves (n = 9/group) were vaccinated subcutaneously with a lyophilized BCG Danish vaccine containing either 0.5 (1 × 10(5) to 4 × 10(5) CFU) or 5 (1 × 10(6) to 4 × 10(6) CFU) human doses of BCG Danish, with an additional group of 10 calves serving as nonvaccinated controls. Fifteen weeks after vaccination, these animals were challenged intratracheally with 5 × 10(3) CFU of virulent M. bovis and another 15 weeks later were slaughtered and examined for the presence of tuberculous lesions. Vaccination of the calves with either 0.5 or 5 equivalent human doses of BCG Danish induced similar levels of protection against challenge with M. bovis, with both groups showing significant reductions in the pathological and microbiological parameters compared to those for the the control group (P < 0.05). Vaccination with either of the two BCG doses induced similar numbers of animals responding to the tuberculin intradermal test at 11 weeks postvaccination. Vaccination with a 0.5 equivalent human dose of a commercial lyophilized BCG vaccine can protect cattle against challenge with M. bovis.

Cost-analysis of robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy versus total abdominal hysterectomy for women with endometrial cancer and atypical complex hyperplasia.

PubMed

Herling, Suzanne F; Palle, Connie; Møller, Ann M; Thomsen, Thordis; Sørensen, Jan

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to analyse the hospital cost of treatment with robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy and total abdominal hysterectomy for women with endometrial cancer or atypical complex hyperplasia and to identify differences in resource use and cost. This cost analysis was based on two cohorts: women treated with robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy (n = 202) or with total abdominal hysterectomy (n = 158) at Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark. We conducted an activity-based cost analysis including consumables and healthcare professionals' salaries. As cost-drivers we included severe complications, duration of surgery, anesthesia and stay at the post-anesthetic care unit, as well as number of hospital bed-days. Ordinary least-squares regression was used to explore the cost variation. The primary outcome was cost difference in Danish kroner between total abdominal hysterectomy and robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy. The average cost of consumables was 12,642 Danish kroner more expensive per patient for robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy than for total abdominal hysterectomy (2014 price level: 1€ = 7.50 Danish kroner). When including all cost-drivers, the analysis showed that the robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy procedure was 9386 Danish kroner (17%) cheaper than the total abdominal hysterectomy (p = 0.003). When the robot investment was included, the cost difference reduced to 4053 Danish kroner (robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy was 7% cheaper than total abdominal hysterectomy) (p = 0.20). Increasing age and Type 2 diabetes appeared to influence the overall costs. For women with endometrial cancer or atypical complex hyperplasia, robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy was cheaper than total abdominal hysterectomy, mostly due to fewer complications and shorter length of hospital stay. © 2015 Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

A human health risk assessment for macrolide-resistant Campylobacter associated with the use of macrolides in Danish pig production.

PubMed

Alban, Lis; Nielsen, Elisabeth Okholm; Dahl, Jan

2008-02-01

In 2006, macrolides were withdrawn from the list of antibiotics recommended for veterinary treatment of diarrhoea in Danish pigs. The motive was to lower the antibiotic consumption in general and to mitigate the risk related to human infection with macrolide-resistant (Mres) Campylobacter. We subsequently conducted a risk assessment following international guidelines to address the risk for human health associated with usage of macrolides in Danish pigs. Data originated from surveillance programs, published papers, reports and statistics. Furthermore, an exposure model was built in @Risk. Mres Campylobacter is the hazard of interest. Data from different EU countries show that beef contains a very low prevalence (typically 0.1-1.1%) of Campylobacter; moreover, Mres is uncommon in Campylobacter isolates from cattle (between 0% and 6%). Beef was therefore left out of further analysis. For pork at retail, a high variation in the prevalence of Campylobacter has been reported within EU; but generally the prevalence is <10%, and the isolates are often Mres. EU data indicate that poultry meat harbor a high prevalence of Campylobacter (more more than 10%) with Mres at prevalence ranging from 0% to 8%. According to the exposure model - that included origin of meat as well as consumption patterns - most human cases of Mres campylobacteriosis (157 out of 186) was ascribed to imported meat. Only seven cases could be explained by veterinary usage of macrolides in Danish pigs. In general, human cases of campylobacteriosis are self-limiting, and it is questionable whether there is any excess risk related to infection with Mres Campylobacter compared to sensitive Campylobacter. In conclusion, the risk associated with veterinary use of macrolides in Danish pigs for the human health of Danes seemed to be low.

Occupational position and its relation to mental distress in a random sample of Danish residents.

PubMed

Rugulies, Reiner; Madsen, Ida E H; Nielsen, Maj Britt D; Olsen, Lis R; Mortensen, Erik L; Bech, Per

2010-08-01

To analyze the distribution of depressive, anxiety, and somatization symptoms across different occupational positions in a random sample of Danish residents. The study sample consisted of 591 Danish residents (50% women), aged 20-65, drawn from an age- and gender-stratified random sample of the Danish population. Participants filled out a survey that included the 92 item version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-92). We categorized occupational position into seven groups: high- and low-grade non-manual workers, skilled and unskilled manual workers, high- and low-grade self-employed, and unemployed. Compared to the reference group of high-grade non-manual workers, the depressive symptom score was statistically significantly elevated among unskilled manual workers (P = 0.043) and the unemployed (P < 0.001), after adjustment for age, gender, cohabitation, life events, and low household income. The anxiety symptom score was elevated only among the unemployed (P = 0.004). The somatization symptom score was elevated among unskilled manual workers (P = 0.002), the low-grade self-employed (P = 0.023), and the unemployed (P = 0.001). When we analyzed caseness of severe symptoms, we found that unskilled manual workers (OR = 3.27, 95% CI = 1.06-10.04) and the unemployed (OR = 6.20, 95% CI = 1.98-19.42) had a higher prevalence of severe depressive symptoms, compared to the reference group of high-grade non-manual workers. The unemployed also had a higher prevalence of severe somatization symptoms (OR = 6.28, 95% CI = 1.39-28.46). Unskilled manual workers, the unemployed, and, to a lesser extent, the low-grade self-employed showed an increased level of mental distress. Activities to promote mental health in the Danish population should be directed toward these groups.

Risk assessment of Salmonella in Danish meatballs produced in the catering sector.

PubMed

Møller, Cleide O de A; Nauta, Maarten J; Schaffner, Donald W; Dalgaard, Paw; Christensen, Bjarke B; Hansen, Tina B

2015-03-02

A modular process risk model approach was used to assess health risks associated with Salmonella spp. after consumption of the Danish meatball product (frikadeller) produced with fresh pork in a catering unit. Meatball production and consumption were described as a series of processes (modules), starting from 1.3kg meat pieces through conversion to 70g meatballs, followed by a dose response model to assess the risk of illness from consumption of these meatballs. Changes in bacterial prevalence, concentration, and unit size were modelled within each module. The risk assessment was built using observational data and models that were specific for Salmonella spp. in meatballs produced in the catering sector. Danish meatballs are often pan-fried followed by baking in an oven before consumption, in order to reach the core temperature of 75°C recommended by the Danish Food Safety Authority. However, in practice this terminal heat treatment in the oven may be accidentally omitted. Eleven production scenarios were evaluated with the model, to test the impact of heat treatments and cooling rates at different room temperatures. The risk estimates revealed that a process comprising heat treatment of meatballs to core temperatures higher than 70°C, and subsequent holding at room temperatures lower than 20°C, for no longer than 3.5h, were very effective in Salmonella control. The current Danish Food Safety Authority recommendation of cooking to an internal temperature of 75°C is conservative, at least with respect to Salmonella risk. Survival and growth of Salmonella during cooling of meatballs not heat treated in oven had a significant impact on the risk estimates, and therefore, cooling should be considered a critical step during meatball processing. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Item analysis using Rasch models confirms that the Danish versions of the DISABKIDS® chronic-generic and diabetes-specific modules are valid and reliable.

PubMed

Nielsen, Julie Bøjstrup; Kyvsgaard, Julie Nyholm; Sildorf, Stine Møller; Kreiner, Svend; Svensson, Jannet

2017-03-01

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) has a negative impact on psychological and overall well-being. Screening for Health-related Quality of Life (HrQoL) and addressing HrQoL issues in the clinic leads to improved well-being and metabolic outcomes. The aim of this study was to translate the generic and diabetes-specific validated multinational DISABKIDS® questionnaires into Danish, and then determine their validity and reliability. The questionnaires were translated using a validated translation procedure and completed by 99 children and adolescents from our diabetes-department; all diagnosed with T1D and were aged between 8 and 18 years old. The Rasch and the graphical log linear Rasch model (GLLRM) were used to determine validity. Monte Carlo methods and Cronbach's α were used to confirm reliability. The data did not fit a pure Rasch model but did fit a GLLRM when item six in the independence scale is excluded. The six subscales measure different aspects of HrQoL indicating that all the subscales are necessary. The questionnaire shows local dependency between items and differential item functioning (DIF). Therefore age, gender, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels must be taken into account when comparing HrQoL between groups. The Danish versions of the DISABKIDS® chronic-generic and diabetes-specific modules provide valid and objective measurements with adequate reliability. These Danish versions are useful tools for evaluating HrQoL in Danish patients with T1D. However, guidelines on how to manage DIF and local independence will be required, and item six should be rephrased.

Experiences with global trigger tool reviews in five Danish hospitals: an implementation study

PubMed Central

von Plessen, Christian; Kodal, Anne Marie; Anhøj, Jacob

2012-01-01

Objectives To describe experiences with the implementation of global trigger tool (GTT) reviews in five Danish hospitals and to suggest ways to improve the performance of GTT review teams. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting The measurement and monitoring of harms are crucial to campaigns to improve the safety of patients. Increasingly, teams use the GTT to review patient records and measure harms in English and non-English-speaking countries. Meanwhile, it is not clear as to how the method performs in such diverse settings. Participants Review teams from five Danish pilot hospitals of the national Danish Safer Hospital Programme. Primary and secondary outcome measures We collected harm rates, background and anecdotal information and reported patient safety incidents (PSIs) from five pilot hospitals currently participating in the Danish Safer Hospital Programme. Experienced reviewers categorised harms by type. We plotted harm rates as run-charts and applied rules for the detection of patterns of non-random variation. Results The hospitals differed in size but had similar patient populations and activity. PSIs varied between 3 and 12 per 1000 patient-days. The average harm rate for all hospitals was 60 per 1000 patient-days ranging from 34 to 84. The percentage of harmed patients was 25 and ranged from 18 to 33. Overall, 96% of harms were temporary. Infections, pressure ulcers procedure-related and gastrointestinal problems were common. Teams reported differences in training and review procedures such as the role of the secondary reviewer. Conclusions We found substantial variation in harm rates. Differences in training, review procedures and documentation in patient records probably contributed to these variations. Training reviewers as teams, specifying the roles of the different reviewers, training records and a database for findings of reviews may improve the application of the GTT. PMID:23065451

Trends in leisure time physical activity, smoking, body mass index and alcohol consumption in Danish adults with and without diabetes: a repeat cross-sectional national survey covering the years 2000 to 2010.

PubMed

Molsted, Stig; Johnsen, Nina Føns; Snorgaard, Ole

2014-08-01

In recent decades there has been an increased focus on non-pharmacological treatment of diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate trends in leisure time physical activity (PA), smoking, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol consumption reported in 2000, 2005 and 2010 by Danish subjects with diabetes. Data comprised level of leisure time PA (inactive; moderate active; medium active; high active); smoking; BMI; and alcohol consumption, provided by The Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys. Participants older than 45 years with or without diabetes were included from cross-sectional analyses from 2000, 2005 and 2010. In participants with diabetes, leisure time PA levels increased from 2000 to 2010: The percentage of those that were physically active increased from 53.5% to 78.2% (p<0.001; women) and from 67.8% to 79.1% (p=0.01; men). The prevalence of daily smokers was reduced from 27.2% to 16.4%, p=0.015, in women with diabetes. In men with diabetes, BMI increased from 27.2 ± 4.0 to 28.6 ± 5.1 kgm(-2), p=0.003, and men who exceeded the maximum recommendation for alcohol consumption increased from 9.4% to 19.0%, p=0.007. The leisure time PA level was reduced in participants with diabetes compared to participants without diabetes throughout the study. The percentage of physically active Danish participants older than 45 years with diabetes increased from 2000 to 2010, and the most beneficial trends in life style were observed among the women. These trends may have serious implications for cardiovascular risk in Danish patients with diabetes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Related to Mental Health Service Use? A Prospective Study of Danish Soldiers Deployed to Afghanistan.

PubMed

Madsen, Trine; Andersen, Søren Bo; Karstoft, Karen-Inge

2016-10-01

Investigating the use of mental health services by combat veterans can help illuminate utilization and unmet needs of this population. The aims of this study were to estimate the use of mental health services and to examine how such use is associated with self-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers before and after deployment to Afghanistan. Prospectively, 703 Danish soldiers who deployed from January 2009 to August 2009 were followed up with 6 assessments from predeployment to 2.5 years postdeployment in 2012. At assessments, the soldiers responded to a comprehensive questionnaire including a measure of PTSD symptoms (the PTSD Checklist-Civilian version). These self-reported data were combined with individual-level records of receiving psychotherapy from the Military Psychological Division at the Danish Defense and psychiatric treatment from the Danish registers. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms increased over time, and almost 10% of the sample reported high levels of PTSD symptoms 2.5 years postdeployment. Overall, 37% of the soldiers utilized mental health services; 6% utilized psychiatric services, and 12.4% redeemed a prescription for psychiatric medicine. Approximately one-third received psychotherapy at the Military Psychological Division. In those reporting high PTSD symptomatology, 83% utilized 1 or more types of mental health service. At predeployment and homecoming, high PTSD symptomatology was significantly (P < .01) associated with attending psychotherapy, but not with psychiatric treatment or redemption of psychiatric medicine. With time, more soldiers report high PTSD symptoms. Among Danish soldiers with high symptomatology, the utilization of mental health services was high. Most frequently, soldiers with high PTSD symptomatology received psychotherapy at the Military Psychological Division and less frequently received psychiatric treatment. © Copyright 2016 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Wellbeing at work among kitchen workers during organic food conversion in Danish public kitchens: a longitudinal survey.

PubMed

Sørensen, Nina N; Løje, Hanne; Tetens, Inge; Wu, Jason H Y; Neal, Bruce; Lassen, Anne D

2016-04-01

In 2011, the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries launched the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020 intending to double the organic agricultural area in Denmark. This study aims to measure experienced physical and psychological wellbeing at work along with beliefs and attitudes among kitchen workers before and after participating in educational training programmes in organic food conversion. This longitudinal study applied an online self-administered questionnaire among kitchen workers before and after the implementation of an organic food conversion programme with 1-year follow-up. The study targeted all staff members in the participating public kitchens taking part in the organic food conversion process funded by the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020. Of the 448 eligible kitchen workers, 235 completed the questionnaire at baseline (52%) and 149 at follow-up (63% of those surveyed at baseline). No substantive differences between baseline and follow-up measurements of organic food conversion were detected on physical or psychological wellbeing at work. Kitchen workers reported a significant improvement in the perceived food quality, motivation to work and application of nutritional guidelines. Reported organic food percentages for the kitchens also increased significantly (P< 0.001) and a shift from using ready-made food products to producing more food from base was indicated. Within 1 year, a significant increase in motivation to work among kitchen staff was observed with no substantive changes in physical or psychological wellbeing at work identified. The results support the Danish Organic Action Plan 2020 and initiatives of similar kind. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

The Danish health system through an American lens.

PubMed

Davis, Karen

2002-02-01

The organization and financing of the Danish health care system was evaluated within the framework of a SWOT analysis (analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) by a panel of five members with a background in health economics. The evaluation was based on reading an extensive amount of selected documents and literature on the Danish health care system and a 1-week visit to health care authorities, providers and key persons. The present paper includes the main findings by one of the panel members. Primary care is much more accessible in Denmark than the USA. A mixed capitation-fee-for-service method of paying generalist physicians in Denmark ensures that everyone has a primary care physician and generalist physicians are responsive to providing services quickly, typically same-day appointments. An organized off-hours service ensures accessible care 24 h a day, 7 days a week. Denmark has the highest public satisfaction with health care, reflecting the value placed on accessibility of primary care. Inpatient hospital care consumes a disproportionate share of Danish health expenditures. Global hospital budgets provide little incentive for hospital or surgical productivity. Long waits for hospitalization, especially surgical procedures and cancellation of scheduled surgery, are a source of patient dissatisfaction. Women's health, patient health risk counseling and coordination of preventive and primary care are major weaknesses of the Danish health system. Patients have a choice of primary care physician within a given geographic area and may go to a hospital of their choice. However, patient surveys and feedback are underdeveloped and very little effort has been made to make services responsive to patients' preferences. While innovations in electronic prescribing are noteworthy, further development of health information technology is needed.

Supraventricular tachycardia induced by chocolate: is chocolate too sweet for the heart?

PubMed

Parasramka, Saurabh; Dufresne, Alix

2012-09-01

Conflicting studies have been published concerning the association between chocolate and cardiovascular diseases. Fewer articles have described the potential arrhythmogenic risk related to chocolate intake. We present a case of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in a woman after consumption of large quantity of chocolate. A 53-year-old woman with no significant medical history presented to us with complaints of palpitations and shortness of breath after consuming large amounts of chocolate. Electrocardiogram showed supraventricular tachycardia at 165 beats per minute, which was restored to sinus rhythm after adenosine bolus injection. Electrophysiology studies showed atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia, which was treated with radiofrequency ablation. Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine, which are methylxanthines and are competitive antagonists of adenosine and can have arrhythmogenic potential. Our case very well describes an episode of tachycardia precipitated by large amount of chocolate consumption in a patient with underlying substrate. There are occasional case reports describing association between chocolate, caffeine, and arrhythmias. A large Danish study, however, did not find any association between amount of daily caffeine consumption and risk of arrhythmia.

Urban flood return period assessment through rainfall-flood response modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murla Tuyls, Damian; Thorndahl, Søren

2017-04-01

Intense rainfall can often cause severe floods, especially in urbanized areas, where population density or large impermeable areas are found. In this context, floods can generate a direct impact in a social-environmental-economic viewpoint. Traditionally, in design of Urban Drainage Systems (UDS), correlation between return period (RP) of a given rainfall and RP of its consequent flood has been assumed to be linear (e.g. DS/EN752 (2008)). However, this is not always the case. Complex UDS, where diverse hydraulic infrastructures are often found, increase the heterogeneity of system response, which may cause an alteration of the mentioned correlation. Consequently, reliability on future urban planning, design and resilience against floods may be also affected by this misassumption. In this study, an assessment of surface flood RP across rainfall RP has been carried out at Lystrup, a urbanized catchment area of 440ha and 10.400inhab. located in Jutland (Denmark), which has received the impact of several pluvial flooding in the last recent years. A historical rainfall dataset from the last 35 years from two different rain gauges located at 2 and 10 km from the study area has been provided by the Danish Wastewater Pollution Committee and the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). The most extreme 25 rainfall events have been selected through a two-step multi-criteria procedure, ensuring an adequate variability of rainfall, from extreme high peak storms with a short duration to moderate rainfall with longer duration. In addition, a coupled 1D/2D surface and network UDS model of the catchment area developed in an integrated MIKE URBAN and MIKE Flood model (DHI 2014), considering both permeable and impermeable areas, in combination with a DTM (2x2m res.) has been used to study and assess in detail flood RP. Results show an ambiguous relation between rainfall RP and flood response. Local flood levels, flood area and volume RP estimates should therefore not be neglected in order to guarantee quality of the assessment, especially in design of complex UDS, where features as the main slope, hydraulic capacity, permeability, etc. can play an important role. In addition, a novel approach has been applied to map the response time (Tc) of the flood prone areas of the system under study. Together with the flood area and volume RP estimates this provides valuable knowledge suggesting to consider the different subareas of the UDS for design purposes and to establish a robust database that allows urban areas to be resilient against the severe impact of rainfall. Acknowledgement to ERA-NET Cofund Water Works 2014 (project MUFFIN) for the partial funding of this research; to the Danish Wastewater Pollution Committee and the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) for providing the rainfall dataset; to the Danish Geodata Agency for providing the DTM data and to DHI for providing license to MIKE software packages. The applied model has been made available for this study by Aarhus Water Utility Services. References DHI, 2014. MIKE by DHI software package 2014. Hørsholm, DK. DS/EN 752, 2008. Drain and sewer systems outside buildings.

WEEE and portable batteries in residual household waste: Quantification and characterisation of misplaced waste

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bigum, Marianne, E-mail: mkkb@env.dtu.dk; Petersen, Claus, E-mail: claus_petersen@econet.dk; Christensen, Thomas H., E-mail: thho@env.dtu.dk

2013-11-15

Highlights: • We analyse 26.1 Mg of residual waste from 3129 Danish households. • We quantify and characterise misplaced WEEE and portable batteries. • We compare misplaced WEEE and batteries to collection through dedicated schemes. • Characterisation showed that primarily small WEEE and light sources are misplaced. • Significant amounts of misplaced batteries were discarded as built-in WEEE. - Abstract: A total of 26.1 Mg of residual waste from 3129 households in 12 Danish municipalities was analysed and revealed that 89.6 kg of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), 11 kg of batteries, 2.2 kg of toners and 16 kgmore » of cables had been wrongfully discarded. This corresponds to a Danish household discarding 29 g of WEEE (7 items per year), 4 g of batteries (9 batteries per year), 1 g of toners and 7 g of unidentifiable cables on average per week, constituting 0.34% (w/w), 0.04% (w/w), 0.01% (w/w) and 0.09% (w/w), respectively, of residual waste. The study also found that misplaced WEEE and batteries in the residual waste constituted 16% and 39%, respectively, of what is being collected properly through the dedicated special waste collection schemes. This shows that a large amount of batteries are being discarded with the residual waste, whereas WEEE seems to be collected relatively successfully through the dedicated special waste collection schemes. Characterisation of the misplaced batteries showed that 20% (w/w) of the discarded batteries were discarded as part of WEEE (built-in). Primarily alkaline batteries, carbon zinc batteries and alkaline button cell batteries were found to be discarded with the residual household waste. Characterisation of WEEE showed that primarily small WEEE (WEEE directive categories 2, 5a, 6, 7 and 9) and light sources (WEEE directive category 5b) were misplaced. Electric tooth brushes, watches, clocks, headphones, flashlights, bicycle lights, and cables were items most frequently found. It is recommended that these findings are taken into account when designing new or improving existing special waste collection schemes. Improving the collection of WEEE is also recommended as one way to also improve the collection of batteries due to the large fraction of batteries found as built-in. The findings in this study were comparable to other western European studies, suggesting that the recommendations made in this study could apply to other western European countries as well.« less

Effects of the X:IT smoking intervention: a school-based cluster randomized trial.

PubMed

Andersen, Anette; Krølner, Rikker; Bast, Lotus Sofie; Thygesen, Lau Caspar; Due, Pernille

2015-12-01

Uptake of smoking in adolescence is still of major public health concern. Evaluations of school-based programmes for smoking prevention show mixed results. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of X:IT, a multi-component school-based programme to prevent adolescent smoking. Data from a Danish cluster randomized trial included 4041 year-7 students (mean age: 12.5) from 51 intervention and 43 control schools. Outcome measure 'current smoking' was dichotomized into smoking daily, weekly, monthly or more seldom vs do not smoke. Analyses were adjusted for baseline covariates: sex, family socioeconomic position (SEP), best friend's smoking and parental smoking. We performed multilevel, logistic regression analyses of available cases and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses, replacing missing outcome values by multiple imputation. At baseline, 4.7% and 6.8% of the students at the intervention and the control schools smoked, respectively. After 1 year of the intervention, the prevalence was 7.9% and 10.7%, respectively. At follow-up, 553 students (13.7%) did not answer the question on smoking. Available case analyses: crude odds ratios (OR) for smoking at intervention schools compared with control schools: 0.65 (0.48-0.88) and adjusted: 0.70 (0.47-1.04). ITT analyses: crude OR for smoking at intervention schools compared with control schools: 0.67 (0.50-0.89) and adjusted: 0.61 (0.45-0.82). Students at intervention schools had a lower risk of smoking after a year of intervention in year 7. This multi-component intervention involving educational, parental and context-related intervention components seems to be efficient in lowering or postponing smoking uptake in Danish adolescents. © The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

Levels of soluble TREM-1 in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes and their siblings without type 1 diabetes: a Danish case-control study.

PubMed

Thorsen, Steffen U; Pipper, Christian B; Mortensen, Henrik B; Skogstrand, Kristin; Pociot, Flemming; Johannesen, Jesper; Svensson, Jannet

2017-12-01

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease with an increase in incidence worldwide including Denmark. The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is a potent amplifier of pro-inflammatory responses and has been linked to autoimmunity, severe psychiatric disorders, sepsis, and cancer. Our primary hypothesis was that levels of soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) differed between newly diagnosed children with T1D and their siblings without T1D. Since 1996, the Danish Childhood Diabetes Register has collected data on all patients who have developed T1D before the age of 18 years. Four hundred and eighty-one patients and 478 siblings with measurements of sTREM-1-blood samples were taken within 3 months after onset-were available for statistical analyses. Sample period was from 1997 through 2005. A robust log-normal regression model was used, which takes into account that measurements are left censored and accounts for correlation within siblings from the same family. In the multiple regression model (case status, gender, age, HLA-risk, season, and period of sampling), levels of sTREM-1 were found to be significantly higher in patients (relative change [95%CI], 1.5 [1.1; 2.2],P = 0.02), but after adjustment for multiple testing our result was no longer statistically significant (P adjust = 0.1). We observed a statistical significant temporal increase in levels of sTREM-1. Our results need to be replicated by independent studies, but our study suggests that the TREM-1 pathway may have a role in T1D pathogenesis. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Relationships between food consumption and living arrangements among university students in four European countries - A cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The transition of young people from school to university has many health implications. Food choice at the university can differ because of childhood food consumption patterns, sex and the living arrangements. Food consumption may change especially if students are living away from home. We aimed to assess food consumption patterns among university students from four European countries and how they differ by their living arrangements. Methods We analysed data from a cross-country survey assessing health and health behaviours of students. The sample comprised a total of 2402 first year undergraduate students from one university in each of the countries of Germany, Denmark, Poland and Bulgaria. Food consumption was assessed by means of a food frequency questionnaire with 9 food groups (indicators). Results Students’ food consumption patterns differed across the countries. Frequent consumption of unhealthy items was common. Bulgarian students reported most often frequent consumption of sweets and cakes and snacks (e.g. chips and fast food). Polish students reported the least frequent consumption of vegetables and a low consumption of fruits. Across all countries except Bulgaria, men reported substantially more often frequent consumption of snacks than women. Students living at parental home consumed more fruit, vegetables, and meat than those who resided outside of their family home in all studied countries. There was more variation with regard to cakes and salads with more frequent consumption of cakes among Bulgarian female students and Danish male students and more frequent consumption of salads among Danish female students not living at parental home, compared to students from other countries. Conclusions Nutrition habits of university students differed across countries and by sex. Students living at parental home displayed more healthy nutrition habits, with some exceptions. PMID:22531503

Psychiatric disorders in Danish children aged 5-7 years: A general population study of prevalence and risk factors from the Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC 2000).

PubMed

Elberling, Hanne; Linneberg, Allan; Rask, Charlotte Ulrikka; Houman, Tine; Goodman, Robert; Mette Skovgaard, Anne

2016-01-01

Knowledge about the presentation of psychopathology in preschool age and associated risk factors is fundamental to preventive intervention before schooling. To investigate the full spectrum of psychiatric diagnoses in general population children at the period of transition from preschool to school. A sample of 1585 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort, CCC2000 aged 5-7 years was assessed using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) with diagnostic classification by experienced clinicians. Perinatal, sociodemographic and socio-economic data was obtained from Danish national registries. The prevalence of any ICD-10 psychiatric disorder was 5.7% (95%CI: 4.4-7.1). Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) were found in 1.3% (95%CI: 0.8-1.8) and behavioural and hyperkinetic disorders were found in 1.5% (95%CI: 0.9-2.1) and 1.0% (95%CI: 0.4-1.6), respectively. Emotional disorders were found in 2.9% (95%CI: 1.9-40). More boys were diagnosed with PDD, behavioural disorders and tics. No gender differences were found in hyperactivity disorders (HD) and emotional disorders. Co-morbidity was frequent, in particular between HD and PDD, but also between HD and emotional disorder and behavioural disorder. Teenage mothers, single parents and low household income the first two years after the child's birth were associated with a three-to fourfold increased risk of psychiatric disorder in the child at age 5-7 years. The study results point to two "windows of opportunity" for prevention. In the earliest postnatal years, prevention should target families at socio-economic risk; and in the years before schooling, intervention should focus on children with symptoms of PDD, HD, and behavioural disorders.

An Early Danish Computer Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jørgensen, Anker Helms

This paper reports on the development of Nimbi, which is an early computer game implemented at the Danish Computer Company Regnecentralen in 1962-63. Nimbi is a variant of the ancient game Nim. The paper traces the primary origins of the development of Nimbi. These include a mathematical analysis from 1901 of Nim that “killed the game” as the outcome could be predicted quite easily; the desire of the Danish inventor Piet Hein to make a game that eluded such analyses; and the desire of Piet Hein to have computers play games against humans. The development of Nimbi was successful in spite of considerable technical obstacles. However, it seems that the game was not used for publicizing the capabilities of computers - at least not widely - as was the case with earlier Nim implementations, such as the British Nim-playing computer Nimrod in 1951.

Payroll data based description of working hours in the Danish regions.

PubMed

Garde, Anne Helene; Hansen, Johnni; Kolstad, Henrik A; Larsen, Ann Dyreborg; Pedersen, Jacob; Petersen, Jindong Ding; Hansen, Åse Marie

2018-05-15

The aim was to describe the organization of working hours in the Danish regions according to sex, age and calendar year. Based on the Danish Working Hour Database (DWHD), individuals were classified according to schedules: Permanent day (57.8%), evening (1.7%), or night (1.2%); day/evening (22.0%); day/night (6.6%); evening/night (0.6%); and day/evening/night (10.2%). More men (9.1%) than women (5.9%) worked day/night, whereas more women (10.9%) than men (7.4%) worked day/evening/night. More young than older employees worked day/evening/night, and fewer worked permanent day or night. From 2008 to 2015 we observed a trend towards more employees working permanent day and fewer employees working other schedules. Altogether DWHD provides a strong tool in research on working hours.

Organization and financing of the Danish health care system.

PubMed

Christiansen, Terkel

2002-02-01

The present paper aims at giving a short overview of the organization and financing of the Danish health care system as of 1997-1998 when the SWOT panel evaluated the system. The overview follows the triangular model of a health care system. The Danish system is characterized by being decentralized and single-funded. The hospital sector is public, and hospitals are financed and run by the counties (with only a very small private hospital sector alongside). General practitioners are private entrepreneurs but work under contract for the counties. Hospitals are financed by global budgets, while general practitioners are paid by a mixed remuneration system of capitation fees and fee-for-service. During the past 20 years, the government has repeatedly imposed budget ceilings on the counties which has limited growth in the health care sector.

The Perceptions and Views on Family Interaction and Relationships of Middle Children from Large Families: An Informal Mini Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Elena C. Thomas

In Adler's Theory of Individual Psychology the significance of birth order position in the family constellation depends on the interpretation given to it by the child, which in turn influences his character. This study surveyed the perceptions of middle children in large families. Subjects (N=13) were middle children in families of more than five…