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Biomedical subjects

U Lundberg

Publications and source records attributed to U Lundberg.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Auricular acupuncture in prison psychiatric units: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The study explores whether auricular acupuncture can be a viable treatment form for inmates in prison psychiatric units. METHOD: Inmates in a prison psychiatric unit and in a support unit for violent behavior were offered group treatment with auricular acupuncture three times a week over a period of 9 months. Another prison psychiatric unit served as a control group. RESULTS: Twenty-two inmates received treatment, and 11 inmates received treatment for over 8 weeks. Cortisol levels were higher for inmates in the support unit than for the other two groups. Inmates treated at least 25 times were prescribed fewer psycholeptic drugs than controls. Perceived autonomy increased for treated inmates in the psychiatric unit. Inmates treated for over 8 weeks experienced improved inner harmony and calm and better clarity over future plans. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture is a non-verbal form of treatment appropriate for prison psychiatric units. The treatment facilitates contact and complements other psycho-social treatment forms.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2000

Experimental thrombosis I: relation with fibrinogen and other haemostatic parameters.

Epidemiological studies have shown that the haemostatic parameters Fibrinogen (Fg), Factor VII (F VII), Factor VIII (F VIII), von Willebrand factor (vWF), Tissue Plasminogen Activator (t-PA), Plasminogen Activator Inhibitors (PAI) are risk factors/markers of ischemic cardiovascular disease. Ferritin (sFER) and Leukocytosis have also been implicated. In the present study we have followed the levels of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor and thrombomodulin in relation to lipids, iron and the appearance of atherosclerotic lesions in New Zealand rabbits fed with a cholesterol enriched diet for a two-month period compared with a group of control rabbits. Hematocrit and white blood cell count (WBC) were measured in parallel. In hyperchlesterolemic rabbits the levels of fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor increased progressively, showing a positive correlation with the increasing cholesterol levels. There was an increase in soluble thrombomodulin beginning at the eighth week of study. In addition, these animals showed gross intimal atherosclerotic lesions in the whole extension of their aortas. Immunohistochemical studies showed the presence of fibrin(ogen) related antigen throughout the arterial wall and in the central portions of the atheromas. In the control group there was no formation of atherosclerotic plaques and all haemostatic, haematological and biochemical parameters were within the normal range. WBC and sFER levels were unaffected in both groups. Our results show that increased levels of fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor, known coronary risk factors, are strongly associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in rabbits. The plaques contain a considerable amount of fibrinogen related antigen.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Surface EMG and psychophysiological stress reactions in women during repetitive work.

In order to understand the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders associated with stressful work, it is important to explore the relationship between muscle activity and psychophysiological stress responses. The present real-life study examines surface trapezius electromyographic (sEMG) activity, heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of urinary catecholamines and salivary cortisol among 31 female employees working at supermarkets, where the prevalence of neck and shoulder disorders is high (60-70%). As expected, the results show that psychophysiological arousal was high during work. Significant correlations were found between self-reports indicating negative stress (stressed, exhausted, tense) and sEMG activity during work. No significant correlations were found between self-reports of positive reactions (stimulated, concentrated, happy) and sEMG activity. No associations were found between sEMG activity and pain or between negative stress ratings and pain. Objectively measured workload and physiological stress responses did not correlate significantly with sEMG activity. Thus, our data indicate that perceived negative stress may have a specific influence on muscle activity, which may be of importance for musculoskeletal disorders in jobs with low-to-moderate physical load and negative psychosocial factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Trapezius muscle activity, neck and shoulder pain, and subjective experiences during monotonous work in women.

The electromyographic (EMG) activity patterns of 18 female supermarket employees reporting neck and shoulder pain were compared with those of 6 of their female colleagues reporting no pain when doing cash-register work. It was found that the EMG activity of the trapezius muscle tended to show a lack of low and high levels among pain subjects, and that the time the trapezius muscle was at rest was longer in the group reporting no pain. In the non-dominant side, the muscle rest time was significantly longer (P < 0.05) in the group reporting no pain, and this group also showed a larger EMG activity difference between the dominant and non-dominant sides, indicating a less static bilateral muscle activation. Self-reports of negative experiences (stressed, exhausted and tense) were somewhat higher in the group reporting pain, while positive experiences during work (concentrated, stimulated and happy) appeared to be similar in the two groups of supermarket employees.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Women's work roles and their impact on health, well-being, and career: comparisons between the United States, Sweden, and The Netherlands.

As women have become more assimilated into the work-force over recent decades, they have realized considerable changes in their work roles which may contribute to health problems and other negative outcomes such as marital strain and diminished job status. The purpose of this review was threefold: (1) to synthesize data on the distribution of women's work efforts in the areas of paid employment, household chores, and childcare; (2) to outline research which addresses the impact of women's workload on their well-being and careers; and (3) to make international and gender comparisons regarding women's work responsibilities. Our findings showed that women from each of the three countries examined--the United States, Sweden, and The Netherlands--contribute more effort to household chores and childcare and less to the workplace than men do. As a result, their total workloads appear to be somewhat greater and more diffusely distributed than those of men. Heavy workloads may adversely affect women's health, especially in the presence of certain role characteristics (e.g., having a clerical, managerial, professional, or executive position, or caring for young children). Heavy work responsibilities may also undermine marital happiness, particularly if there is perceived inequity in the way partners share household work. Finally, women's total work responsibilities often impact their careers due to compensatory reductions in work commitment and job status. These observations point to the need for further research on women's workload and work roles, on the relationship of work to well-being, and on methods of preventing or alleviating adverse effects on overburdened workers.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Fibrinogen Caracas V, an abnormal fibrinogen with an Aalpha 532 Ser-->Cys substitution associated with thrombosis.

A new dysfibrinogenemia associated with thrombophilia has been identified in a Venezuelan kindred. Thrombin and Reptilase times were prolonged and the accelerating capacity of the patient's fibrin on the t-PA-induced plasminogen activation was decreased. In addition the affinity of fibrinogen for plasminogen was diminished. Permeability and electron microscopy studies revealed that the abnormal clot was made up of thin and densely packed fibres giving rise to a reduced fibrin gel porosity. This was confirmed by turbidity studies showing a decreased fibre mass/length ratio. Affected members were heterozygous for an Aalpha 532 Ser-->Cys mutation as demonstrated by genetic analyses. This abnormal fibrinogen has been designated as Fibrinogen Caracas V. The family study showed a convincing association between the mutation and thrombotic manifestations. The thrombotic tendency may be ascribed to lack of accelerating capacity of fibrin to induce fibrinolysis caused by an abnormal clot structure with thin fibres and reduced porosity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Stress and workload of men and women in high-ranking positions.

Psychological and physiological stress responses related to work and family were investigated in 21 female and 21 male managers and professional specialists in high-ranking positions. The main result was that both women and men experienced their jobs as challenging and stimulating, although almost all data indicated a more favorable situation for men than for women. In addition, women were more stressed by their greater unpaid workload and by a greater responsibility for duties related to home and family. Women had higher norepinephrine levels than men did, both during and after work, which reflected their greater workload. Women with children at home had significantly higher norepinephrine levels after work than did the other participants. The possible long-term health consequences of women's higher stress levels are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Psychophysiological stress responses, muscle tension, and neck and shoulder pain among supermarket cashiers.

This study examined psychological and physiological stress, as well as muscle tension and musculoskeletal symptoms, among 72 female supermarket cashiers. Stress levels were found to be significantly elevated at work, as reflected in the catecholamines, blood pressure, heart rate, electromyographic (EMG) activity, and self-reports. Fifty cashiers (70%) suffering from neck-shoulder pain (trapezius myalgia) were found to have higher EMG activity at work and reported more tension after work. Women who kept a diary for 1 week and reported more musculoskeletal pain (above the median) were older, had higher blood pressure, and reported more work stress and psychosomatic symptoms. The elevated stress levels at work are consistent with data from workers involved in other types of repetitive tasks and can be important for the high prevalence of neck and shoulder symptoms among the cashiers.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Stress responses in low-status jobs and their relationship to health risks: musculoskeletal disorders.

Conditions typical of many low-status jobs are known to induce elevated stress. In keeping with this, blue-collar workers show elevated psychophysiological stress levels both during and after work compared with workers in more stimulating and flexible jobs. Health-related behaviors, such as cigarette smoking and drug abuse, that are known to contribute to the social gradient in health, can be seen as ways of coping with a stressful work situation in order to get short-term relief. Negative emotional states associated with low-status jobs, combined with a lack of economic resources, are also likely to reduce the individual's motivation to seek proper medical treatment and, thus, increase the risk that transient symptoms develop into chronic illness. With regard to musculoskeletal disorders, it is well documented that physically monotonous or repetitive work is associated with an increase in neck, shoulder, and low back pain problems. However, recent studies also report an association between psychosocial factors and muscle pain syndromes. Possible mechanisms explaining these findings involve the assumption that psychological stress may induce sustained activation of small, low-threshold motor units that may lead to degenerative processes, damage, and pain. Analysis of short periods of very low muscular electrical activity (EMG gaps) shows that female workers with a high frequency of EMG gaps seem to have less risk of developing myalgia problems than do workers with fewer gaps. Stress induced by psychosocial conditions at work, which is usually more lasting than that resulting from physical demands, may prevent the individual from shutting off their physiological activation and reduces the time for rest and recovery. In the modern work environment, with strong emphasis on a high work pace, competitiveness, and efficiency, it is possible that lack of relaxation is an even more important health problem than is the absolute level of contraction or the frequency of muscular activation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Growth phase-regulated induction of Salmonella-induced macrophage apoptosis correlates with transient expression of SPI-1 genes.

Invasive Salmonella has been reported to induce apoptosis in a fraction of infected macrophages within 2 to 14 h from the time of infection by a mechanism involving the type III secretion machinery encoded by the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1). Here, we show that bacteria in the transition from logarithmic to stationary phase cause 90% of the macrophages to undergo phagocytosis-independent, caspase-mediated apoptosis within 30 to 60 min of infection. The ability of Salmonella to induce this rapid apoptosis was growth phase regulated and cell type restricted, with epithelial cells being resistant. Apoptosis induction was also abrogated by disruption of the hilA gene (encoding a regulator of SPI-1 genes) and by the expression of a constitutively active PhoPQ. hilA itself and a subset of SPI-1 genes were transiently expressed during aerobic growth in liquid medium. Interestingly, however, hilA was found to be required only for the expression of the prgH gene, while sipB, invA, and invF were expressed in a hilA-independent manner. The expression of SPI-1 genes and the secretion of invasion-associated proteins correlated temporally with the induction of apoptosis and are likely to represent its molecular basis. Thus, growth phase transition regulates the expression and secretion of virulence determinants and represents the most efficient environmental cue for apoptosis induction reported to date.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1998

Fibrinogen Caracas I: a dysfibrinogenemia with a hemorrhagic diathesis associated with diminished fibrin fiber diameter and reduced fibrin gel porosity.

Fibrinogen Caracas I is a dysfibrinogenemia with a mild bleeding diathesis and a defective wound healing. We have characterized this abnormal fibrinogen using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in combination with turbidity and permeation studies. Turbidometric and permeability analysis showed that the abnormal fibrin had a significantly decreased mass:length ratio and fiber diameter. In addition, the permeability studies of plasma fibrin clots showed that the gel porosity of the abnormal fibrinogen was reduced. Images of the abnormal fibrin structure obtained using TEM showed that the fibers were thinner, much less branched and less ordered than normal fibers. Diminished fibrin fiber diameter and reduced fibrin gel porosity have been taken as hallmarks of thrombophilic dysfibrinogenemias. The results of the present study show that these features are not necessarily predictive of thrombophilia. Further studies performed on a larger number of dysfibrinogenemias need to be conducted in order to establish the implications of these parameters on the clinical outcome.

Coagulation Protein Disorders↗
PubMed1996

Influence of paid and unpaid work on psychophysiological stress responses of men and women.

Female labor force participation has increased considerably, but women's traditional responsibility for home and family has not changed accordingly. Although women's employment per se does not seem to have negative health consequences, studies show that stress from role conflicts and work overload is reflected in women's elevated psychophysiological arousal not only at work but also off work, which may induce psychosomatic symptoms (e.g., cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders). In addition, multiple role demands reduce women's possibilities to make a professional career on the same terms as men. Data emphasize the need for a new allocation of work functions between the sexes and the need for organizational changes leading to more influence and control over work to make it possible for both men and women to combine a qualified job with a meaningful family life.

Employment↗
PubMed1995

Characterization of RNA with unusual electrophoretic mobility from tissues of patients with Crohn's disease.

RNAs from tissues of patients with Crohn's disease that migrate off the diagonal in a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis system were partially characterized. One of the RNA species was a discrete cleavage product of region V2-9 of 28S rRNA; another is a conformer or variant of 5.8S rRNA; and a third is a mixture of unidentified fragments with mobility similar to that of 7S RNA. The yield of these species from resected tissue and their visualization by silver staining was very sensitive to the details of the preparative procedure. No evidence of viroid-like RNA was found within the range of molecular sizes (< 7S) that we examined.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Ropivacaine 0.25% versus bupivacaine 0.25% for continuous epidural analgesia in labor: a double-blind comparison.

We compared the effects of continuous epidural infusion of ropivacaine 0.25% with bupivacaine 0.25% on pain relief and motor block during labor, and on the neonate. Seventy-six full-term parturients in active labor requiring epidural analgesia were randomly allocated to receive either bupivacaine 0.25% or ropivacaine 0.25%. Fifteen minutes after a loading dose of 10 mL of the study drug, an epidural infusion with the same drug was started at 6-12 mL/h to maintain an adequate block. Top-up doses of 6-10 mL were given as required. At full cervical dilation, the epidural infusion was discontinued. The onset of pain relief (verbal scale), contraction pain (visual analog scale), intensity of motor block (modified Bromage scale), and duration of motor block were not statistically different between the groups. Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min after delivery were comparable. There was a higher proportion of the neonates in the ropivacaine group (26/31 = 84%) who had a neurologic and adaptive capacity score (NACS) > or = 35 2 h after delivery than in the bupivacaine group (18/29 = 62%). We conclude that ropivacaine 0.25% and bupivacaine 0.25% are equally effective for epidural pain relief during labor. Ropivacaine may have an advantage over bupivacaine regarding neonatal neurobehavioral performance during the first few hours after delivery, although further studies will be required to substantiate this.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Processing of the precursor to the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli.

M1 RNA, the catalytic subunit of RNase P from Escherichia coli, is transcribed in vivo as a precursor with extra nucleotides at the 3' end. Although it was suggested previously that RNase E is not responsible for the 3' processing of M1 RNA, we show that RNase E is the enzyme responsible for this reaction. At nonpermissive temperatures, the 3' processing of M1 RNA is abolished in a temperature-sensitive strain of E. coli that harbors a mutation in the gene for RNase E. Enhanced processing of M1 RNA is correlated with the overproduction of RNase E in vivo and processing is also correlated with the activity of this enzyme during the course of its purification. The biosynthesis of mature M1 RNA can proceed from transcripts that are produced under the control of a proximal promoter, as well as from a distal, upstream promoter. Transcription from the distal promoter results in a polycistronic transcript that includes four open reading frames and the transcript of rnpB, the gene coding for M1 RNA. The enzymatic activity that removes the 5' nucleotides from the precursor to M1 RNA is not due to RNase E, RNase P, or RNase III alone.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Methods and applications of stress research.

The major health problems in the industrialized countries have a multifactorial etiology, where stress and other psychosocial factors seem to play an important role. Mental stress is not only induced by high demands, but also by demands that are too low, which happens in many repetitive and monotonous work situations and, e.g., in response to unemployment. For a long time, musculoskeletal disorders were mainly considered to be caused by physical conditions. However, accumulating evidence from several sources now indicate that psychosocial factors are also significantly associated with, e.g., back pain and shoulder problems. Studies of assembly line workers with a high incidence of back pain complaints indicate that the physical load on the spine at work is low, whereas psychophysiological stress levels are high and work satisfaction is low. Female assembly workers were found to have higher physiological arousal than men in traditional assembly line work, whereas their stress levels were lower in a more flexible and autonomous work organisation. In a recent laboratory experiment, both mental and physical stress was found to increase physiological stress levels and muscular tension. It was concluded, that data consistently support the assumption that mental stress is of importance for the development of musculoskeletal symptoms.

Adrenal Medulla↗