Incidence and survival from lung cancer in Greenland is comparable to survival in the Nordic countries.

Introduction: Oncological treatment of lung cancer has been available in Greenland since 2004. We evaluated patient characteristics and survival rates for the first six years of local lung cancer treatment.

Methods: From September 2004 to August 2010, a total of 173 patients with lung cancer were referred to treatment at Queen Ingrid's Hospital.

Fatal outbreak of botulism in Greenland.

Botulism commonly occurs when the anaerobic, gram-positive bacterium Clostridium botulinum, under suitable conditions, produces botulinum neurotoxins. Named A-F, these toxins are the immediate causative agent of the clinical symptoms of symmetrical, descending neurological deficits, including respiratory muscle paralysis. We present five cases of foodborne botulism occurring in Greenland, two with fatal outcome, caused by ingestion of tradionally preserved eider fowl.

Viral hepatitis in the Arctic. A review from a Circumpolar Workshop on Viral hepatitis, ICCH13.

This article is a review of the viral hepatitis workshop, held during the 13th International Congress of the Circumpolar Health consists of a review of data on viral hepatitis in the Arctic territories of four countries: Canada, Greenland, Russia and United States (Alaska). The main purpose of the workshop was to exchange knowledge on viral hepatitis in the Arctic and identify further needs for collaborative hepatitis research, which is planned to be implemented through the established Viral Hepatitis Working Group in the Arctic. The review is based on the available published research results, surveillance data and professional opinions of the authors.

Risk factors for ischaemic stroke in young Greenlanders.

Introduction: Contrary to a widely held belief, ischaemic cerebral infarction is not a rare disease in Greenland, as shown recently by our institution. We report data on some of the known risk factors in patients below 60 years of age with ischaemic stroke.

Method: Retrospective data collection and review of charts from Greenlandic patients from all of Greenland admitted to the central hospital, Dronning Ingrids Hospital in Nuuk, in the years 2001 and 2002.

Carbamazepine induced right bundle branch block in a Greenlandic patient.

A 53 year old Greenlandic male was admitted twice over a period of 4 years with a new complete right bundle branch block after ingestion of 10 g and 4 g of carbamazepine respectively. In both instances, reversion of intraventricular conduction to normal occurred within 72 hours, coinciding with clearance of carbamazepine from the blood stream. We recommend routine follow up by ECG of patients over the age of 50 treated with carbamazepine.

Malabsorption due to a ventral hernia.

A case of malabsorption due to a stagnant loop which occurred in a huge ventral hernia is presented. The clinical course was relatively indolent with symptoms of malabsorption and occasional abdominal pain. Although rare, abdominal hernia can lead to malabsorption due to bacterial overgrowth as a result of stagnant loop.

Modulation of tissue plasminogen activator biosynthesis by phosphatidylinositol liposomes in human fetal lung fibroblasts.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) liposomes at 40 microM increased tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) biosynthesis by human fetal lung fibroblasts IMR-90 (FLF), after 5 days of incubation by 7.4 +/- 1.4 times of the control level.

Phosphatidylinositol liposomes increase calcium uptake and tissue plasminogen activator secretion by fetal human lung fibroblasts.

PtdIns liposomes, at a concentration of 40 microM, induced in FLF the synthesis of t-PA-Ag, and enhanced 45Ca2+ uptake. The induction of t-PA-Ag biosynthesis by PtdIns liposomes in FLF was inhibited by 5-15 microM verapamil, an inhibitor of Ca2+ uptake via the so-called "slow channels" by 0.5-10 microM TFP, an inhibitor of Ca2+ transport ATPase, and by 10-90 microM TMB-8, an inhibitor of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization.

Tissue plasminogen activator levels in different types of polycythemia.

The plasma level of tissue plasminogen activator antigen (t-PA-Ag) was examined in 86 patients with polycythemia (29 polycythemia vera, 11 secondary polycythemia and 46 with spurious polycythemia) and 24 healthy volunteers. Tissue plasminogen activator antigen was significantly decreased in patients with polycythemia vera in comparison with healthy controls. On the other hand, in patients with spurious polycythemia and secondary polycythemia t-PA-Ag concentration was significantly increased.

Atrial natriuretic peptide in relative polycythemia and polycythemia vera.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels have been tested in patients with chronic relative polycythemia (RP), polycythemia vera, and in healthy subjects in order to find a possible underlying pathophysiological mechanism for relative polycythemia. No difference in statistical significance has been found between the mean atrial natriuretic peptide levels of the polycythemic patients and the control group. It is suggested that ANP probably plays no significant role in the contraction of plasma volume observed in normotensive patients with RP.

Chorea in polycythemia vera: a rare presentation of hyperviscosity.

A 65-year-old woman developed severe chorea as the presenting symptom of the hyperviscosity syndrome together with polycythemia vera and an ovarian cyst. Whole blood viscosity was 69.5 centipoise at a shear rate of 1.