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Biomedical subjects

B Larsson

Publications and source records attributed to B Larsson.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Quality of life as an outcome variable and a risk factor for total mortality and cardiovascular disease: a study of men born in 1913.

AIM: To construct a simple assessment of the quality of life that can be used to evaluate medical treatment in light of the need to conserve resources and limit costs. METHODS: The Göteborg Quality of Life Assessment was constructed in 1973 from the responses of men who were 50 years old at the time of the initial survey (1963) and were re-evaluated 10 years later. The assessment covers 15 factors in the World Health Organization definition of health or well-being, and includes a symptom questionnaire of 30 items relating to the most common elements of physical, mental and social well-being. RESULTS: The assessment was validated by determining the variation in these three principle components of well-being as a function of age. The use of this assessment as an outcome variable for subjects with cardiovascular disease indicated significantly lower quality of life scores, especially with regard to the general well-being, fitness and energy of subjects with hypertension and congestive heart failure compared to subjects without these diseases. When the assessment was evaluated as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality, the results of univariate analysis showed that health, fitness and appetite were significantly correlated with total mortality, while multivariate analysis indicated that only health was a significant factor.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Bovine virus diarrhoea virus induces in vitro a proliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from cattle immunized by infection.

The ability of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to mount a proliferative response to bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in vitro was examined. After culturing PBMC in the presence of a non-cytopathic strain of BVDV for 6 days, the magnitude of PBMC proliferation was measured as incorporation of radiolabelled thymidine, present during the last 18 h. Live, but not heat-inactivated, BVDV evoked a proliferative response of PBMC obtained from cattle seropositive to the virus. However, PBMC from seronegative or persistently BVDV-infected animals were not stimulated by BVDV. The presence of live BVDV did not alter the proliferative response of PBMC to stimulation with concanavalin A.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Is abdominal body fat distribution a major explanation for the sex difference in the incidence of myocardial infarction? The study of men born in 1913 and the study of women, Göteborg, Sweden.

The authors considered whether the difference in body fat distribution between men and women, measured as waist:hip ratio, might explain part of the sex difference in coronary heart disease incidence in prospective population studies of 1,462 women and 792 men. In these studies, conducted in Sweden, men were found to have about four times higher odds for coronary heart disease than women during a 12-year follow-up period (men, 1967 to 1979; women, 1968-1969 to 1980-1981). Controlling for differences in blood pressure, serum cholesterol, smoking, and body mass index only marginally altered the magnitude of the male-female difference. When waist:hip ratio, which predicted coronary heart disease rates in both sexes, was also considered, the sex difference in coronary heart disease risk was significantly reduced and virtually disappeared (odds ratios = 1.0-1.1; nonsignificant). The findings suggest that body fat distribution or a factor highly correlated with waist:hip ratio (genetic, hormonal, or behavioral) may help to explain the sex differences in coronary heart disease.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1992

Hyperinsulinaemia is not a major coronary risk factor in elderly men. The study of men born in 1913.

Insulin and insulin resistance have attracted considerable interest as possible risk factors for coronary heart disease during the last decade. We therefore examined the 8-year incidence of coronary heart disease in 595 67-year-old men in relation to baseline insulin and other risk factors. The incidence of coronary heart disease increased from 9% among non-diabetic men to 13.5% among those with impaired glucose tolerance, 12.9% among newly-detected diabetic men and up to 31.3% among men with known diabetes. The incidence of coronary heart disease was related to fasting blood glucose and 1 h and 2 h blood glucose during the oral glucose tolerance test and to serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides. Fasting serum insulin was of borderline significance for the risk of coronary heart disease. When known diabetic subjects were excluded only serum cholesterol and serum triglycerides remained as statistically significant risk factors. Among diabetic subjects (known and newly-detected) only blood glucose was related to the risk of coronary heart disease. In multivariate analyses the different degrees of glucose intolerance or fasting blood glucose were independently related to the risk of coronary heart disease (p = 0.008-0.010). Serum triglycerides were also an independent risk factor in three out of four multivariate models (p = 0.02-0.09). Fasting serum insulin was not an independent risk factor. These findings do not support the hypothesis that hyperinsulinaemia is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease in elderly men. Hyperglycaemia (or diabetes mellitus) seems to be the most important risk factor.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Swedish inactivated polio vaccine: laboratory standardization and clinical experience over a 30-year period.

Swedish inactivated polio vaccines have contained per single human dose a mean amount of viral antigen equivalent to 1 x 10(7.5) CCID50 of type 1, 1 x 10(7.4) of type 2 and 1 x 10(7.8) of type 3 produced on primary monkey kidney cells. Potency tests were made in comparison with an equivalent amount of live virus suspension of all three types. Validation of tests has been based on the response to type 1 only. Based on clinical experience with vaccine lots from 1957 and the establishment of the second live reference virus suspension in 1966, the minimum limit of immune response in guinea-pigs--expressed in extinction values--was decided as 1.5 for type 1 and type 3, and 1.0 for type 2. The potency test method used since 1959 in Sweden was two subcutaneous injections 2 weeks apart using 10 guinea-pigs per dilution and blood collected 1 week thereafter. Potency tests made according to European Pharmacopoeia revealed a somewhat lower value for type 2. D-antigen content in Swedish vaccines was low, however, the Swedish vaccine has protected against many episodes or outbreaks of wild virus in Sweden and immunized individuals elsewhere in the world. For the Swedish population a clear-cut clinical motivation for requiring a higher potency for type 2 as required in the European Pharmacopoeia or increased levels of D-antigen in the final product has not been presented. It was concluded that the European Pharmacopoeia method did not distinguish between doses of 0.5-1.0 ml. The minimum limit extinction value for type 2, i.e. 2.0 seemed to high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Electromyographic fatigue in neck/shoulder muscles and endurance in women with repetitive work.

EMG was recorded with surface electrodes from the trapezius and deltoid muscles during a static endurance test at approximately 20% of maximal voluntary contraction. Objective parameters for localized muscular fatigue were derived from the time course of the root mean square (RMS) and mean power frequency (MPF) of the EMG recordings. Isotonic regression is introduced as a tool for assessment of such parameters. The most pronounced sign of fatigue for trapezius was an increase in the RMS values, while for deltoid it was a decrease in the MPF values. This could be explained by the different functions of the two muscles. The endurance time for a group of 11 women in industrial work with repetitive short-cycled work tasks who were diagnosed with neck/shoulder disorders (tension neck) was significantly shorter (p less than 0.05) than for a group with the same work, but without neck/shoulder disorders (n = 11), and shorter than for a control group (n = 11). Regarding the EMG fatigue measures, there were no significant differences between the three groups. We did not find any relationships between endurance time and the EMG parameters. The results indicate that neck/shoulder disorders were not associated with divergent mechanisms for developing fatigue in the muscles, as recorded with surface EMG.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Physiological profile and incidence of injuries among elite figure skaters.

The physiological responses to skating and the incidence of injuries were recorded in young, Danish elite figure skaters (n = 8) over a 1-year period. The skaters' maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) ranged from 54.7 to 68.8 ml kg-1 min-1, and work intensity during simulated competitive figure skating corresponded to 89% VO2 max. Before the onset of competitive skating, but after a warm-up, blood lactate (BLa) concentration was measured as 2.0 +/- 0.05 mM (means +/- S.E.). After a 4-min run, BLa increased to 8.0 +/- 0.6 mM. The subjects' resting heart rates were measured each morning over a 1-year period and corresponded to 53 +/- 2 and 58 +/- 3 beats min-1 for the males and females respectively, with no systematic season-related variations. The skaters trained for 15-41 h per week, 60-95 min of this time being spent on warm-up activities. The injury incidence rate during competitive skating was recorded as 1.4 injuries per 1000 h of training, 56% of these being acute and 44% chronic injuries. Of those injuries registered, 83% were recalled by the skaters when a retrospective questionnaire was given to them at the end of the observation period. This study indicates that ice figure skating is associated with high aerobic power. Furthermore, Danish skaters spend large amounts of time on training, including warm-up and stretching. Despite the amount of training and the intensity of ice-skating programmes, injury rates are low compared with other sporting events.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Metabolic disturbances in hypertension: results from the population study 'men born in 1913'.

A clustering of metabolic disturbances has been indicated in hypertension. The distribution of such factors was assessed among hypertensives and normotensives in a general population sample of 644 men aged 67 years. Fasting serum insulin, glucose and triglyceride levels were measured. In this study hypertension was defined as DBP > or = 95 mmHg or present use of antihypertensives. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or diabetes mellitus, hyperinsulinaemia (> or = 20 mU l-1) and hypertriglyceridaemia (> or = 2.3 mmol l-1) were defined as metabolic disturbances. When all these disturbances were present simultaneously a complete 'metabolic syndrome' was considered to be present. Hypertension was found in 185 (29%) men, IGT in 15%, diabetes mellitus in 11%, hyperinsulinaemia in 18% and hypertriglyceridaemia in 19%. Among hypertensives, 11 (6%) men had a 'metabolic syndrome', compared to 12 (3%) men in the normotensive group (P = 0.039). At least one metabolic disturbance was present in 109 (59%) of the hypertensive men, and in 173 (38%) of the normotensive men (P < 0.001). The prevalence rates of metabolic disturbances did not differ significantly between lean (BMI < 26 kg m-2) and obese (BMI > or = 26 kg m-2) hypertensives. Only hypertriglyceridaemia was more frequent in obese than in lean hypertensives (20% vs. 37%, P = 0.015). The 'metabolic syndrome' was found in 6% of all hypertensives, which was twice as common as in the normotensive population. The 'metabolic syndrome' was uncommon in both lean and obese hypertensives (5% vs. 7%, NS). These findings indicate that hypertension and metabolic disturbances may have a common underlying cause, at least in some individuals.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

2-Mercaptoethanol influences the in vitro function of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

The effects of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) on some in vitro functions of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were examined. It was shown that 2-ME enhanced, in a dose-dependent manner, the production of antibodies to bovine coronavirus. In this test the optimal concentration of 2-ME was 50 microM. This molarity of 2-ME was also optimal for the pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-induced proliferation of PBMC obtained from the 7 cattle tested. Similarly, the spontaneous proliferation of PBMC from 4 out of these cattle was enhanced. Thus, 2-ME evoked an increase (up to 2.5 times) or a decrease (at most 10 times) of the quota between the PWM-induced and the spontaneous proliferation (stimulation index). In general, the presence of 50 microM 2-ME enhanced the in vitro production of interferon by bovine PBMC. On the contrary, the highest proliferative response of PBMC to stimulation with bovine virus diarrhoea virus was achieved in cultures without 2-ME or in cultures with 0.5 or 5 microM 2-ME. Since the effects of 2-ME varied, for different tests as well as for cattle tested, attention should be paid to the use of 2-ME in cultures of bovine PBMC.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Prevalence and short-term stability of depressive symptoms in schoolchildren.

This study examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a sample of 471 Swedish schoolchildren aged 8-13 years from urban and rural areas. Children self-reported their experience of depressive symptoms on a Swedish version of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Short-term stability of children's depressive symptoms was evaluated for a 6- to 9-week period. In addition, the children's satisfaction with their school, home and leisure time was assessed. The results indicated that the prevalence of depressive symptoms was related to neither location (urban vs rural) nor age. Although girls experienced significantly more depressive symptoms than boys, the clinical importance of this difference is negligible. Approximately 1% of the schoolchildren reported severe suicidal thoughts. As expected, children's depression was negatively associated with their home and school satisfaction and leisure interest. A cut-off score of 13 on the CDI could identify the upper 10% of the children in the school sample as depressed and, at the follow-up, 44% of these children continued to be depressed. Overall, the total CDI mean scores obtained in this study were lower than those reported in comparative surveys in Anglo-Saxon countries.

Child↗
PubMed1992

Prevalence of caries in adolescents in relation to diet.

The aim of the present study was to compare dietary habits between adolescents with high or low dental caries prevalence. All 15-yr-old adolescents living in a small community in Northern Sweden were studied in 1987, 1988, and 1989. The median values for energy and nutrient intake exceeded or were close to the recommendations (SNR89) given by the Swedish National Food Administration. The fiber intake did not reach the recommended daily amount even for the 90th percentile of the studied cohort. Nineteen percent of the adolescents had caries free teeth and 10% had nine or more decayed or filled surfaces. There was no difference in daily sucrose intake or average number of meals per day between these two groups. The group with nine or more decayed or filled surfaces had worse dietary habits, expressed as a higher fat intake, lower intake of complex carbohydrates, and lower density of iron (mg/MJ) than the group with no dental caries. Dietary counseling by dentists should be a valuable addition to other caries prophylactic measures taken by the dentists.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Cholesterol screening of seven-year-old children. How to identify children at risk.

An inquiry was distributed to the parents of 1052 seven-year-old school beginners, concerning three issues, i.e. a known family history of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris before the age of 55 years and hyperlipidemia. A total of 147 children with a known family history were included in the study and compared with 148 classmates as control subjects. The proband children were subgrouped according to heredity factors and subjected to multivariate analysis at the 5% significance level for serum cholesterol fractions and triglycerides vs the control group. Statistically significant increased levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as an increased low density lipoprotein cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio were found for all groups with hereditary for hyperlipidemia (p less than 0.001). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the groups with heredity for myocardial infarction or angina pectoris exclusively. Also, there was no difference in any of the risk groups for high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. The serum cholesterol levels in the present study were, to our knowledge, higher than those found elsewhere, except for Finland.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1992

Social network and activities in relation to mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other causes: a 12 year follow up of the study of men born in 1913 and 1923.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine the relationship between social network and activities and causes of death. DESIGN: The study was a prospective cohort study of middle aged men examined in 1973 and followed for 12 years. SETTING: Gothenburg, Sweden. SUBJECTS: The subjects were 769 60 year old and 220 50 year old men who had participated in a health examination. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Main outcome measures were mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other causes. In multivariate analyses cardiovascular mortality was related to baseline blood pressure (p less than 0.001), smoking habits (p = 0.002), myocardial infarction or stroke (p less than 0.001), and a low level of social activities (p = 0.04). Cancer mortality was related to age (p = 0.003) and smoking habits (p = 0.001). Other causes of death were related to poor perceived health (p = 0.02) and a low level of home activities (p = 0.004). In univariate analyses the above risk factors were strongly related to all three causes of death. In addition cardiovascular mortality was related to age, a low level of home and outside home activities, few persons in the household, and poor perceived health. Cancer mortality was related to poor perceived health, few persons in the household, and a low level of social activities. Other causes of death were related to living alone, poor perceived health, and a low level of social and outside home activities. CONCLUSIONS: Well known risk factors for premature mortality like smoking, hypertension, and major cardiovascular disease are verified. Middle aged men with a good "social network" (here measured as a high level of social, home, and outside home activities) may be partly protected against non-cancer mortality.

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1992

Polymerase chain reaction with double primer pairs for detection of human parvovirus B19 induced aplastic crises in family outbreaks.

Parvovirus B19 DNA can be detected by polymerase chain reaction with double primer pairs (nested PCR). Recent infection was documented by a retrospective serological study using Parvoscan-B19 enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (EIA) for detection of B19 human parvovirus IgM and IgG antibodies in serum or plasma specimens. In 3 families B19 outbreaks caused aplastic crises necessitating blood transfusion in 5 children and 1 adult with hereditary sphaerocytosis. Four members from 2 of the families had clinically overt haemolytic anaemia prior to the event. Two members in another family presented with an aplastic crisis disclosing the underlying chronic haemolytic disease. All 7 patients were identified as PCR positive in serum samples taken 3-14 days after the onset of symptoms. Comparison with dot blot hybridization revealed detectable DNA in only 2/3 PCR positive patients. Thus, nested PCR is more sensitive than the dot blot hybridization method and is therefore a suitable complement to the antibody assay for identifying recent B19 infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Trapezius muscle changes unrelated to static work load. Chemical and morphologic controlled studies of 22 women with and without neck pain.

From a cross-sectional study of 82 women who were engaged in assembly work that involved static muscle loading of the shoulder muscles, 11 cases with complaints of neck tension (all except 1 arising at work) and 11 individually matched, exposed control cases without neck pain were studied. In addition, 10 matched, unexposed control cases were studied. Upon histochemical examination and study of the trapezius muscle, morphologic changes of type ragged red fibers were found in 8/11 neck-pain cases, in 7/11 exposed controls, and in 4/10 unexposed controls. The pathologic and clinical importance of rare, ragged red fibers in the trapezius muscle thus seems uncertain.

Adult↗