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Biomedical subjects

J E Berg

Publications and source records attributed to J E Berg.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Reduced plasma fibrinogen, serum peroxides, lipids, and apolipoproteins after a 3-week vegetarian diet.

The influence of a 3-week vegetarian diet and fasting on serum concentration of peroxides, lipids, apolipoproteins, and plasma fibrinogen was studied in ten middle-aged fibromyalgia/fibrositis patients (eight women, two men). Mean serum peroxide concentration (estimated as thiobarbituric acid reacting substances) was reduced from 3.60 +/- 0.14 to 2.82 +/- 0.15 umol/l (p = 0.01) and plasma fibrinogen from 3.33 +/- 0.25 to 2.74 +/- 0.15 g/l (p = 0.02). Serum total cholesterol fell from 6.61 +/- 0.50 to 4.83 +/- 0.35 mmol/l (p < 0.0001), apolipoprotein B from 1.77 +/- 0.14 to 1.31 +/- 0.11 g/l (p < 0.0001), and apolipoprotein A from 1.41 +/- 0.09 to 1.23 +/- 0.05 g/l (p = 0.03). High density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration also decreased somewhat (from 1.26 +/- 0.09 to 1.07 +/- 0.04 mmol/l, p = 0.03) An atherogenic index, reflecting the balance between low and high density lipoproteins, was reduced by 31% (from 5.74 +/- 0.79 to 3.97 +/- 0.60, p = 0.02). The results suggest that vegetarian diet/fasting may have a beneficial influence on the concentration of serum peroxides and plasma fibrinogen concentration, and on the serum level of several lipoprotein-related coronary risk factors.

Apolipoproteins↗
PubMed1993

Street sale of heroin--a profitable way of making a living?

The aim of the study was to give an outline of the financial environment of heroin-sale at street level in Norway and the possibilities of making retail sale of heroin a living. Data were gathered through police records and interviews with informants at street level. Retail sale price has been nominally stable at 300 Nkr (28 pounds, i.e., 1 pound = 11 Nkr) per end-user dose since 1978. This price is coupled to the price of one standard service by street prostitutes. Both the end-users and retailers formally make their living from social welfare payments. The retailer purchases from a wholesaler batches of up to 10 g of heroin at a cost of 50,000 Nkr (4800 pounds). At monthly intervals of delivery this yields 120,000 Nkr (11,500 pounds) as net tax-free income per year, on top of the social welfare payments, even when the retailer and his accomplice consumes a third of the purchased quantity. Crime of gain on the part of the retailer is negligible, due to increased risk of also disclosing his drug trafficking.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1992

[Who is long-term sick-listed in Norway? From the project Evaluation of the follow-up of long-term sick-listed].

The aim of the study was to analyse the characteristics of persons with long-term sickness certification at the end of 1990 in Norway. The study was based on data registered by the National Insurance Administration: Age, sex, place of residence, diagnoses, and prognosis as registered on Sickness certificate II. At the end of 1990 a total of 57,567 persons had been incapacitated for work for longer than eight weeks and up to 52 weeks. The prevalence was 27.9 per 1,000 employed persons, with a significantly higher prevalence among women than among men. 25% of the women certified as sick were 40-49 years old. The highest prevalence of long-term certification of sickness was found in the counties Finnmark and Troms in Northern Norway, and Hedmark in central Norway. In cases of long-term sickness certification, the most common diagnoses were musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases and mental disorders, with a prevalence of 9.3 and 3.1 per 1,000 employed persons respectively. The study indicates the possibility of using data from existing administrative population registers to provide information on the epidemiology of long-term sickness certification in Norway. It is necessary to further improve the validity of the data.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Unemployment among long-term sick-listed persons. From the project Evaluation of Follow-up of Long-term Sick-listed Persons].

The aim of the study was to compare two subgroups of patients with long-term sickness certificate, i.e. a group who were unemployed after eight weeks of incapacity for work and a group who still had a paid job at the end of the eight weeks. 712 patients who received a medical certificate II after eight weeks of incapacity for work in 1988 were followed up for another 12-15 months by means of information collected as a routine at the local National Insurance Offices in five municipalities in Norway. Of our total sample of patients, the sub-group of unemployed persons differed in a number of ways from the group who still had a job. Among the unemployed the duration of sickness certificate was longer and there were higher frequencies of mental disorders and diseases of the nervous system/sense organs. Admission to hospital was less frequent, however, among the unemployed group than among the group who still had a job. The rate of return-to-work observed after one year of sickness certificate was lower among the unemployed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[How is it going with the Sick-listing II patients? From the project Evaluation of Follow-up of Long-term Sick-listed Persons].

The aim of the study was to follow up 712 persons with respect to social insurance and labour market status one year after the start of a period of long-term sickness certificate. The study is based on information from the local National Insurance Offices in five municipalities in Norway. Mean duration of the long-term sickness certificate was 185 calendar days, slightly longer for males than females. 44.9% returned to work during the first year, another 2.9% attended vocational rehabilitation programmes, 11.7% were still receiving medical treatment, 12.2% had qualified for a disability pension, 5.6% were in receipt of an old age pension and 5.6% were unemployed. The remaining 17.1% had either died or had moved from the municipality. The few patients attending vocational rehabilitation programmes, compared with the increasing number of persons granted a disability pension in Norway since 1985 indicate insufficient effort to provide vocational rehabilitation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Working in basic groups. From the Project Evaluation of Follow-up of Long-term Sick-listed Persons].

By 1988, all Norwegian municipalities were to have established "basic groups", i.e. interprofessional groups to guide patients in their vocational rehabilitation process. The work of these "basic groups" has been evaluated, both in terms of patients admitted for group discussions, type of actions taken and the work status of the patients one year later. The material consists of all patients admitted for basic group discussions in eight municipalities over a three months' period in the autumn 1988 (n = 261). In general the educational level of the patients was found to be low and their most common complaint was musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases. The most frequent action suggested by the basic groups was continued medical attention. Only 11% of the patients actually attended the meeting where their situation was discussed. After a follow-up period of one year one fifth of the patients were back at their normal job, and one fourth were receiving a disability pension. Good motivation was regarded as the most important factor influencing whether the patients returned to work.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Tobacco chemistry. 73. 4,6,8-trihydroxy-11-capnosene-2,10-dione, a new cembrane-derived bicyclic diterpenoid from tobacco.

A new diterpenoid containing a rare carbobicyclic cembrane-derived skeleton, the capnosane skeleton, has been isolated from flowers of Greek tobacco. It has been identified as (1S*,3R*,4S*,6R*,7R*,8R*,11Z)-4,6,8-trihydroxy-11-capnosene- 2,10-dione by spectral methods and X-ray analysis of the corresponding benzoate. A full account of the X-ray work is given.

Diterpenes↗
PubMed1990

[The sick leave notification II system. From the project Evaluation of follow-up of long-term sick leave patients].

In 1988 the National Insurance Administration in Norway introduced a compulsory sickness certificate to be issued by the doctor after eight weeks of incapacity of work (sickness certificate II). The form contains 25 specified items to be filled in by the doctor. We registered and analysed the sickness certificates received by the local National Insurance offices in five municipalities during the last three months of 1988 (n = 735). The patients included a slight majority of males. 1/3 of the patients were younger than 30 years old and 2/3 younger than 50. 1/4 of the items had not been filled in by the doctors. The most frequent diagnostic groups were musculo-skeletal/connective tissue diseases (46.4%), mental disorders (11.2%), and complications related to pregnancy and birth (9.6%). Sickness certificate II included a five-level prognosis scheme. 68.3% of the patients were allocated to prognosis A, i.e. full recovery as a result of medical treatment only. Few doctors noted that cooperation with other health and social welfare personnel was desirable. The level of unemployment was reported as being higher in patients who were certified sick for greater than or equal to 8 weeks than in the general population of the countries included in the study. The extra costs of introducing sickness certificate II are estimated to equal one day's sickness allowance for each of the 735 patients.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1986

Tobacco chemistry. 65. Two new 7,8-epoxycembranoids from tobacco.

Two new diterpenoids have been isolated from tobacco. They have been identified as the (1S,2E,4S,6R,7R,8R,11E)- and (1S,2E,4S,6R,7S,8S,11E)-7,8-epoxy-2,11-cembradiene-4,6-diols 1 and 2 by synthesis and X-ray analysis. The conformation about the 5,6 bond in some 7,8-epoxycembranoids is discussed, as is the biogenesis of the two new compounds.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of acupuncture on smoking cessation or reduction for motivated smokers.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to examine the effects of acupuncture on smoking reduction and possibly also cessation and to examine whether some acupoints are more effective than others for smoking cessation. METHODS: A total of 46 healthy men and women, 39 +/- 9 years of age (mean +/- SD), who smoked 20 +/- 6 cigarettes per day and had smoked for 23 +/- 8 years, and who wanted to quit smoking, volunteered to participate. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. One group was given acupuncture treatment at points previously used for anti-smoking (test group, TG). The other group was given acupuncture treatment at points assumed to have no effect for smoking cessation (control group, CG). Before each treatment and after the last treatment each subject answered questionnaires about his or her smoking habits and attitudes. In addition the concentrations of serum cotinine, serum thiocyanate, serum peroxides, and plasma fibrinogen were measured before the first and after the last acupuncture treatment. RESULTS: The daily cigarette consumption fell during the treatment period in both groups, but the reduction was larger for TG than for CG (P < 0.002). Altogether 31% of subjects in TG had quit smoking completely at the end of the treatment, compared with none in CG. For TG the concentrations of cotinine and thiocyanate were reduced significantly after the treatment period (P < 0.001), but no significant reductions were observed for CG. For both groups the taste of tobacco worsened during the treatment period, but the effect was more pronounced for TG than for CG (P < 0.05). The desire to smoke fell significantly in both groups after treatment, and the reduction was larger for TG than for CG (P < 0.001). No significant changes in serum peroxides and plasma fibrinogen concentrations were observed during the treatment period for either group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that acupuncture may help motivated smokers to reduce their smoking or even quit smoking completely. Different acupoints appear to have different effects for smoking cessation and reduction.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Complaints that predict drop-out from a detoxification and counselling unit.

Sixty-one consecutive clients in a multidrug addiction detoxification and counselling unit were interviewed by their medical counsellor about bodily pain, distress, and coherence in their life. Clients who did not complete the 3-week postdetoxification program reported a higher level of fatigue and difficulties with concentration compared with completers. Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence test showed less favourable values in noncompleters than in completers. No significant difference was found on the Hopkins Symptom checklist. Factor analysis showed that both pain and emotional distress belonged to one dimension. Fatigue was the symptom that predicted drop-out when adjusting for other complaints and background factors.

Adult↗