Biomedical subjects

O Ekeberg

Publications and source records attributed to O Ekeberg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

The impact of job stress and working conditions on mental health problems among junior house officers. A nationwide Norwegian prospective cohort study.

CONTEXT: Previous studies have shown that physicians have an increased risk of mental health problems such as depression, suicide and substance abuse. OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalence of mental health problems during the first postgraduate year, and to investigate whether work-related factors in hospital are linked to these, when we control for gender, previous mental health problems, personality traits, stress in medical school and other possible predictors. DESIGN: Nationwide and prospective postal questionnaire survey. SETTING: University of Oslo. SUBJECTS: Medical students who answered questionnaires in their graduating semester, and 1 year later when they were junior house officers (n=371). RESULTS: Mental health problems (needing treatment) during internship were reported by 11%, with no gender difference. Adjusted predictors of mental health problems were: previous mental health problems, (odds ratio (OR)=5.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7 to 15.8); being married/cohabitant (OR=0.2, CI 0.1 to 0.7); the personality trait 'vulnerability' (OR=1.5, CI 1.1 to 2.0); negative life events during internship (OR=2.1, CI 1.2 to 3.5), and job stress as house officer (OR=1.05, CI 1.01 to 1.10). The job stress factor of emotional pressure/demands from patients was most important. Perceived study stress and lack of skills at the end of medical school were univariately related to mental health problems in internship, but not when other variables were adjusted. Gender, weekly working hours and lack of sleep were not linked to having problems. CONCLUSION: Job stress is related to mental health problems among young doctors, even when the variables of previous mental health problems and personality traits are controlled for. More support during internship is needed.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Suicidal behavior in the municipality of Baerum, Norway: a 12-year prospective study of parasuicide and suicide.

The present 12-year (1984-1995) surveillance study includes all hospitalized parasuicide patients (n = 1,031) as well as all suicides (n = 161) in the municipality of Baerum, a suburb of Oslo. The parasuicide rate decreased from 170 per 100,000 in 1984 to 79 per 100,000 in 1995 (53.5%). The parasuicide rates were lower than those in several comparable studies. Rates were higher for divorced females and separated males compared to married and other marital states, and the pattern of relative risk of parasuicide with respect to marital status was stable. Unemployment and substance abuse were positively correlated with parasuicidal behavior for both males and females. Approximately 33% reported one or more previous parasuicidal acts, and 21% repeated the parasuicide during the observation period. Ninety-four percent used self-poisoning as parasuicide method. A total of 2.4% of the parasuiciders committed suicide during the observation period. The mean annual suicide rate in Baerum was 19.0 per 100,000 compared to the national average of 14.7. The results support the notion of parasuicide and suicide being two different but overlapping populations. The implementation of a follow-up system for parasuiciders may have contributed to the reduced parasuicide rate during the study period.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

[Patients' quality of life after transplantation--what do we know?].

The number of organ transplantations has increased considerably over the last 30 years. The aim of organ transplantation is to increase the life expectancy of the patients and to give them a meaningful life with better quality. Transplantation of kidney, heart, lung, liver and bone marrow leads to considerably higher health-related quality of life. If the somatic adverse reactions are controlled, quality of life in transplant recipients is reported to be almost as good as in the general population.

Humans↗

PubMed1999

Simulations of neuromuscular control in lamprey swimming.

The neuronal generation of vertebrate locomotion has been extensively studied in the lamprey. Models at different levels of abstraction are being used to describe this system, from abstract nonlinear oscillators to interconnected model neurons comprising multiple compartments and a Hodgkin-Huxley representation of the most relevant ion channels. To study the role of sensory feedback by simulation, it eventually also becomes necessary to incorporate the mechanical movements in the models. By using simplifying models of muscle activation, body mechanics, counteracting water forces, and sensory feedback through stretch receptors and vestibular organs, we have been able to close the feedback loop to enable studies of the interaction between the neuronal and the mechanical systems. The neuromechanical simulations reveal that the currently known network is sufficient for generating a whole repertoire of swimming patterns. Swimming at different speeds and with different wavelengths, together with the performance of lateral turns can all be achieved by simply varying the brainstem input. The neuronal mechanisms behind pitch and roll manoeuvres are less clear. We have put forward a 'crossed-oscillators' hypothesis where partly separate dorsal and ventral circuits are postulated. Neuromechanical simulations of this system show that it is also capable of generating realistic pitch turns and rolls, and that vestibular signals can stabilize the posture during swimming.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

The Illness Attitude Scales in chest pain patients: a study of psychometric properties.

The main aim of the study was to assess the factorial structure of the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS). The study population comprised 199 patients referred to cardiological out-patient investigation because of chest pain. The factor analysis revealed three factors of the IAS. Accordingly, we found three subscales, interpreted as health anxiety (HA), illness behavior (IB), and health habits (HH). The internal consistency of the subscales, measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient, were 0.92, 0.80, and 0.49, respectively. The HA and IB scores were significantly intercorrelated (r = 0.39, p < 0.001), but HH was not significantly correlated with either HA or IB. The HA and IB subscales discriminated between patients with and without panic disorder. The results support previous findings, namely that the IAS comprise two subscales with psychometrically sound properties. Correlational analysis indicated validity of the two subscales. Further studies are needed to confirm the validity.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1999

Reduced health-related quality of life among Hodgkin's disease survivors: a comparative study with general population norms.

BACKGROUND: Late complications after curative treatment of Hodgkin's disease are of special relevance because most of the cured are young adults. The aims of the present study were: (1) to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Hodgkin's disease (HD) survivors with normative data from the general Norwegian population and (2) to examine the relations between disease/treatment characteristics and HRQOL in the HD survivors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 459 HD survivors aged 19-74 years (mean 44.0, SD 11.8) treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital 1971-1991 were approached in 1994 and compared to norms from 2214 subjects approached in 1996. The norms are representative of the general Norwegian population. HRQOL was assessed by the Short Form 36 (SF-36), which measures HRQOL in eight separate scales (0 = worst health state, 100 = best health state). RESULTS: The HD survivors had lower scores than the normal controls on all scales after adjustment for age, gender and educational levels. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) were found in general health (10.4), physical functioning (6.1), role limitations (physical, 9.3), physical functioning (3.6) and in vitality (4.7). Patients with disease stage IB-IIB had the lowest scores on all scales. The differences in relation to stage/substage reached statistical significance (P < 0.01) in physical functioning and in role limitations (physical). Time since diagnosis, types of primary treatment or having relapsed were not associated with statistically significant differences in HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Long-term HD survivors have poorer HRQOL, primarily in physical health, than the general Norwegian population.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Panic disorder in chest pain patients referred for cardiological outpatient investigation.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to: (i) determine the prevalence of panic disorder (PD) in patients referred to cardiological outpatient clinics for evaluation of chest pain; (ii) compare psychiatric comorbidity, psychological distress, pain characteristics and suicidal ideation in PD and non-PD patients: (iii) compare the prevalence of coronary risk factors and medical comorbidity in PD and non-PD patients; and (iv) describe current PD treatment and need for PD treatment as expressed by PD patients. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study based on psychiatric and cardiological investigation. SETTING: Four cardiological outpatient clinics in Oslo, Norway. SUBJECTS: One-hundred and ninety-nine consecutive patients without known heart disease referred to out-patient clinics for investigation of chest pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychiatric state diagnosis (axis I); scores on self-assessment rating scales of psychological factors and pain modalities; cardiological diagnosis. RESULTS: Thirty-eight per cent of the patients met criteria for current panic disorder (PD). Panic disorder was associated with psychological distress, comorbid psychiatric disorders, medical disorders and significantly higher prevalence of coronary risk factors (P<0.05). Furthermore. the results suggest that these patients were not identified and appropriately treated for panic disorder prior to cardiological investigation. The results indicate that the patients are positive to screening for psychiatric disorder and communicate a need for treatment early in the investigation process. CONCLUSION: PD commonly occurs in this chest pain population. Thus, there is a need to educate physicians caring for these patients about PD identification and treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Motivation for medical school: the relationship to gender and specialty preferences in a nationwide sample.

OBJECTIVES: Motivation for going to medical school and career plans of a 1 year cohort of students entering medical school in Norway (n = 420 response rate: 90%, 54% women, mean age: 22 years) were surveyed by a postal questionnaire the first month after they had started. DESIGN: Motives for choosing medicine were categorized into three indexes: 'people orientated', 'status/security orientated' and 'natural science orientated' motives. SETTING: University of Oslo. SUBJECTS: Medical students. RESULTS: Students picked out which they preferred among 53 specialties. The highest motivational scores were on the 'person orientated' index, female students scoring higher than men. Female students were, however, nearly as highly motivated by status/security and interests in natural science as were men. 'Person orientated' and 'natural science orientated' motives exerted the strongest influence on specialty preferences. Those who preferred family medicine were more person orientated and less natural science orientated, while those who preferred internal medicine were more natural science orientated. Father being a physician did not influence the motivational pattern, but increased the preference for laboratory and internal medicine. Frequently repeated upper secondary school exams for acceptance into medical school were negatively related to natural science motivation, and to increased preference for becoming a surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: In this first month of the curriculum students regarded person oriented motives as the most important for becoming a doctor.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Hodgkin's disease survivors more fatigued than the general population.

PURPOSE: To estimate the level of fatigue and frequency of fatigue cases among Hodgkin's disease survivors (HDS) and compare them with normative data from the general population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional follow-up study was done of 557 HDS (age range, 19 to 74 years) treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital from 1971 to 1991. The sample was approached by mail, and their data were compared with normative data from 2,214 controls (age range, 19 to 74 years) representative of the general Norwegian population. Of the 557 HDS, 459 (82%) responded. The mean age (+/- SD) at the time of study was 44+/-12 years, and the mean observation time was 12+/-6 years. The Fatigue Questionnaire (11 items) measures physical and mental fatigue. Two systems of scoring were used, dichotomized (0, 0, 1, and 1) and Likert (0, 1, 2, and 3). Total fatigue (TF) constitutes the sum of all the Likert scores. Caseness was defined as a total dichotomized score of > or =4 and fatigue that lasted 6 months or longer. RESULTS: The HDS had significantly higher levels of TF than the controls (14.3 v 12.2) (P < .001). Fatigue among the HDS equaled that of the controls in poorest health. More HDS (61%) than controls (31%) reported fatigue symptoms lasting 6 months or longer (P < .001). Fatigue cases were more frequent among HDS (men, 24%; women, 27%) than among the controls (men, 9%; women, 12%) (P < .001). Disease stage/substage IB/IIB predicted fatigue caseness (P = .03). No significant associations were found between treatment characteristics and fatigue. CONCLUSION: Hodgkin's disease survivors are considerably more fatigued than the general population and report fatigue of a substantially longer duration.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Sex differences in adolescent suicides in Norway, 1990-1992.

All suicides in persons under 20 years in Norway in the time period 1990-1992 (99 males, 30 females) were included in a postmortem case-control study with seven controls for each suicide, focusing on gender differences. Few sex differences between the suicide completers were evident, in spite of the difference in suicide rates (M/F rate ratio = 3.0). Females more often attempted suicide (p = .05), more often wrote farewell notes (p = .03), and used less violent suicide methods (ns). The adjusted risk for suicide related to affective disorders (Female OR = 22,1; Male OR = 24.0, both p = .000) and disruptive disorders (female OR = 14,7, ns; male OR = 5.0, p = .002) differed little, as did the effect of frequent use of alcohol or substances (female OR = 0.4, ns; male OR = 0.4, ns).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

[Help for those who fear air travel].

The Wright brothers were the first people to fly, in 1903. Since then, flying has become a safe mode of travel. The risk of the aircraft crashing is less than one in a million flights, and mortality is about 50%. Fear of air travel is fairly common, and 5% of the Norwegian population will not fly. Programmes for the treatment of flight phobia can reduce the fear of air travel considerably; the participants fly more often, and their consumption of alcohol and tranquillizers show best results. The use of medication is of minor importance in the treatment of flight phobia.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

A neuro-mechanical model of legged locomotion: single leg control.

Most models of legged locomotion have concentrated on properties of either the mechanical or the neural system. Here a combined neuro-mechanical model of stepping in a single leg is presented, as the first step in the process of modeling and building a fast and dynamically stable quadruped. It is based on general principles of legged animals with special reference to vertebrates. The mechanical leg was first studied separately in order to take advantage of its inherent mechanical properties and avoid over-control during stepping generation. As a part of the design strategy it uses elastic actuators to increase shock tolerance and energy efficiency. The neural controller consists of a neural phase generator (NPG), a system of fast feedback pathways, and a single control neuron representing descending drive from higher centers in the brain. Sensory information directly influences the movements through the fast feedback pathways, but also entrains the NPG. The NPG has its own description of the state of the leg, which then enables it to set the feedback pathways so that only actions appropriate for the particular stage of the step cycle are undertaken. This preprogramming benefits from the NPG's ability to filter out any inconsistencies or gaps in the afferent input. In this way the model unites the use of central pattern generators and peripheral feedback systems for the generation of stepping movements. The neuro-mechanical system produced stable stepping patterns over a large velocity range and was adaptable to different body weights and landing from varying heights.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Fatigue in the general Norwegian population: normative data and associations.

Population norms for interpretation of fatigue measurements have been lacking, and the sociodemographic associations of fatigue are poorly documented. A random sample of 3500 Norwegians, aged 19-80 years, was therefore investigated. A mailed questionnaire included the fatigue questionnaire (11 items) in which the sum score of the responses (each scored 0, 1, 2, 3) is designated as total fatigue (TF). Sixty-seven percent of those receiving the questionnaire responded. Women (TF mean=12.6) were more fatigued than men (TF mean=11.9), and 11.4% reported substantial fatigue lasting 6 months or longer. TF and age were weakly correlated (men: r=0.17; women: r=0.09). No firm associations between fatigue and social variables were found. Disabled and subjects reporting health problems were more fatigued than subjects at work or in good health. Fatigue is highly prevalent in somatic and psychiatric disorders, but is often neglected. This national representative sample provides age- and gender-specific norms that will allow for comparisons and interpretations of fatigue scores in future studies.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Large neural network simulations on multiple hardware platforms.

To efficiently simulate very large networks of interconnected neurons, particular consideration has to be given to the computer architecture being used. This article presents techniques for implementing simulators for large neural networks on a number of different computer architectures. The neuronal simulation task and the computer architectures of interest are first characterized, and the potential bottlenecks are highlighted. Then we describe the experience gained from adapting an existing simulator, SWIM, to two very different architectures-vector computers and multiprocessor workstations. This work lead to the implementation of a new simulation library, SPLIT, designed to allow efficient simulation of large networks on several architectures. Different computer architectures put different demands on the organization of both data structures and computations. Strict separation of such architecture considerations from the neuronal models and other simulation aspects makes it possible to construct both portable and extendible code.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1998

Use of alcohol to cope with tension, and its relation to gender, years in medical school and hazardous drinking: a study of two nation-wide Norwegian samples of medical students.

AIMS: To study the association between the use of alcohol to cope with tension and hazardous drinking, and the prevalence and the predictors of such drinking behaviours. DESIGN: Cross-sectional surveys of two nation-wide samples of medical students, one at the beginning and one at the end of medical training. PARTICIPANTS: Medical students entering Norwegian medical schools in 1993 (N = 379) or graduating in 1993 and 1994 (N = 522); 55.6% of the total sample were women. MEASUREMENTS: Postal questionnaires including SCL-5, Perceived Medical School Stress. FINDINGS: Use of alcohol to cope was reported by 10.5% of the students with no significant gender difference. Hazardous drinking ('binge drinking' at least 2-3 times per month) was reported by 14% of all the students, 24% among the men and 6% among the women. There was a strong association between use of alcohol to cope with tension and hazardous drinking, OR = 5.11, 95% CI (2.88-9.07) when controlling for other possible predictors. Use of alcohol to cope was also associated with increasing age, mental distress and lack of religious activity. The senior students used alcohol as a way of coping less often, but not hazardous drinking. Male gender, religious inactivity, high self-esteem and having no children were predictors of hazardous drinking. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the use of alcohol to cope with tension is an independent risk factor connected with hazardous drinking among medical students, with no difference in prevalence between the genders.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1998

Suicide among children and younger and older adolescents in Norway: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics and risk factors of suicide in early adolescence (younger than age 15 years) and in late adolescence. The authors examined whether differences in risk factors or resilience might explain the different suicide rates in the two age groups. METHOD: Information about all registered suicides of young people in Norway from 1990 through 1992 was gathered from several professional informants. Children younger than 15 years old who committed suicide (n = 14) were compared with late-adolescent suicides (15 through 19 years) (n = 115) and with controls (n = 889). RESULTS: Younger compared with older adolescent suicides more often hanged themselves (93% versus 35%). Suicidal ideation (7% versus 39%) and precipitating events were described less frequently (29% versus 49%). Older adolescents more often had psychiatric disorders (77% versus 43%). Compared with controls, the risk factors for suicide were affective disorders (young adolescents: odds ratio [OR] = 23.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.3 to 1,183; older adolescents: OR = 19.6, CI = 10.6 to 38.8); disruptive disorders (young adolescents: OR = 3.4, CI = 0.0 to 340; older adolescents: OR = 6.1, CI = 3.0 to 12.7); and not living with two biological parents (young adolescents: OR = 3.1, CI = 0.6 to 14.7; older adolescents: OR = 2.5, CI = 1.6 to 3.8). CONCLUSION: Children and young adolescents completing suicide were less exposed to known risk factors than older adolescents. The increased suicide risk was similar for both groups when they were compared with community controls. The low suicide incidence in childhood may be related to fewer risk factors, rather than to resilience to risk factors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

[How shall we set priorities among experimental treatment methods?].

There is an increasing demand from patients to have access to new and promising treatment for severe diseases. Norway has recently started ordinary public funding of large-scale clinical investigation of treatment effect and safety for new treatment modalities. The government has thus established a new principle for funding a sub-category of clinical research: investigational medicine. How should we prioritize between promising clinical protocols when resources are scarce? The article examines criteria for priority setting in investigational medicine: quality of evidence; magnitude of expected benefit from treatment; balance between risks and benefits; quality of the research protocol; cost; and size of patient population. These criteria are applied on a controversial clinical examples, high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support for metastatic breast cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed1997

[Suicide attempts among the elderly].

The purpose of the study is to describe the life stories leading to the suicide attempts. In-depth interviews with nine persons who had attempted suicide (six females and three males, mean age 73 years) were analysed using a qualitative method. Five categories describe the main interview topics: "I had to leave home to survive." (childhood, youth), "You have to bear it." (adult life), "I will manage, I always have." (present life), "You have to give in order to get. If you have nothing to offer, then life is not worth living." (expectations for future life), "I want to decide my own life." (reflections concerning the suicide attempt). The life stories have a common theme; the patients grew up under very difficult conditions and had little emotional support. Their basic trust was poorly developed and their self-esteem was dependent on their capability to work and to give. Without this capability they felt worthless, and life was unbearable. Attempted suicide was the consequence.

Aged↗