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Biomedical subjects

E Bjertness

Publications and source records attributed to E Bjertness.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Obesity in a rural and an urban Palestinian West Bank population.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of obesity, household food consumption patterns, physical activity patterns and smoking between a rural and an urban community in the Palestinian West Bank and to describe the associations of the latter factors with body mass index (BMI). DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional survey in a rural and an urban Palestinian West Bank community. SUBJECTS: A total of 549 women and 387 men aged 30-65 y, excluding pregnant women. MEASUREMENTS: Obesity was defined as BMI >/=30 kg/m(2). RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was 36.8 and 18.1% in rural women and men, respectively, compared with 49.1 and 30.6% in urban women and men, respectively. The mean difference (s.e) in BMI levels was 1.6 (0.52) kg/m(2) between urban and rural women and 0.9 (0.46) kg/m(2) in men. At the household level, the mean energy consumption from 25 selected food items was 13.8 MJ (3310 kcal)/consumption unit/day in the rural community compared to 14.5 MJ (3474 kcal)/consumption unit/day in the urban community (P=0.021). BMI was positively associated with age in both men and women and with urban residence in women. BMI was negatively associated with smoking and physical activity in men and with educational level in women. CONCLUSION: BMI was associated with urban residence in women after adjusting for age, smoking, education, physical activity and nutrition-related variables, suggesting that the differences in the conventional determinants of obesity could not fully explain the difference in the prevalence of obesity between the two communities. Among men, the measured determinants explained the rural-urban differences in BMI.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2001

Prevalence of neuropsychiatric and mucous membrane irritation complaints among Palestinian shoe factory workers exposed to organic solvents and plastic compounds.

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to organic solvents is associated with neuropsychiatric and mucus membrane irritation. In developing countries, efforts to secure a good working environment are inadequate and protection against chemical exposures is often neglected. METHODS: In a cross-sectional survey, the prevalence of self-reported health complaints and the association with long-term exposure to solvents and plastic materials in the work environment was studied among 167 shoe-factory workers. Prevalences and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR)were calculated in Cox regression. 95% confidence intervals were estimated for PRs of adverse health effects. RESULTS: Overall, the workers reported high prevalences of neuropsychiatric and mucus membrane complaints: headache (65%), mental irritability (53%), tingling of limbs (46%), and sore eyes (43%). Cleaning work was associated with tingling of limbs (PR = 1.8, 1.0-3.2), sore eyes (PR = 1.9, 1.1-3.3), and breathing difficulty (PR = 2.0, 1.0-3.9); plastic work was associated with tingling of limbs (PR = 1.8, 1.2-2.9)and sore eyes (PR = 1.7, 1.1-2.7); and varnishing was associated with breathing difficulty (PR = 1.9, 1.1-3.5). CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of self-reported health complaints and the exposure-outcome association could be due to volatile organic solvents (dichloromethane, n-hexane)and plastic compounds (isocyanates and polyvinyl chloride). Absence of a satisfactory work environment is likely to contribute to high exposure levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Breast self-examination and cervical cancer testing among Norwegian female physicians. A nation-wide comparative study.

Practice of breast self-examination (BSE) and cervical cancer testing (Pap smear tests) was studied in a nation-wide Norwegian representative sample of 284 female physicians aged 24-67. BSE was performed at least once a month in 30.6% of the cases, and 54.6% had a Pap smear test once every third year at least. BSE was never practised among 19.2% of the physicians, the main reasons being that they forgot it, or that they stated that they were in a low risk group or had no symptoms of disease. 16.2% had never had routine Pap smears, and these physicians claimed that they were in a low risk group or had no symptoms of disease, that they had a problem in finding a physician to attend, or that they forgot to take the test. A subgroup of 135 physicians aged 35-49 years was compared with 738 women with higher university education included from a nation-wide representative sample of the general population of Norway. A significantly higher percentage of physicians practised BSE monthly or more often compared with other university educated women. However, a significantly lower percentage of the physicians had Pap smear tests every third year or more frequently. The positive association between being a physician and practising BSE, and the negative association between being a physician and having Pap smear tests, remained after controlling for potential confounders in multivariate analyses.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Mortality and temperature in Oslo, Norway, 1990-1995.

The associations between temperature and daily mortality was studied among the citizens of Oslo, Norway, 1990-1995. Data on daily mortality were linked with daily temperatures, relative humidity, wind velocity and air pollution. At temperatures below 10 degrees C, a 1 degrees C fall in the last 7 days average temperature increased the daily mortality from all diseases by 1.4%, respiratory diseases 2.1%, and cardiovascular diseases 1.7%. Above 10 degrees C, there was no statistically significant increase in daily mortality, except for respiratory mortality, which increased by 4.7% per 1 degrees C increase in the last 7 days average temperature. Daily mortality in Oslo increases with temperatures falling below 10 degrees C. The increase starts at lower temperatures than shown in warmer regions of the world, but at higher temperatures than in regions with even colder climates. As well insulated and heated dwellings are standard in Norway today, more adequate clothing during outdoor visits is probably the most important preventive measure for temperature related mortality.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2001

Obesity and selected co-morbidities in an urban Palestinian population.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of obesity and central obesity in an urban Palestinian population and their associations with selected co-morbidities, including diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. DESIGN: A population-based cross-sectional survey in an urban Palestinian community. SUBJECTS: Men and women aged 30-65 y residing in the urban community, excluding pregnant women. MEASUREMENTS: According to WHO guidelines, obesity for men and women was defined as BMI> or =30 kg x m(-2), while pre-obesity was defined as BMI 25-29.9 kg x m(-2). Central obesity was defined as a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of >0.90 in men and >0.85 in women. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity in this population was high at 41% (49% and 30% in women and men, respectively). Central obesity was more prevalent among men (59% compared to 25% in women). After adjusting for the effects of age, sex, smoking and each other, obesity and central obesity were found to be significantly associated with diabetes, low HDL-cholesterol and elevated triglycerides in separate logistic regression analyses. Central obesity was also significantly associated with hypertension (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.30-3.91). CONCLUSION: Obesity and central obesity are prevalent in the urban Palestinian population. Their associations with diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia point to a potential rise in cardiovascular disease (CVD). An understanding of the reasons behind the high prevalence of obesity is essential for its prevention as well as for the prevention of the morbidities to which it may lead.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

The metabolic syndrome in the West Bank population: an urban-rural comparison.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of components of the metabolic syndrome, including hypertension, abnormal glucose metabolism, dyslipidemia, central obesity, and overall obesity, between a rural and an urban Palestinian West Bank community. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 500 rural and 492 urban men and women aged 30-65 years participated in a community-based cross-sectional survey Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance were diagnosed using the oral glucose tolerance test. BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood pressure were measured, and blood samples were taken from each subject. Sociodemographic characteristics were investigated using a questionnaire. RESULTS: Hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, overall obesity, and smoking were significantly more prevalent in the urban population, whereas central obesity was more prevalent in the rural population. Prevalence of hypertension was not significantly different between the rural and urban populations (25.4 and 21.5%, respectively; P = 0.15). The age-adjusted prevalences of diabetes were high: 11.3% (8.5-14.1 95% CI) and 13.9% (10.8-17.0) in the rural and urban populations, respectively, but not significantly different. In each community, the age-adjusted prevalence of the metabolic syndrome as defined by the World Health Organization was 17%. CONCLUSIONS: Although no significant differences were found in the prevalences of hypertension and diabetes between the two populations, other components of the metabolic syndrome, namely elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and overall obesity, were more prevalent in the urban population. Given the rapid urbanization of the Palestinian population, the implications for a rise in noncommunicable diseases should be a major public health concern.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Physicians who do not take sick leave: hazardous heroes?

BACKGROUND: Physicians seem to have problems in accepting their own illness, and they tend to avoid taking sick leave. This study reports the diseases that physicians bring to work, and discusses selected factors associated with the behaviour of working when ill. METHODS: Of a random sample of 1,476 Norwegian physicians, 70% answered a mailed, anonymous questionnaire as a part of The Norwegian Medical Association's health survey. RESULTS: During one year, 80% of the physicians had worked during an illness for which they would have sick-listed their patients. More than half of the physicians in the study had worked whilst having an infectious disease. Factors independently associated with the behaviour of working when ill include being in the age group 30-39 years, working as a clinician outside hospital, having received medical treatment during the last three years, and having low job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: A large number of physicians work whilst having infections and other diseases. This behaviour might be harmful to the physicians themselves as well as to their patients and staff members.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, impaired glucose tolerance and associated factors in a rural Palestinian village.

AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and to identify risk factors associated with diabetes in a rural Palestinian village. METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based study investigating 500 adults aged 30-65 years (response rate 85%) determined the diabetes status using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A standard questionnaire, a simple clinical examination and laboratory tests assessed blood lipids, blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI) and other risk factors for diabetes RESULTS: The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes was 9.8% (95% confidence interval 7.3-12.3) and IGT 8.6% (6.1-11.1), while the prevalence standardized to the European population was 11.6% (8.8-14.4) for Type 2 diabetes and 10.3% (7.6-13.0) for IGT. Age, positive family history, high triglycerides level, and high WHR were significantly associated with Type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Of the factors associated with diabetes, WHR and triglycerides levels are potentially modifiable, and should be addressed by preventive health activities. The high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its potential increase as a result of the ageing of the Palestinian population constitutes a major public health problem.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The utility of a single glucometer measurement of fasting capillary blood glucose in the prevalence determination of diabetes mellitus in an urban adult Palestinian population.

This paper aims to evaluate the utility of a single glucometer fasting capillary blood glucose (FCBG) measurement in determining the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in a homogeneous adult population. FCBG measurements were compared with results of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 445 subjects aged 30-65 years in an urban cross-sectional study in Old Ramallah. Prevalence of diabetes, sensitivity, specificity and predictive values were calculated at different cut-off levels of FCBG, using OGTT as the reference. The prevalence of OGTT-diagnosed diabetes was 2.7%, while it varied considerably using different cut-off levels of FCBG. The sensitivity of a single glucometer (Exac Tech II) measurement of FCBG at the cut-off level of 6.7 mmol 1(-1) was 33.3%, with a specificity of 98.8%. Using the cut-off level of 6.1 mmol 1(-1) as suggested by the 1998 provisional report of a WHO consultation, the sensitivity increased to 41.7%. At a cut-off level of 5.6 mmol 1(-1), a sensitivity of 66.6% was reached, but the specificity decreased slightly. It can be concluded that a single glucometer measurement of FCBG in an adult population is not useful in determining the prevalence of diabetes mellitus.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Apolipoprotein E genotype and Alzheimer's disease in an elderly Norwegian cohort.

Apolipoprotein E (Apo E) genotyping was performed on an autopsy cohort of neuropathologically verified non-demented controls and subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) resident in nursing homes in the Oslo area. AD was associated with a significantly increased frequency of the Apo E epsilon 4 allele; the frequency of the epsilon 2 and epsilon 3 alleles was lower in AD but not significantly so. Age at death in the control group and the AD group did not differ significantly; neither did age at death nor age at onset of dementia in AD vary according to Apo E genotype, though tendencies towards an earlier age at death was seen in individuals with epsilon 4/4 and earlier age at onset dementia in the presence of an epsilon 4 allele and a later age of onset the presence of an epsilon 3 allele were seen. Possession of an epsilon 2 allele had no effect on age at onset of dementia or age at death. Among the possible genotypes there was a trend towards a progression of earliest onset epsilon 4/4, epsilon 2/4, epsilon 3/4, epsilon 3/3, epsilon 2/3 latest onset of dementia and longest duration epsilon 2/4, epsilon 4/4, epsilon 3/4, epsilon 3/3, epsilon 2/3 to shortest duration of dementia.

Age of Onset↗
PubMed1996

Determination of aluminium in samples from bone and liver of elderly Norwegians.

Recent reports associating aluminium with several skeletal and neurological disorders in humans suggest that exposure to aluminium may pose a health hazard. In connection with an epidemiological study on aluminium and Alzheimer's disease, information on the body burden of aluminium was needed. Aluminium is stored in the body mainly in bone and soft tissues such as the liver. Therefore, an analytical procedure was developed for the determination of aluminium in the head of femur and the liver using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Problems in such analyses are associated with low levels of aluminium, risk of contamination during sample preparation, inhomogeneity of the sample tissues, and complexity of the matrices. Bone samples gave poorer repeatability compared to liver samples and up to four replicate analyses were performed. In the analyses of the digested bone samples, severe chemical interference occurred when these either contained much dissolved bone mineral or had a high A1 concentration. It is possible that this interference is brought about by formation of aluminium phosphate in the graphite tube. The analytical results for bones are given relative to ash weight because the samples sometimes contained a lot of fat. The ash weight of the bone tissue varied between 8 and 69 per cent. The material consisted of 84 samples of head of femur and 95 liver samples from deceased elderly Norwegians. Two cases had high A1 levels in bone (16.8 and 18.0 mg/kg ash weight) and liver (10 and 22.7 mg/kg dry weight) tissues. The remaining cases showed about ten to fifteen-fold variation of the A1 level in both liver (0.4 - 5.7 mg/kg) and bone (0.5 - 5.8 mg/kg). There was no correlation between the level in liver and bone when the two cases with the highest levels were excluded.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Content of brain aluminum is not elevated in Alzheimer disease.

Several studies have reported that the bulk aluminum (Al) concentration is increased in the brain in Alzheimer disease (AD), while other studies have failed to demonstrate an increase. Most of these investigations have had one or more methodological deficiencies, including lack of adequate neuropathological assessment; failure to age-match the control samples; small sample sizes, lacking statistical power; and geographical heterogeneity in the AD and control populations. The present population-based study of 92 clinically and histopathologically diagnosed AD patients and normal elderly nursing home residents was designed to avoid these potential biases. When a subsample of AD cases with the most severe brain pathology was compared with controls having no or minimal pathology, no statistically significant differences were found in the bulk aluminum concentration measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry in frontal cortex (1.8 +/- 0.7 vs. 1.7 +/- 0.7 micrograms/g dry wt), temporal cortex (1.4 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.5 +/- 0.5 micrograms/g dry wt), liver (2.0 +/- 1.3 vs. 2.0 +/- 1.2 micrograms/g dry wt), or head of femur (2.4 +/- 1.6 vs. 2.2 +/- 1.0 micrograms/g ash wt). Within the whole series of 92 cases, there was no difference in the bulk aluminum concentration of the frontal cortex between individuals diagnosed as definite, probable, and possible cases of AD using the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease) criteria. The density of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in frontal and temporal cortex showed no correlation with the bulk aluminum concentration. Logistic regression analyses, which controlled for age and sex, did not influence outcome for any of the comparisons. The data show conclusively that in AD, bulk aluminum concentration is not increased in two cortical brain regions that are selectively vulnerable to the neuropathological changes associated with this disorder.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Dental caries determinants in an adult Portuguese population and a comparison with Norwegian adults.

The present epidemiologic dental caries study indicates a high number of decayed surfaces (mean, 13.5 +/- 11.8 (SD)) in a Portuguese population of 30- to 39-year-olds from Porto. The most influential determinants for variation in carious surfaces were oral hygiene, gender, salivary buffer capacity, and missing teeth. By entering the most influential independent variables in a final multiple classification analysis, the total explained variance in carious surfaces was 27%. A comparison with results from a similar Norwegian dental health study showed that the biologic factors of importance for number of carious surfaces were the same, whereas the sociocultural determinants differed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Caries experience of 35-year-old Oslo residents and changes over a 20-year period.

The dental health of 35-year-old Oslo citizens was investigated in cross-sectional studies applying similar methods in 1973, 1984 and 1993. In the 1993 investigation, a clinical and radiographic examination of dental caries was performed on 121 randomly selected individuals (response rate 68 per cent). DMFT/S scores were used for recording caries experience. Carious surfaces (DS) were related to independent variables organised under the four main categories of health field concept; environment, behaviour, biology and health care. Mean DMFS based on 28 teeth was 40.9 in 1993, compared to 66.5 in 1984 and 68.2 in 1973. DS, MS, FS and DMF values were significantly lower in 1993 compared with those from the previous 1973 and 1984 studies, while only minor differences were detected from 1973 to 1984. High numbers of decayed surfaces (DS) were significantly associated with poor oral hygiene, unsatisfactory economic status and irregular dental visiting habits. The most influential independent variables explained 35 per cent of the variance in carious surfaces (DS).

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Effect of apolipoprotein E genotype on Alzheimer's disease neuropathology in a cohort of elderly Norwegians.

A cohort of elderly Norwegians dying in nursing homes in the Oslo region have been genotyped for the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene. Alzheimer's disease (AD) cortical neuropathology and clinical evidence of dementia were used to assign cases without evidence of other confounding neuropathology. Senile plaque (SP) and neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) densities in frontal, temporal and parietal cortex were then correlated with ApoE genotype to determine any relationship between ApoE genotype and AD pathology. Comparisons with ApoE epsilon 3, epsilon 4 and epsilon 2 allele dosage failed to show any significant effect on cortical SP densities in any cortical area. NFT densities were increased by epsilon 4 allele dosage in the frontal cortex but not in other cortical regions. A reduction was seen in cortical NFT densities with epsilon 2 allele, though again this was not consistently significant in any of the groups. The epsilon 3 allele failed to show any consistent effect on cortical NFT densities. Assessment by individual genotypes showed epsilon 2/3 < epsilon 2/4 < epsilon 3/3 < epsilon 3/4 < epsilon 4/4 which had highest cortical NFT densities in all areas. By genotype, SP densities were generally of the order epsilon 2/4 < epsilon 2/3 < epsilon 3/3 < epsilon 4/4 < epsilon 3/4 though in none of the groups was this significant. Duration of disease showed no consistent effect on neuropathological burden. ApoE genotype may have an effect on determining whether individuals suffer from AD and the age at onset of disease but may only have a minimal effect on pathology burden.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Analysis of dependent survival data applied to lifetimes of amalgam fillings.

When studying lifetimes of amalgam fillings, one is faced with the fact that each patient may contribute multiple survival data. This creates a dependence problem, and some methods for solving it are presented here. Analysis for individual patients with simple approaches for combining data is discussed first. Then a parametric frailty model is applied to analyse variation within and between patients. The results are presented in the form of an empirical Bayes estimate for each patient.

Adult↗