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A high-resolution sedimentary record from the subarctic Malangen fjord in northern Norway, northeastern North Atlantic has been investigated in order to reconstruct variations in influx of Atlantic Water for the last 2000 years. The fjord provides a regional oceanographic climatic signal reflecting changes in the North Atlantic heat flux at this latitude because of its deep sill and the relatively narrow adjoining continental shelf. The reconstructions are based on oxygen and carbon isotopic studies of benthic foraminifera from a high accumulation basin in the Malangen fjord, providing subdecadal time resolution. A comparison between instrumental measurements of bottom water temperatures at the core location and the reconstructed temperatures from benthic foraminiferal δ18O for the same time period demonstrates that the stable isotope values reflect the bottom water temperatures very well. The reconstructed temperature record shows an overall decline in temperature of c. 1°C from c. 40 bc to ad 1350. This cooling trend is assumed to be driven by an orbital forced reduction in insolation. Superimposed on the general cooling trend are several periods of warmer or colder temperatures. The long-term fluctuations in the Malangen fjord are concurrent with fluctuations of Atlantic Water in the northern North Atlantic. Although they are not directly comparable, comparisons of atmospheric temperatures and marine records, indicate a close coupling between the climate systems. After ad 1800 the record shows an unprecedented warming within the last 2000 years. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Instrumental monitoring of the climate at high northern latitudes has documented the ongoing warming of the last few decades. Climate modelling has also demonstrated that the global warming signal will be amplified in the polar region. Such temperature increases would have important implications on the ecosystem and biota of the Barents Sea. This study therefore aims to reconstruct the climatic changes of the Barents Sea based on benthic foraminifera over approximately the last 1400 years at the decadal to sub-decadal scale. Oxygen and carbon isotope analysis and benthic foraminiferal species counts indicate an overall warming trend of approximately 2.6°C through the 1400-year record. In addition, the well-documented cooling period equating to the ‘Little Ice Age’ is evident between c. 1650 and 1850. Most notably, a series of highly fluctuating temperatures are observed over the last century. An increase of 1.5°C is shown across this period. Thus for the first time we are able to demonstrate that the recent Arctic warming is also reflected in the oceanic micro-fauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paleoceanographic development of the eastern Fram Strait during the transition from the cold Late Glacial and into the warm Early Holocene was elucidated via a multiproxy study of a marine sediment record retrieved at the western Svalbard slope. The multiproxy study includes analyses of planktic foraminiferal fauna, bulk sediment grain size and CaCO3 content in addition to Mg/Ca ratios and stable isotopes (δ13C and δ18O) measured on the planktic foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma. Furthermore paleosubsurface water temperatures were reconstructed via Mg/Ca ratios (sSSTMg/Ca) and transfer functions (sSSTTransfer) enabling comparison between the two proxies within a single record. The age model was constrained by four accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates. From 14,000 to 10,300 cal yr B.P. N. pachyderma dominated the planktic fauna and cold polar sea surface conditions existed. The period was characterized by extensive sea ice cover, iceberg transport and low subsea surface temperatures (sSSTTransfer ~ 2.1 °C; sSSTMg/Ca ~ 3.5 °C) resulting in restricted primary production. Atlantic Water inflow was reduced compared to the present-day and likely existed as a subsurface current. At ca. 10,300 cal yr B.P. Atlantic Water inflow increased and the Arctic Front retreated north-westward resulting in increased primary productivity, higher foraminiferal fluxes and a reduction in sea ice cover and iceberg transport. The fauna rapidly became dominated by the subpolar planktic foraminifer Turborotalita quinqueloba and summer sSSTTransfer increased by ~ 3.5 °C. Concurrently, the sSSTMg/Ca recorded by N. pachyderma rose only ~ 0.5 °C. From ca. 10,300 to 8600 cal yr B.P. the average sSSTMg/Ca and sSSTTransfer were ~ 4.0 °C and ~ 5.5 °C, respectively. The relatively modest change in sSSTMg/Ca compared to sSSTTransfer can probably be tied to a change of the main habitat depth and/or shift in the calcification season for N. pachyderma during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rosacea is a common chronic inflammatory facial skin disorder. Standardized evaluation of the severity and extent of rosacea is important for baseline assessment and treatment effect. The currently used Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) is unspecific and fails to consider subtypes/phenotypes of rosacea and area involvement. The Rosacea Area and Severity Index (RASI) was developed to give a more nuanced evaluation of rosacea features in four facial skin areas adjusted to the relative importance of each area of the face to obtain an overall severity score., Objectives: To validate RASI against the IGA and to assess the inter- and intraobserver reliability for RASI., Methods: Sixteen dermatologists evaluated photographs of 60 adult patients with rosacea (3 photographs per patient, one from the front and one from each side). IGA and RASI scores were performed for interobserver reliability assessment. To determine intraobserver reliability, 14 dermatologists evaluated 10 other patients twice with at least 1 week interval., Results: The IGA and RASI correlated well (Spearman correlation coefficient (SCC) = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.72-0.78). Interobserver reliability was moderate for RASI and poor to moderate for IGA. Reliability was strongest for rhinophyma, followed by papules/pustules and erythema, and rather weak for telangiectasia. For area scores, interobserver reliability was strongest for cheeks, followed by nose, chin and forehead. We found a moderate-to-strong intraobserver agreement both for IGA and RASI., Conclusions: We have designed a new practical tool to examine clinical severity of rosacea. RASI proved simple and reliable in scoring clinical severity of rosacea with an agreement comparable to the currently used IGA although RASI will provide a more nuanced view of the current rosacea extent and severity. We suggest that RASI is used in the daily clinical setting as well as in clinical studies assessing the efficacy of rosacea therapies., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Introduction: Malnutrition and disturbed sense of smell and taste frequently occur in patients treated with chronic haemodialysis. The common denominator between chemosensation and nutrition may be food preferences. Our aim was to investigate smell and taste function as well as food preferences among haemodialysis patients and compare the results with those of age-matched controls., Methods: An observational case-control study was conducted on 29 patients on chronic haemodialysis and 39 age-matched healthy controls. Chemosensory function was evaluated using validated gustatory and olfactory tests. Food preferences were recorded using a questionnaire of 63 items including a five-point Likert scale of familiarity, liking and frequency., Results: Chemosensory function was significantly poorer among patients than among controls. Patients had significantly lower familiarity and frequency of consumptions of all food categories than controls and they also had significantly lower liking of vegetables, fruits and starches., Conclusions: Implementation of the provided knowledge about haemodialysis patients' smell and taste function including their food preferences are suggested, such as enhancement of odorant intensity, use of taste amplification, cooking habits and exposure to more varied food items. Assessments of food preferences and chemosensory function prior to determination of individual dietary schedules are therefore recommended., Funding: The authors did not receive any financial support for the research or drafting of this article. The authors declare that they have no financial interests to report., Trial Registration: Danish Ethical Committee project number: M-2018-188-18., (Articles published in the DMJ are “open access”. This means that the articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.)

Introduction: Consensus about which questionnaire to use is necessary when it comes to evaluation of tinnitus. In Denmark, the Tinnitus Handicap Index is currently used. However, for evaluating treatment-related outcomes, the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) has been optimised for this and is being used in several countries. In this study, we aimed to provide validation of a professionally translated Danish version of the TFI to safely implement this questionnaire in clinical and scientific settings., Methods: At the Department of Audiology at Hospital West Jutland, Denmark, 133 adult patients suffering from tinnitus with or without hearing loss completed the Danish version of the TFI questionnaire (TFI-Da). Internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability with Pearson's correlation., Results: Internal consistency was calculated for the total TFI score producing an excellent Crohnbach's alpha of 0.96. Crohnbach's alpha scores were also acceptable for all subgroups with values > 0.7. The test-retest reliability in terms of Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.848 for the total TFI scores and was acceptable for all subgroups., Conclusion: Our study showed a very high internal consistency and test-retest reliability when using the Danish version of the TFI questionnaire. Therefore, we recommend TFI-Da as the standard questionnaire for tinnitus patients in Denmark, especially for evaluation of treatment impact., Funding: none., Trial Registration: not relevant., (Articles published in the DMJ are “open access”. This means that the articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.)

Objective: Easily available clinical tests to evaluate postural control are needed. Furthermore, motion sickness (MS) and postural control are correlated. The aims of this study were to compare the internal validity of a set of clinical tests of postural control with the internal validity of static posturography and to evaluate possible associations between postural control and MS., Methods: We included healthy subjects from a primary school in Denmark who completed questionnaires about MS and underwent two rounds of clinical tests of postural control and static posturography using a Tetrax Interactive Balance System two weeks apart. For clinical tests of postural control, subjects were observed for up to 30 s standing on both legs, on one leg, on a pillow both with their eyes open and again with their eyes closed., Results: Twenty-one subjects were included: 71% males with an average age of 13.7 years. Agreement rates ranged from 62% to 95% between test and retest in clinical tests.; lowest for subjects standing on their non dominant leg with their eyes open and highest for subjects performing Romberg's test with their eyes closed along with subjects standing on a pillow with their eyes open. For several of these tests, almost all subjects were able to hold their balance for the full 30 s. Test-retesting using static posturography by Bland Altman plot showed datapoints scattered equally above and below the mean line indicating no systematic bias. Results of clinical tests and static posturography were not associated. MS was reported from 43% of subjects and a trend was observed with high sway scores from subjects suffering from MS. This was statistically insignificant., Conclusions: Due to a ceiling effect, subjects achieved the same scores in both rounds of testing in several of the clinical tests, reducing the clinical importance of these tests. Compared to clinical tests, static posturography seemingly remains the superior method when it comes to evaluation of postural control, although not as easily applicable in a daily clinical setting. When comparing MS and postural control a trend was observed, indicating higher sway scores in subjects suffering from MS., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Our aim was to describe the challenges of the transition process of adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as seen from a pediatric-care perspective, to clarify the key obstacles and propose how to move forward. Semi-structured individual interviews of pediatric gastroenterologists and nurses were analyzed and interpreted according to the principles of social science. It is a challenge for the pediatric team to continuously match, support, and gently guide the ever-changing adolescent patient. All adolescent patients should be offered guidance regardless of their starting point, and specific individual needs should be taken into consideration. Adolescents burdened by psychosocial challenges require extra support. Early and continued interdisciplinary effort is essential. Collaboration with the parents must be continuously adapted to prepare them for their new roles and responsibilities. The shift from the pediatric family-focused approach to the individualistic approach of the Adult Gastroenterology Department signifies a fundamental change. Equipping adolescents with disease-management skills remains a comprehensive task. The following crucial questions remain: Who is capable of performing the transition? Who can dedicate the necessary resources for performing the transition? A transition center led by both pediatricians and adult gastroenterologists in an interdisciplinary setting that includes transition-trained persons may be the solution.

Aim: Better understanding of aspects of taste in adolescents is needed since it has bearings on food policies, food industry and pharmaceutical design. Furthermore, taste preferences likely play a role in overeating and anorexia. We aimed to validate a questionnaire about taste preferences and dietary habits along with measurements of sense of smell and taste., Methods: We included adolescents from nearby schools in Aarhus, Denmark, from 2017 to 2019. Scoring preferences and habits on a Likert scale, they completed a food item questionnaire. Their chemosensation was tested by the Sniffin' Sticks and Taste Drop Test., Results: We included 100 adolescents: 53 males, 47 females; average age: 15.9 years (12-17 years). Retest of the questionnaire showed good reliability (Cohen's kappa: 0.5953). Snacks scored the highest average liking (4.48), whereas starches had the highest frequency of consumption (3.64). Bitter taste threshold was positively associated with liking and familiarity with vegetables (P = .032; P = .012), respectively. Healthy self-reported dietary habits were associated with a higher self-reported consumption of vegetables and a decreased consumption of snacks., Conclusion: Adolescents preferred unhealthy food items, but they also reported more frequent consumption of healthy than unhealthy food items. A higher threshold for the bitter taste, that is, being less sensitive to bitter taste, was associated with higher liking and familiarity of vegetables., (© 2020 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Hand eczema is a disease with large variation in clinical presentation and severity. Scoring systems for quantitative severity assessment exist. However, they are observer-dependent. An objective quantitative tool for scoring of hand eczema would improve categorization of hand eczema., Objective: To investigate the usefulness of multispectral imaging in assessing severity of hand eczema with respect to extent and the different morphological features., Methods: Patients with hand eczema (n = 60) and healthy controls (n = 28) were included. The severity of hand eczema was assessed by a dermatologist using the Hand Eczema Severity Index (HECSI) and a global assessment (Physician Global Assessment [PGA]). Multispectral imaging of the hand was performed on all patients and controls using the VideometerLab Instrument., Results: Areas of the morphological elements identified by multispectral imaging were statistically significantly correlated with the PGA scores. Analyzed by Cohen's kappa, a moderate agreement between imaging-based severity assessment and PGA was found. The imaging-based severity assessment was also correlated with HECSI (Spearman rho 0.683, P < .001). Still, the imaging-based algorithm was not capable of differentiating hand eczema patients from controls., Conclusions: Multispectral imaging allows quantitative measurements of different skin parameters to be performed. In its present form, multispectral imaging cannot replace the clinical assessment of a dermatologist. However, after refinement, this or similar technologies could prove useful., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Same-day discharge of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may challenge preparation of patients for discharge., Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether nurse-led telephone follow-up influenced patients' self-management post-PCI., Methods: We performed a randomized study with an allocation rate of 1:1. A standardized nurse-led motivational telephone consultation was conducted between 2 and 5 days after PCI to support adherence to medical therapy, follow-up activities, emotional well-being, and healthy lifestyle. The control group received usual care and discharge procedures. Primary outcome was adherence to use of P2Y12 inhibitor (clopidogrel or ticagrelor) therapy at 30 days of follow-up., Results: We consecutively included 294 elective patients (83%) undergoing PCI and with planned same-day discharge. Adherence to P2Y12 inhibitors was not influenced by the intervention (intervention vs control, 95% vs 93%, respectively; P = .627). However, the proportion of patients readmitted (8% vs 16%, P = .048), as well as self-initiated contacts to general practitioners (29% vs 42%, P = .020), was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group. Patients in the intervention group were more likely to know how to manage symptoms of angina pectoris (90% vs 80%, P = .015), and a higher proportion of patients in the intervention group commenced healthy physical activities (53% vs 41%, P = .043)., Conclusion: Nurse-led motivational telephone follow-up did not influence adherence to antiplatelet medical therapy after PCI. However, the intervention positively influenced self-management of angina pectoris and reduced hospital readmissions and self-initiated contacts to general practitioners and hospitals.

Background: Transfer from pediatric to adult care is a crucial period for adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)., Objective: Our aim was to develop a personalized transition-transfer concept including relevant tools in an established eHealth (electronic health) program., Methods: Required transition skills and validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were identified via bibliographic search and clinical experience and were implemented into an existing eHealth program., Results: The following skills were identified: disease knowledge, social life, disease management, and making well-informed, health-related decisions. The PROMs included the following: self-efficacy (the IBD Self-Efficacy Scale-Adolescents), resilience (the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale), response to stress (the Child Self-Report Responses to Stress-IBD), and self-management and health care transition skills (the Self-Management and Transition to Adulthood with Treatment questionnaire). Starting at age 14, the patient will be offered a 1-hour annual transition consultation with an IBD-specialized nurse. The consultation will be based on the results of the PROMs and will focus on the patient's difficulties. Patients will complete the PROMs on the eHealth program at home, allowing nurses and patients to prepare for the meeting. Symptom scores and medication will be filled out on the eHealth program to support disease self-management. The consultation will be a topic-centered dialogue with practical exercises. During routine outpatient visits with the provider, parents will be left out of half of the consultation when the patient is 16 years old; at 17 years old, the parents will not be present. At the transfer consultation, the pediatric provider, the adult gastroenterologist, the pediatric nurse, the patient, and the parents will be present to ensure a proper transfer., Conclusions: We have conducted a personalized eHealth transition concept consisting of basic elements that measure, train, and monitor the patients' transition readiness. The concept can be implemented and adjusted to local conditions., (©Katrine Carlsen, Mette Hald, Marla C Dubinsky, Laurie Keefer, Vibeke Wewer. Originally published in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting (http://pediatrics.jmir.org), 24.04.2019.)

Background: Adult and pediatric care have different views and ways of handling the patients and the parents, which may result in insufficient coordination and communication of transfer. The young patient, the parents, the pediatric, and the adult provider constitute four central actors in transition and transfer, and they have different roles, approaches, and needs. Our aim was to clarify the challenges and background for each actor., Materials and Methods: Statements from semistructured interviews of adult gastroenterologists and nurses were analyzed and interpreted by social scientific principles. The interviews were conducted individually, and each interview was completed within 30 min. The interviews were taped, transcribed, and sent to the interviewees for approval., Results: The analysis of the statements included a description of the motives, perspectives, and approaches of the interviewees as well as an exploration and interpretation of the underlying meaning, patterns, and models. The main points of the article are illustrated through excerpts from the interviews and concluded in the recommendations., Conclusion: (I) Pediatricians and adult gastroenterologist need to rethink their view on patients aged 15-20 years and understand that they are different from other patients and do have different demands. (II) Transfer should be considered a three-part process: (a) transition at the pediatric department, (b) a coordinated transfer, and (c) a consolidation phase after transfer. (III) Adolescent patients need proper education and empowerment during transition. (IV) Parents need to be timely prepared including an adjustment and redefinition of their roles.

Purpose: If β-alanine supplementation counteracts muscular fatigue development or improves athletic performance was investigated., Methods: Elite kayak rowers (10 men and 7 women) were supplemented with either 80 mg·kg body mass·d of β-alanine or placebo for 8 wk. Muscular fatigue development was investigated by applying a 2-min elbow flexor maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). EMG was recorded continuously, and voluntary activation was determined 30, 60, 90, and 115 s into the 2-min MVC. In addition, performance was evaluated as 1000-m and 5 × 250-m kayak ergometer rowing., Results: Force reduction during the 2-min MVC was similar before and after supplementation with β-alanine (30.9% ± 10.3% vs 36.0% ± 14.1%) and placebo (35.5% ± 7.7% vs 35.1% ± 8.0%). No time effect was apparent in voluntary activation during the 2-min MVC. In addition, there was no detectable effect of β-alanine supplementation on 1000-m kayak ergometer performance (β-alanine: 0.26% ± 0.02% vs placebo: -0.18% ± 0.02%) or accumulated 5 × 250-m time (β-alanine: -1.0% ± 0.3% vs placebo: -1.0% ± 0.2%). In 5 × 250 m, mean power output was reduced to a similar extent from first to fifth interval before and after supplementation with β-alanine (23% ± 11% vs 22% ± 10%) and placebo (26% ± 13% vs 20% ± 5%)., Conclusions: Two-minute MVC characteristics are unaffected by β-alanine supplementation in elite kayakers, and likewise, both a 1000-m kayak ergometer time trial lasting 4-5 min and a 5 × 250-m repeated sprint ability were unaltered by supplementation.

We investigated benthic foraminiferal assemblages in contaminated sediments in a subarctic harbor of Northern Norway to assess their utility as indicators of anthropogenic impacts. Sediments in the harbor are repositories for POPs and heavy metals supplied through discharges from industry and shipping activities. Sediment contaminant concentrations are at moderate to poor ecological quality status (EcoQS) levels. The EcoQS based on benthic foraminiferal diversity reflects a similar trend to the EcoQS based on contaminant concentrations. Foraminiferal density and diversity is low throughout the harbor with distinct assemblages reflecting influence of physical disturbances or chemical stressors. Assemblages impacted by physical disturbance are dominated by L. lobatula and E. excavatum, while assemblages impacted by chemical stressors are dominated by opportunistic species S. fusiformis, S. biformis, B. spathulata and E. excavatum. The foraminiferal assemblage from an un-impacted nearby fjord consists mainly of agglutinated taxa. These assemblages provides a valuable baseline of the ecological impacts of industrialization in northern coastal communities., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A recent Cochrane review evaluated the effect of topical anti-inflammatory treatment for seborrhoeic dermatitis. The authors concluded that topical steroids are an effective treatment and found some evidence of the benefit of topical calcineurin inhibitors. The existing Danish guideline for treatment of seborrhoeic dermatitis prepared on behalf of the Danish Dermatological Society recommends topical antifungal treatment as first-line treatment and anti-inflammatory treatment as adjuvant. The opinion of the authors of this article is that the results of the Cochrane review do not give rise to changes in these recommendations.

Internationally approved guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Malassezia-related skin diseases are lacking. Therefore, a panel of experts consisting of dermatologists and a microbiologist under the auspices of the Danish Society of Dermatology undertook a data review and compiled guidelines for the diagnostic procedures and management of pityriasis versicolor, seborrhoeic dermatitis and Malassezia folliculitis. Main recommendations in most cases of pityriasis versicolor and seborrhoeic dermatitis include topical treatment which has been shown to be sufficient. As first choice, treatment should be based on topical antifungal medication. A short course of topical corticosteroid or topical calcineurin inhibitors has an anti-inflammatory effect in seborrhoeic dermatitis. Systemic antifungal therapy may be indicated for widespread lesions or lesions refractory to topical treatment. Maintenance therapy is often necessary to prevent relapses. In the treatment of Malassezia folliculitis systemic antifungal treatment is probably more effective than topical treatment but a combination may be favourable.

The aim of this study is to establish pre-impact baseline conditions for an Arctic region where petroleum activities are projected to increase in the coming decades. We characterize the spatial distribution of living benthic foraminifera in the Tromsøflaket-Ingøydjupet region of the Barents Sea and relate this to sediment properties and their associated metal concentrations. Metal concentrations of the sediments did not exceed threshold levels of harmful environmental effects, indicating that the area exhibits pre-impact baseline conditions. Foraminiferal assemblages reflect the pristine environment. Epifaunal species dominate in Tromsøflaket, a high energy environment characterized by coarse grained sediments. Infaunal species dominate in Ingøydjupet, a low energy environment characterized by fine grained sediments. Metal concentrations were slightly elevated in the fine grained sediments from Ingøydjupet which suggest that these areas may in the future serve as trapping zones for contaminants associated with discharges from nearby petroleum sites., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Achilles tendon is one of the strongest tendons in the human body, and yet it frequently ruptures, which is a substantial clinical problem. However, the cause of ruptures remains elusive., Hypothesis: Ruptured human Achilles tendon displays inferior biomechanical properties and altered collagen composition compared with noninjured tendon., Study Design: Controlled laboratory study., Methods: Biopsy specimens were obtained at the rupture site and the noninjured part of the tendon (internal controls) in 17 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture. Age- and weight-matched human cadaveric Achilles tendons (external controls) were also obtained. Tendon samples were tested micromechanically and biochemically., Results: The mean Young modulus was lower (P < .01) in ruptured (256.7 ± 100.8 MPa) and internal control tendon (262.4 ± 111.5 MPa) compared with external control tendon (512.9 ± 209.6 MPa; P < .01), whereas failure strength did not display similar differences (P = .06-.16). Collagen content, lysyl pyridinoline (LP), hydroxylysyl pyridinoline (HP), and pentosidine (PENT) did not display regional differences between ruptured and noninjured tendon. However, collagen content was less in ruptured (0.457 ± 0.093 mg/mg) and noninjured tendon (0.476 ± 0.072 mg/mg) compared with external control tendon (0.585 ± 0.044 mg/mg, P < .001). Pentosidine was similar in all tendon samples and was positively related to age in all samples (r2 = 0.44-0.72, P < .05). Collagen content was positively related to failure stress but only in ruptured samples (r2 = 0.36; P < .05). HP, LP, and PENT content were unrelated to failure stress and Young modulus in ruptured, noninjured, and cadaveric tendon., Conclusion: These data imply that there may be a mechanical weakening of the tendon and that a reduced collagen content may be related to the pathophysiological characteristics of Achilles tendon rupture., Clinical Relevance: Earlier studies have demonstrated that specific training regimens to treat tendon injury can improve tendon composition and mechanical properties. This study supports the notion that treatment measures should aim to increase tendon collagen content and improve micromechanical quality of the tendon matrix.

Background: No generally accepted classification scheme for hand eczema exists. The Danish Contact Dermatitis Group recently developed a guideline defining common clinical types and providing criteria for aetiological types., Objectives: To test the concepts of this guideline in a group of hand eczema patients., Methods: Seven hundred and ten hand eczema patients were included from seven dermatology clinics in Denmark. The hand eczema was classified into one of five clinical types, with standard photographs as reference. The severity was scored by the physician, who also made a final aetiological diagnosis., Results: Irritant contact dermatitis was most frequent in chronic, dry fissured hand eczema (44.3%), pulpitis (41.7%), and nummular hand eczema (40.9%), whereas allergic contact dermatitis dominated in vesicular types of hand eczema, with recurrent (35%) and few (24.2%) eruptions. Hyperkeratotic palmar hand eczema was the only clinical type that constituted a distinct subgroup; it was found most frequently in older men and had the strongest relationship, although not significant, with non-specific dermatitis., Conclusions: The relationship between clinical type of hand eczema and aetiological diagnosis fitted with general experience, but no simple relationship was found. This emphasizes that patch testing and exposure analysis are mandatory. Hyperkeratotic palmar hand eczema was identified as a distinct clinical subtype., (© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)