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Biomedical subjects

T Bjerkedal

Publications and source records attributed to T Bjerkedal.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Coronary risk factors in middle-aged men as related to smoking, coffee intake and physical activity.

The relationship between lifestyle and coronary risk factors in blood was investigated in 165 middle-aged men. Plasma fibrinogen, serum triacylglycerols (TG), and apolipoprotein B (apo B) were higher, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) lower in smokers (n = 69) than in non-smokers (n = 96). By linear regression analysis there was a significant positive association between degree of smoking and either total cholesterol (TC), apo B, or plasma fibrinogen, whereas smoking was inversely related to HDLc. Smoking and coffee intake were positively correlated with an atherogenic index, reflecting the balance between low and high density lipoproteins. Sedentary men (n = 59) had higher mean TC, apo B, and atherogenic index than physically active men (n = 104). Smokers used salt more often than non-smokers. Physically active men used vegetables more often than sedentary men. Combining several habits into a "bad habit" score gave a high level of significance for its association with TC, apo B, and the atherogenic index. The results indicate that lifestyle may influence several blood factors involved in atherosclerosis development.

Adult

Interpregnancy interval. Association with birth weight, stillbirth, and neonatal death.

Pairs of first and second births and pairs of second and third births to the same Norwegian mothers were studied to determine the association between interpregnancy interval and birth weight, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Use of the pair approach provides one birth which could possibly have been affected by the length of the interval and one birth which could not. The association of interval and birth weight for births which precede an interval is found to be equivalent to that for births which follow an interval. The data on stillbirth are compatible with higher rates at long intervals while the data on neonatal death are consistent with higher rates at short intervals. However, we conclude that manipulation of the interval between pregnancies is unlikely to have any marked, direct, beneficial effect on outcome of pregnancy.

Birth Order

Maladjusted children and the school health services. Development of a screening test for routine use.

Maladjustment, with social and mental dysfunction, is one of the most prevalent health problems threatening children in many countries. A method for the early identificantion of maladjusted schoolchildren is described and evaluated. The method involves the completion of a questionnaire for each child by the teacher and the calculation of a test score based on a set of weighting factors assigned to each question. The factors are determined by discriminant analysis. For a proper evaluation of the method an independent clinical assessment of maladjustment among 524 school children was performed, making calculations of specificity and sensitivity possible.

Child

Growth of the fetal skull, with special reference to weight-for-dates of the newborn child.

Two growth curves of the fetal biparietal diameter are presented. One is prospective, based on the last menstrual period, while the other is retrospective, calculated from the date of birth. The prospective curve shows a slight decline in average values following the week 42 of gestation. This is thought not to reflect a true shortening of the biparietal diameter in the single fetus, since serial measurements in single fetuses show growth up to the time of delivery. Individual growth curves, grouped according to the weight-for-dates of the newborn child, show a trend towards longer biparietal diameters in the larger fetuses. Serial measurements, preferably starting before week 30, appear to be a good help in predicting birth weight, but growth rates without regard to the actual measurement values were of little prognostic value in the present material.

Birth Weight