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Biomedical subjects

B Berglund

Publications and source records attributed to B Berglund.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Sexual harassment and eating disorders in female elite athletes - a controlled study.

The aims were to examine the percentage of female elite athletes and controls reporting sexual harassment and abuse (SHAB), and whether a higher percentage of female athletes with eating disorders (ED) had experienced SHAB. A questionnaire was administered to the total population of female elite athletes (n = 660) and controls (n = 780) aged 15-39 years. Sexual harassment and abuse were measured through 11 questions, ranging from light to severe SHAB. In addition, questions about dietary-, menstrual- and training-history and the Eating Disorder Inventory were included. The response rate was 88% for athletes and 71% for controls. Athletes (n = 121) and controls (n = 81) classified as "at risk" for ED and non-ED controls participated in a clinical interview. A higher percentage of controls compared with athletes reported experiences of SHAB in general (59% vs. 51%, P < 0.001). A lower percentage of athletes had experienced SHAB inside sports than outside sport (28% vs. 39%, P < 0.001). A higher percentage of ED athletes than non-ED athletes had experienced SHAB (66% vs. 48%, P < 0.01), both inside sport and outside sport. In spite of the fact that a higher percentage of controls compared with athletes had experienced SHAB, it is necessary to formulate clear guidelines, set up educational workshops and implement intervention programs for both ED and SHAB in sport.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Effect of short-term and intermittent normobaric hypoxia on endogenous erythropoietin isoforms.

UNLABELLED: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the Epo isoforms in blood, induced by short-term and intermittent hypoxia, are different from those at normoxia at sea level and if this could be an impediment to the use of a direct Epo doping test based upon the electric charge of the Epo isoforms. Ten healthy subjects, 9 men and 1 woman, participated in the study. Median age was 22 years (range 20-32). Normobaric hypoxia was administered differently in 3 sub-groups; two groups with 12 h hypoxia and 12 h normoxia up to 10 days: IM 2000 and IM 2700 living in 16.2% and 14.9% O2, corresponding to 2000 and 2700 m above sea level, respectively, and training in normoxia. The third group, C 2700, lived in hypoxia, 14.9% O2 corresponding to 2700 m, continuously for 48 h. The mean serum Epo level increased from 10.9 IUL(-1) (range 8.8-12.5) to 23.5 IUL(-1) (15.6-29.1) after 2 days followed by 19.7 IUL(-1) (16.1-24.1) after 10 days exposure for intermittent hypoxia. The highest values 39.5 IUL(-1) (31.5-50) were obtained for the group exposed for continuous hypoxia for 48 h. The median electrophoretic mobility of the serum Epo isoforms was above the cut-off limit of 670 AMU, previously estimated for discrimination between recombinant and endogenous Epo, in all samples taken before and after exposure to hypoxia. The highest values, mean 730 mAMU (range 703-750) were obtained after 10 days of intermittent hypoxia. CONCLUSION: If the method had been used as a doping test, no false positive results would have been registered for the 15 serum samples from the 10 individuals exposed for hypoxia. Thus, the results indicate that the basic principle for direct detection of recombinant Epo doping, based upon the change in electric charge on Epo, can be used also on individuals having lived in a hypoxic milieu.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Nutritional supplements in Norwegian elite athletes--impact of international ranking and advisors.

UNLABELLED: The aims of this study were to investigate (a) the use of nutritional supplements (NS) (vitamins, minerals, Omega 3, antioxidants, ginseng, amino acids, Creatine and energy supplements) in elite athletes of different international ranking (b) why athletes are using NS, and (c) who recommends the elite athletes to use NS. The total population of elite athletes in Norwegian National Teams (n = 1620, 960 males and 660 females aged 15-39 years) and randomly selected (n = 1681) (916 males and 765 females) controls from the general population, were given a questionnaire including questions about use of nutritional supplements (NS), and from whom athletes had received information about nutrition and recommendations to use NS. The response rate was 76% for male and 92% for female athletes and 75% and 81% for male and female controls, respectively. A similar percentage of female athletes (54%) and controls (52%) reported use of one or more NS, but more male athletes (51%) than male controls (32%) used NS (P < 0.001). However, independent of gender, more athletes as compared to controls used minerals (males 26% vs. 8%; females 42% vs. 20%), amino acids (males 12% vs. 4%; females 3% vs. 0), and Creatine (males 12% vs. 2%; females 3% vs. 0). A lower percentage of NS users were observed in the best female athletes (52%) as compared to female athletes with less experience of international competition (73%) (P < 0.01). In male athletes, NS use was independent of international ranking (49%-53%). The coach was the main advisor for use of NS for both male (58%) and female athletes (52%). For male and female athletes, the main reason for using NS was that they felt it was needed in addition to their daily intake (56% and 67%, respectively). Forty one percent of the male and 37% of the female athletes using NS felt they were well informed about nutrition in general and NS. However, 8% of the NS users did not know whether the NS they used was doping classified or not. IN CONCLUSION: we found that a similar percentage of female elite athletes and controls, but a higher percentage of male elite athletes than controls, reported the use of NS. There was a lower percentage of NS use among the top female athletes, but not the top male athletes as compared to the less successful elite athletes. The coach was the main advisor for NS use both for male and female elite athletes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Causes of stillbirth and time of death in Swedish Holstein calves examined post mortem.

This study was initiated due to the observation of increasing and rather high levels of stillbirths, especially in first-calving Swedish Holstein cows (10.3%, 2002). Seventy-six Swedish Holstein calves born to heifers at 41 different farms were post mortem examined in order to investigate possible reasons for stillbirth and at what time in relation to full-term gestation they had occurred. The definition of a stillborn calf was dead at birth or within 24 h after birth after at least 260 days of gestation. Eight calves were considered as having died already in uterus. Slightly less than half of the examined calves (46.1%) were classified as having died due to a difficult calving. Four calves (5.3%) had different kinds of malformations (heart defects, enlarged thymus, urine bladder defect). Approximately one third of the calves (31.6%) were clinically normal at full-term with no signs of malformation and born with no indication of difficulties at parturition or any other reason that could explain the stillbirth. The numbers of male and female calves were rather equally distributed within the groups. A wide variation in post mortem weights was seen in all groups, although a number of the calves in the group of clinically normal calves with unexplained reason of death were rather small and compared with e.g. those calves categorised as having died due to a difficult calving, their average birth weight was 6 kg lower (39.9 +/- 1.7 kg vs. 45.9 +/- 1.5 kg, p < or = 0.01). It was concluded that the cause of stillbirth with a non-infectious aetiology is likely to be multifactorial and difficult calving may explain only about half of the stillbirths. As much as one third of the calves seemed clinically normal with no obvious reason for death. This is a target group of calves that warrants a more thorough investigation in further studies.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Genetic effects on stillbirth and calving difficulty in Swedish Holsteins at first and second calving.

In Swedish Holstein dairy cattle, genetic effects on stillbirth and calving difficulty were studied in 411,409 first- and 281,193 second-calvers. A linear single-trait sire-maternal grandsire model and a threshold model using a Gibbs sampling technique were used to analyse calving data from 1985 to 1996. In first calving when using the linear model, the heritability of stillbirth on the visible scale was 4% for the direct effect and 3% for the maternal effect. For calving difficulty it was 6% and 5% for direct and maternal effects, respectively. In second calving the corresponding heritabilities for the two traits were considerably lower, less than 1%. Adjusting for calving difficulty in linear analysis of stillbirth halved the heritabilities for the direct and maternal effects in first calving. When using a threshold model, heritabilities for stillbirth in first-calvers were 12% and 8% for direct and maternal effects, respectively, and for calving difficulty they were 17% and 12%. At second calving corresponding heritabilities were 2 to 4% for stillbirth and 4 to 7% for calving difficulty. The correlation between direct and maternal effects was around -0.1, irrespective of whether the linear or the threshold model was used for first-calvers. The genetic correlations between bulls' EBV from first and second calving were 0.4 to 0.5 for direct and maternal effects in stillbirth, whereas they were 0.6 to 0.7 for calving difficulty. In first-calvers there was a substantial genetic variation in both traits, expressed by differences between breeding values of bulls, despite fairly low heritability. The results obtained in this study suggest that first-parity records should preferably be used for genetic evaluation of bulls for calving performance. In such routine evaluations both stillbirth and calving difficulty, and both direct and maternal effects, should be included.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Erythropoietin concentrations and isoforms in urine of anonymous Olympic athletes during the Nagano Olympic Games.

The ordinary doping control urine samples of 36 anonymous participants (cross-country skiers, biathlon athletes, and curling athletes) of the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games were analyzed for erythropoietin and erythropoietin isoforms. The urine erythropoietin concentration (IU/l) was determined with a competitive radioimmunoassay method and the isoforms were studied by electrophoresis and given as milli albumin mobility units (mAMU). Erythropoietin was detectable in 23 out of 36 specimens (64%). The biathlon and curling athletes had similar urine concentration of erythropoietin. The group of 16 cross-country skiers had significantly (P < 0.05) increased urine concentration of erythropoietin as compared to curling athletes and four of them had urine erythropoietin concentrations between 3.6 and 5.1 IU/l. The electrophoretic mobility of erythropoietin was determined in all eight samples with urine concentration of erythropoietin of more than 2 (range 2.1-5.1) IU/l. No single urine specimen with a median erythropoietin electrophoretic mobility below the cut-off level of 670 mAMU (indicative of doping with recombinant erythropoietin) was registered. Erythropoietin in urine was detected in 71% and the isoforms of Epo characterized in 29% of the anonymous Olympic endurance athletes. The urine concentration of erythropoietin in the biathlon and curling athletes were similar to those of non-athletes. The group of cross-country skiers had higher levels of erythropoietin in urine. These higher levels of urine erythropoietin in cross-country skiers are partly due to more concentrated urine specimens.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed2002

Erythropoietin concentrations during 10 days of normobaric hypoxia under controlled environmental circumstances.

Serum erythropoietin levels (s-[epo]), haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]), haematocrit (hct), and ferritin concentration ([fer]) were measured in seven healthy male volunteers (20-23 years) exposed continuously to hypoxia (PO(2) 14 kPa) for 10 days. Serum erythropoietin concentration increased significantly from 9.5 +/- 3.51 to 33.6 +/- 11.64 U L(-1) (P < 0.05) after 2 days of hypoxia. Thereafter, s-[epo] decreased. However, after 10 days s-[epo] was 18.7 +/- 5.83 U L(-1) which was still increased above the pre-hypoxia level (P < 0.05). Serum haemoglobin concentration and hct increased over the 10 days of hypoxia, [Hb] from 152 +/- 8.9 to 168 +/- 9.2 gL(-1) (P < 0.001), and hct from 43 +/- 2.4 to 49 +/- 2.6% (P < 0.001). Ferritin concentration decreased significantly during the hypoxic exposure from 82 +/- 46.9 to 44 +/- 31.7 mmol L(-1) after 10 days (P < 0.01). In conclusion, the initial increase of s-[epo] under controlled normobaric hypoxia was marked, 353%, and levelled off after 5-10 days at 62-97% above normoxia level. There was also a significant increase in [Hb] and hct and a decrease in [fer] after 10 days of exposure to normobaric hypoxia.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed2001

Chronic aircraft noise exposure, stress responses, mental health and cognitive performance in school children.

BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that children are a high risk group vulnerable to the effects of chronic noise exposure. However, questions remain about the nature of the noise effects and the underlying causal mechanisms. This study addresses the effects of aircraft noise exposure on children around London Heathrow airport, in terms of stress responses, mental health and cognitive performance. The research also focuses on the underlying causal mechanisms contributing to the cognitive effects and potential confounding factors. METHODS: The cognitive performance and health of 340 children aged 8-11 years attending four schools in high aircraft noise areas (16 h outdoor Leq > 66 dBA) was compared with children attending four matched control schools exposed to lower levels of aircraft noise (16 h outdoor Leq < 57 dBA). Mental health and cognitive tests were group administered to the children in the schools. Salivary cortisol was measured in a subsample of children. RESULTS: Chronic aircraft noise exposure was associated with higher levels of noise annoyance and poorer reading comprehension measured by standardized scales with adjustments for age, deprivation and main language spoken. Chronic aircraft noise was not associated with mental health problems and raised cortisol secretion. The association between aircraft noise exposure and reading comprehension could not be accounted for by the mediating role of annoyance, confounding by social class, deprivation, main language or acute noise exposure. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that chronic aircraft noise exposure is associated with impaired reading comprehension and high levels of noise annoyance but not mental health problems in children.

Aircraft↗
PubMed2001

Sports medicine update.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗
PubMed2001

The staff's satisfaction with the hospital bed.

AIM: To determine how nurses experience the functions of hospital beds and the bedside equipment when performing specified common nursing tasks. BACKGROUND: The hospital bed is an important working tool for the nursing staff but few studies have focused on hospital beds at acute wards. METHOD: Data was collected with questionnaires answered by 74 registered and enrolled nurses from three Departments. FINDINGS: The bed was frequently used when performing nursing tasks with patients in bed, but the manoeuvring features were difficult to adjust, resulting in unsatisfactory working postures. Transporting the patient in bed and cleaning of the bed were the most troublesome tasks. The bed clothes were often experienced as unsatisfactory for their patients. CONCLUSIONS: The beds have serious deficiencies. It is imperative to improve them, as a good physical milieu positively influences the working conditions of the staff.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Living with an ostomy and short bowel syndrome: practical aspects and impact on daily life.

PURPOSE: Practical aspects and impact on daily life of short bowel syndrome (SBS) and an ostomy were explored in people with SBS. Interest was focused on nutrition and excretion, ostomy problems, associated medical and surgical problems, socioeconomic situation, and social and leisure activities. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Six subjects (range, 38-68 years) with Crohn's disease were included from the University Short Bowel Clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. Average disease duration was 25 years, and mean small intestinal length was 107 cm; 4 subjects were receiving parenteral nutrition at home. METHODS: Subjects were interviewed in their homes using a semistructured interview divided into the areas of focus. Data were transcribed by shorthand and were rewritten into the computer the same day. A questionnaire on nutrition and excretion was answered by the subjects in writing and mailed to the interviewer. RESULTS: The most significant observation was the limited ability to act spontaneously, because all daily activities involved considerable planning. Three subjects said they had never accepted the ostomy; the others would not return to their pre-stoma lifestyle. The 2 subjects with a colostomy described special emptying patterns that caused limitations in social life that had not been reported previously. Fistulas were reported as having been the most trying part of the disease. Three subjects worked part time, which was of utmost importance for quality of life. Fatigue influenced social and leisure activities. CONCLUSION: People with SBS are bothered by a number of demanding problems in various aspects of life. Therefore, a team approach toward care is critical to allow for coordination of action toward the various needs. It also seems unlikely that standard instruments of quality of life can capture the complicated situations with which these subjects live. It appears that coping mechanisms also need to be considered.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

A follow-up study of effects of chronic aircraft noise exposure on child stress responses and cognition.

BACKGROUND: Children are a high-risk group vulnerable to the effects of chronic aircraft noise exposure. This study examines the effects of aircraft noise exposure on children's health and cognition around London Heathrow airport and tests sustained attention as an underlying mechanism of effects of noise on reading and examines the way children adapt to continued exposure to aircraft noise. METHODS: In this repeated measures epidemiological field study, the cognitive performance and health of 275 children aged 8-11 years attending four schools in high aircraft noise areas (16-h outdoor Leq > 66 dBA) was compared with children attending four matched control schools exposed to lower levels of aircraft noise (16-h outdoor Leq < 57 dBA). The children first examined at baseline were examined again after a period of one year at follow-up. Health questionnaires and cognitive tests were group administered to the children in the schools. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: At follow-up chronic aircraft noise exposure was associated with higher levels of annoyance and perceived stress, poorer reading comprehension and sustained attention, measured by standardized scales after adjustment for age, social deprivation and main language spoken. These results do not support the sustained attention hypothesis previously used to account for the effects of noise on cognition in children. The reading and annoyance effects do not habituate over a one-year period and do not provide strong evidence of adaptation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Living a restricted life with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is an inherited connective tissue disorder, primarily affecting the skin, ligaments, joints and blood vessels. The symptoms can vary from undiagnosed cases with mild symptoms to more severe forms. A qualitative study was conducted with the purpose of exploring how individuals with different symptoms of EDS describe their symptoms and perceive their daily life. Eleven interviewees were recruited via a support group in Sweden. The main strategies of the grounded theory method were used in collection and analysis of data. The identified main theme, "Living a restricted life", seemed to explain the way in which fears, pain, stigmatisation and experiences of non-affirmation in health-care limited the possibility of self-actualisation in daily living and social life. This study provides a conceptual framework for future research and an understanding of the type of professional support individuals with EDS require.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2000

Relationships between occupant personality and the sick building syndrome explored.

Increasing evidence shows that certain personality traits, such as negative affectivity (trait NA), are strongly associated with the reporting of symptoms. The role of personality in sick building syndrome (SBS) symptom reporting is therefore explored with the aid of a questionnaire completed by occupants living in apartments with indoor climate problems. A good fit to empirical data was obtained for a path model in which somatization intervenes between a general psychological factor (predominated by trait NA) and SBS. Occupants with "normal" and "aberrant" NA profiles were classified by cluster analysis and further divided according to frequency of symptoms. For occupants with 5 or more SBS symptoms, those with "aberrant" NA profiles have very similar SBS symptom profiles to those with "normal" NA profiles. This indicates that an occupant's trait NA score cannot be used for predicting his or her SBS symptom profile or frequency of SBS symptoms. An unexpected finding was that the occupants with "aberrant" NA profiles also perceived factors in the indoor (air) environment as less adverse than the 5 or more symptom reporting occupants with "normal" NA profile. Pennebaker and Brittingham's competition of external and internal cues model may explain the results for the occupants with "aberrant" NA profiles, however, our empirical data indicate that, unexpectedly, these occupants may not over-report SBS symptoms but rather under-report adverse environmental perceptions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Hormonal changes during parturition in heifers and goats are related to the phases and severity of labour.

Parturition is a natural event that involves stress and pain for the mother. We thus hypothesized that levels of stress hormones measured during parturition could reflect levels reached in response to severe discomfort and pain of other kinds as well. The aim of this study was therefore to determine whether plasma concentrations of cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline, beta-endorphin, met-enkephalin, vasopressin and oxytocin vary depending on the phase and severity of labour in dairy heifers (ten) and dairy goats (six), and how these hormones interact with each other. Blood samples were taken once a day for 3 days before labour and for 3 days afterwards and at predetermined phases during labour. All heifers delivered one calf and five of them needed obstetrical assistance. Two of the goats delivered one kid, and four had twins; all kidded without help. The cortisol concentration peaked when the calf and the first kid were born. In the heifers, plasma adrenaline increased after delivery, while the noradrenaline concentration did not change significantly in heifers that needed assistance, but increased during expulsion in heifers calving without help. In the goats, adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations increased in association with expulsion of the first kid. The beta-endorphin concentration increased during labour in goats. In heifers that needed assistance, beta-endorphin concentration increased 1 h after labour but there was no change in heifers that did not need assistance. The met-enkephalin concentration was elevated during expulsion in heifers and fluctuated in the goats. Both oxytocin and vasopressin increased during expulsion in both groups of heifers, but vasopressin increased four times more in heifers needing assistance. In the goats, oxytocin reached its highest levels just as the feet of the first kid became visible, and vasopressin peaked as the head emerged. Parturition took longer in heifers that needed assistance than in those that did not. It is concluded that, even though the pattern of change differed between hormones during labour, the changes were related to the phases of labour. A longer labour therefore meant that the hormone concentrations stayed elevated for longer. Vasopressin reached high levels in goats and was the only hormone for which plasma concentrations were higher in heifers that needed assistance than in those that did not, indicating that this hormone is released in order to deal with the pain-related stress associated with labour.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1998

Health-related quality of life after liver transplantation.

To gather information regarding how to best assist liver transplant recipients in improving their self-care capacity and well-being, we investigated their total health situation. A retrospective, cross-sectional survey with up to a 10-year follow-up concerning experienced health and quality of life after liver transplantation (LTX) was conducted. The aim of this study was to provide descriptive data on the experienced health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after LTX and to evaluate whether the pretransplantation medical conditions affected these parameters. All patients who had undergone LTX, were alive at the time of the study, and had a follow-up of more than 6 months (n = 134) were asked to complete three self-administered questionnaires. The response rate was 95% (n = 120). There was no correlation between pretransplantation Child-Pugh score and HRQOL after LTX. Liver transplant recipients were more limited in their physical health than healthy subjects but were equal in social functioning and mental health. Twenty-six percent suffered from severe bodily pain. A significant difference was reported in all health areas, with the exception of vitality and social functioning, between employed and unemployed transplant recipients. Liver transplant recipients suffered from limited physical functioning many years after transplantation. Their social functioning and mental health were not negatively affected. This study emphasizes that bodily pain and difficulties in performing regular activities because of physical illness are problems frequently experienced by liver transplant recipients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Short-term intermittent normobaric hypoxia--haematological, physiological and mental effects.

Effects on erythropoiesis and blood pressure as well as physical performance and mental effects were studied in 15 healthy subjects during intermittent exposure to normobaric hypoxia corresponding to either 2000 m (6 persons) or 2700 m (9 persons) above sea level; another group (5 persons) also served as controls at normoxia. The concept "live high-train low" was used for 10 d consecutively and the exposure to hypoxia was 12 h/d. Blood pO2 and oxygen saturation were significantly decreased during the 10 d at hypoxia. [Hb] and Hct decreased significantly after 2 d in hypoxia and then returned to pre-study levels. Erythropoietin was significantly elevated in both hypoxia groups during the initial 3-5 d. Reticulocytes were significantly increased during 7 d of hypoxia. Submaximal and maximal oxygen uptake, blood pressure at rest and during exercise and the profile of mood states (POMS test) did not change during the study. In conclusion, intermittent normobaric hypoxia for 10 d resulted in a significant stimulation of erythropoiesis. Staying at normobaric hypoxia may serve as a complement to an ordinary altitude level sojourn.

Adult↗