Publications by authors named "Heegaard S"

Purpose: Autologous retinal transplantation has been successfully employed in the treatment of large and myopic macular holes that are refractory to standard surgical treatments. Patients transplanted with a peripheral neurosensory retinal graft have shown unexpected improvements in visual acuity. The study aims to investigate if neural integration of the graft takes place in a porcine model of retinal hole.

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Objective: We examined the epidemiology of parotid gland lymphomas (PGL), the incidence, survival rates, clinical features, and association with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: This retrospective nationwide cohort study analyzed data from Danish patients diagnosed with PGL between 2000 and 2020. Data were collected from medical records, the National Pathology Register, and the Danish lymphoma database.

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Purpose: To determine if paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) and peripapillary intraretinal and subretinal fluid (IRF/SRF) could help distinguish between arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (A-AION) and nonarteritic AION (NA-AION) at an early stage.

Design: Nested prospective cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study.

Methods: This study used single-center optical coherence tomography (OCT) data from 8 patients with A-AION and 24 patients with NA-AION from two prospective cross-sectional studies with consecutive sampling (ClinicalTrials.

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Purpose: To investigate the histopathological changes following subretinal amniotic membrane transplantation in an in vivo porcine model of retinal holes.

Methods: Left eyes of 12 Danish Landrace pigs were vitrectomized under full anesthesia. A subretinal bleb was created before excising a retinal hole (1154-2934 µm) using a 23-gauge vitrector.

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  • Metastatic posterior uveal melanoma (PUM) has a short median survival, but some patients live longer, prompting this study to explore if the location of metastases affects survival rates.
  • The study analyzed 178 patients divided into three groups: those with only liver metastases (hepatic), those with both liver and other metastases (hepatic-extrahepatic), and those with only non-liver metastases (extrahepatic).
  • Results showed that patients with extrahepatic metastases had a significantly longer median survival (17 months) compared to those with liver-only (11 months) or combined liver and other (7 months) metastases, highlighting the importance of anatomical location in prognosis.
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  • - This study investigates the occurrence, survival rates, and the impact of autoimmune diseases on lymphomas specifically affecting the submandibular gland (SMG) in Denmark from 2000 to 2020.
  • - Among 101 patients diagnosed, different lymphoma types were identified, with extranodal marginal zone lymphoma (EMZL) showing the best survival outcomes, particularly in comparison to other subtypes.
  • - The research highlights a link between EMZL and autoimmune diseases, especially Sjögren's syndrome, and underlines that age over 60 significantly worsens overall survival.
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  • - Genetic analysis of 88 uveal melanoma patients found that 6 carried germline BAP1 variants, but no significant difference in oncogenic mutations was observed between those carriers and sporadic cases.
  • - Patients with somatic BAP1 mutations (24 individuals) had a notably poorer prognosis compared to those without mutations, while germline carriers showed no significant difference in overall survival.
  • - Notably, all stage III patients with somatic BAP1 mutations (7 patients) experienced metastasis, whereas some early-stage tumors (4 of 28) with somatic mutations remained metastasis-free for over five years.
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  • - The study investigates the effectiveness of a 14-day treatment using topical dexamethasone and artificial tears for patients with dry eyes, measuring clinical response using various eye assessments before and after treatment.
  • - A total of 167 patients (mostly women, average age 54) showed significant improvement in symptoms and objective measures like Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) one month post-treatment.
  • - The findings indicate that changes in symptoms correlate with baseline measurements of dry eye disease severity, while intraocular pressure slightly decreased, showing potential effectiveness of the corticosteroid regimen in a real-world clinical context.
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The innate immune system serves as the body's first line of defense, utilizing pattern recognition receptors like Toll-like receptors to detect pathogens and initiate rapid response mechanisms. Following this initial response, adaptive immunity provides highly specific and sustained killing of pathogens via B cells, T cells, and antibodies. Traditionally, it has been assumed that innate immunity activates adaptive immunity; however, recent studies have revealed more complex interactions.

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Previous Mendelian randomization (MR) studies showed an association between hypothyroidism and cataract and between high-normal free thyroxine (FT4) and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but not between FT4, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), or hyperthyroidism and diabetic retinopathy or cataract. These studies included a limited number of genetic variants for thyroid function and did not investigate autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) or glaucoma, include bidirectional and multivariable MR (MVMR), and examine sex differences or potential mediation effects of diabetes. We aimed to address this knowledge gap.

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Vision screening during childhood is vital for the early detection and treatment of visual impairment that may significantly impact a child's development and quality of life. This nationwide cross-sectional study used data from Greenland's national electronic medical records, including 2,493 six-year-old children from July 2017 to July 2023, to evaluate the coverage rate of vision screening and the prevalence of low vision in Greenlandic schoolchildren. The participation rate in vision screening increased from 43% in 2017 to 61% in 2022, while referral rates to ophthalmologists decreased from 14% to 5%, despite a consistent prevalence of low vision.

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Purpose: To investigate retinal wound healing, we created a new porcine model of retinal hole and identified the cells involved in hole closure.

Methods: Sixteen landrace pigs underwent vitrectomy, and a subretinal bleb was created before cutting a retinal hole using a 23G vitrector. No tamponade was used.

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Aim: This study aimed to investigate the short-and long-term effect on diabetic retinopathy (DR) in individuals with type 1 diabetes treated with continuous subcutaneous insulin injections (CSII) compared to those using multiple daily injections (MDI).

Methods: We conducted a register-based matched cohort study utilizing data from the Danish Registry of Diabetic Retinopathy as well as several other national Danish health registers. Our cohort consisted of all individuals with type 1 diabetes who attended the Danish screening program for DR from 2013 to 2022.

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Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of amblyopia and refractive errors among 6-year-old children in Greenland and to assess the impact of incorporating autorefraction, stereoacuity and near visual acuity testing into vision screening.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 517 children (238 girls and 279 boys) from 21 locations in Greenland were screened using HOTV charts for distance and near visual acuity (VA), stereoacuity test and non-cycloplegic autorefraction. Referral criteria for further ophthalmological examination included a VA of ≥0.

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Introduction: Sebaceous gland carcinoma (SGC) of the eyelid is an aggressive tumour with the ability to metastasise and an increased morbidity. Controversies regarding the epidemiology of this malignant eyelid tumour is widespread in the scientific literature. Western reports repeatedly describes eyelid SGC as a rare occurring tumour in general, accounting for 1%-3% of all eyelid tumours, however studies from Asia have uncovered a higher frequency of eyelid SGC including 54% of all eyelid tumours in Japan, and 43%-56% in India.

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One of the most common causes of blindness on a global scale is glaucoma. There is a strong association between glaucoma and increased intraocular pressure (IOP). Because of this, adequate IOP-lowering is the most important treatment strategy, mostly through topical eyedrops.

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Optic disc drusen (ODD) are calcified, acellular bodies, seen in the optic nerve head of up to 2% of the population. Although seldomly affecting visual acuity, visual field defects are common, and severe, ischemic complications causing irreversible vision loss are known to occur. Different treatment strategies for ODD have been explored, but so far without success.

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Purpose: To evaluate the five-year incidence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and associated risk markers in patients with type 1 diabetes in the national Danish DR-screening programme.

Methods: Based on national data, we included all 16 999 patients with type 1 diabetes in the Danish Registry of Diabetic Retinopathy, who attended the national screening programme in the period 2013-2018. According to the worse eye at first screening, DR was classified (levels 0-4) and linked with various national health registries to retrieve information on diabetes duration, systemic comorbidity, and medication.

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Purpose: The association between thyroid dysfunction and exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is unknown.

Methods: In this Danish longitudinal nationwide registry-based cohort study we included all Danish residents aged 50-100 between 2008 and 2018. Using the Danish national registries, we studied the association between thyroid dysfunction and exudative AMD.

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Purpose: To explore the genetic background of choroidal and ciliary body melanoma among children and young adults, with special focus on BAP1 germline variants in this age group.

Methods: Patients under the age of 25 and with confirmed choroidal or ciliary body melanoma were included in this retrospective, multicenter observational study. Nuclear BAP1 immunopositivity was used to evaluate the presence of functional BAP1 in the tumor.

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Purpose: To compare the effect of the ocular antiseptic treatments 0.05% chlorhexidine, 5% povidone-iodine (PI) and 5% betadine on cell viability and mucin secretion of primary cultured human goblet cells (GCs).

Method: GC viability was analysed using lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and tetrazolium dye (MTT) colorimetric assays.

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To provide insights into targetable oncogenic pathways, this retrospective cohort study investigated the genetic profile of 26 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL-NOS), and two patients with high-grade B-cell lymphoma with and rearrangements (HGBCL) presenting in the ocular adnexa. Pathogenic variants and copy number variations in 128 B-cell lymphoma-relevant genes were analyzed by targeted next-generation sequencing. Genetic subtypes were determined with the LymphGen algorithm.

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Type 2 diabetes is a heterogeneous disease that can be subdivided on the basis of β-cell function and insulin sensitivity. We investigated the presence, incidence, and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) according to subtypes of type 2 diabetes. In a national cohort, we identified three subtypes of type 2 diabetes: classical, hyperinsulinemic, and insulinopenic type 2 diabetes, based on HOMA2 measurements.

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Article Synopsis
  • Skin tape-strips and biopsies are both used to study atopic dermatitis (AD), but biopsies can cause discomfort while tape-strips are less invasive and sample less tissue.
  • A study comparing these methods found that biopsies had a much higher RNA yield and better mapping efficiency, but tape-strips were better at identifying itch and immune-response genes specific to AD.
  • Overall, each method has its advantages, highlighting the importance of choosing the appropriate technique based on the specific skin layers and genes being studied.
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Background: Nonpigmented malignant spindle cell tumours of the membrana nictitans are rare in dogs. In twenty-three years only three cases have been diagnosed in Scandinavia. This study describes the three cases of malignant tumours of the membrana nictitans recorded by the Eye Pathology Section, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, with reference to the clinical appearance and work-up, the treatment and prognosis, and the histopathological description including immunohistochemistry.

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