Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

K Asplund

Publications and source records attributed to K Asplund.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Unemployment and cardiovascular risk indicators. Data from the MONICA survey in northern Sweden.

We studied the effect of unemployment, or the threat of unemployment, on indicators of cardiovascular risk in a randomly selected cross-sectional sample of the population aged 25-64 years in northern Sweden with interviews and a health examination. In men, unemployment for more than one year correlated significantly with systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol level, HDL-quotients, cigarette smoking and physical inactivity. In women, unemployment correlated significantly with body mass index, HDL-quotient, cigarette smoking and physical inactivity. Our results support the hypothesis that correlations between unemployment and cardiovascular disease found in other studies could be partly explained by elevated risk indicators due to unemployment.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Men who never married. A socio-medical study in northern Sweden.

In a population-based study 50 never-married men aged 40-64 years were compared with 503 similarly aged other men (married, co-habitant, divorced or widowed). The never-married had shorter education than other men, and had been unemployed more often. The never-married mens' emotional relationships were of lower quality. There was modest tendency towards higher blood pressures and higher serum cholesterol levels among the never-married men, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, never-married men were found to be worse off in terms of social support, education, employment status and health knowledge. Differences in health status, however, were small. It is possible that positive factors, not fully elucidated in this study, counterbalance the adverse socio-medical characteristics. Another possibility is that differences will become manifest at an older age which could be surveyed in a follow-up study.

Health Status↗
PubMed1991

Catecholamine excretion in old age.

Catecholamine excretion was studied in two groups of nonhospitalized subjects, 60 and 80 years of age, N = 35 and 29, respectively. Urinary 24h dopamine excretion exhibited an age-related decline (p = 0.001). There was a sex difference for dopamine excretion; men had higher excretion levels (p = 0.04). Twenty-four-hour excretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine was slightly higher in 60- than in 80-year-old individuals (NS). Smoking was associated with a considerable increase in epinephrine (p = 0.001) and norepinephrine (p = 0.04) excretion. Body mass index was negatively correlated to epinephrine excretion (r = -0.27; p less than 0.05). When analyzed with a multi-way analysis of variance with analysis of covariance, significant influences of age on dopamine excretion, of creatinine clearance on dopamine and norepinephrine excretion, and of smoking on epinephrine excretion were seen. Thus, factors such as age, gender, body mass, kidney function and smoking habits considerably influence catecholamine excretion in elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

The growth of salmonellae in tomatoes.

The growth of Salmonella enteritidis, S. infantis and S. typhimurium in tomatoes was studied at 7,22 and 30 degrees C. The pH values of tomatoes varied from 3.99 to 4.37 before incubation and from 3.90 to 4.36 after incubation at different temperatures. No growth was observed at 7 degrees C. S. enteritidis, S. infantis and S. typhimurium grew from cell densities of 1.2 x 10(1), 0.7 x 10(1) per g to 2.0 x 10(6), 2.3 x 10(6) and 7.1 x 10(6) per g, respectively, at 22 degrees C in 24 h. At 30 degrees C, the number of bacteria was about one logarithmic unit higher than at 22 degrees C after the same incubation time. The results of this study demonstrated a possible risk of tomatoes as vehicles of Salmonella spp.

Food Microbiology↗
PubMed1991

Coffee drinking and blood cholesterol--effects of brewing method, food intake and life style.

The strongest correlations between coffee consumption and serum cholesterol levels have been found in countries where people drink coffee brewed by mixing coffee grounds directly in boiling water (boiled coffee). In the present study of a population-based sample of 1625 middle-aged subjects (the Northern Sweden MONICA Study), approximately 50% of the participants were drinking boiled coffee, and 50% were drinking filtered coffee. Consumers of boiled coffee had significantly higher serum cholesterol levels than consumers of filtered coffee. Subjects who drank boiled coffee reported a higher intake of fat. A linear multiple regression analysis with serum cholesterol as the dependent variable confirmed that boiled coffee was an important independent determinant of cholesterol levels. We conclude that subjects who drink boiled coffee have higher serum cholesterol levels than those who drink filtered coffee, and that the most likely explanation for this finding lies in the type of brewing method.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Severe hypoglycaemia during treatment with glipizide.

In the years 1980-87, 19 cases of severe hypoglycaemia during treatment of Type 2 diabetes with glipizide were reported to the Swedish Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee. Patient age was 75 +/- 9 years (mean +/- SD) (significantly higher than in all patients on glipizide in Sweden), and the duration of glipizide treatment ranged from 1 day to 4 years. Eleven patients presented with coma, three with reduced consciousness and five with other symptoms. An uneventful early recovery occurred in 14 patients. The remaining five patients had prolonged or recurrent hypoglycaemia for up to 60 h. Two of the patients, both with complicating disorders, died. In a case-control substudy, patients with glipizide-associated hypoglycaemia were found to have renal impairment more often than age- and sex-matched controls treated with glipizide (odds ratio 4.0). The median dose of glipizide (10 mg per day) was identical to that in controls. Other drugs, notably diuretics and benzodiazepines, were more commonly used by hypoglycaemic patients (median 5 vs 2 concomitant drugs, p less than 0.001). We conclude that the use of glipizide is associated with a risk of developing severe hypoglycaemia with a clinical course that is not always benign.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

The sucking behaviour of two patients in the final stage of dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Two patients in the final stage of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), who could no longer be given nutrition by assisted feeding, were given fluids by means of the sucking ability they still retained. They sucked more slowly under nutritive than under non-nutritive sucking conditions. The sucking efficiency of one of them improved during training. The status of the patients in the final stage of their dementia differed from one another, which might explain the difference in outcome. It is therefore suggested, that the use of the patients' sucking ability could serve as a complement and/or an alternative feeding technique when assisted spoon-feeding becomes extremely difficult or impossible. It is considered to be more gentle and natural than the present feeding techniques.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Factors influencing admission blood pressure levels in patients with acute stroke.

In clinical practice, patients with acute stroke often have high blood pressure. The aim of this study was to investigate factors correlated with blood pressure elevation in 843 consecutive stroke patients on hospital admission to a nonintensive stroke unit. Using a multivariate analysis model, we analyzed the influence on admission blood pressure of sex, age, previous hypertension, cardiac failure, diabetes, type of stroke, impaired consciousness, and latency between onset of symptoms and admission. Previous hypertension was the strongest predictor (p less than 0.001) of elevated blood pressure on admission, followed by the presence of intracerebral hemorrhage (p less than 0.001). The latency between onset of symptoms and admission showed no correlation with blood pressure levels at hospitalization. Previously, high blood pressure levels on hospital admission have been shown to decline within a few days in hospital. We therefore hypothesize that mental stress on hospital admission may be a major factor in the blood pressure elevation seen in acute stroke.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1990

Living with diabetes: perceptions of well-being.

A group of 192 adult insulin-dependent diabetic patients free from manifest late complications were asked, through mailed questionnaires, about the influence of the disease on their daily life and about their feelings of well-being. Well-being was measured using 11 semantic differentials comprised of bi-polar adjectives. Only a minority of patients reported that the disease caused them considerable problems in daily life. The greatest problems occurred in connection with regularity in daily life (26% of subjects) and diet management (24%). Although a large proportion of the patients were very concerned about retinopathy (45%), other complications were of great concern for only 10 to 25%. Younger age was significantly associated with more problems in daily life and more worries about complications. There also were associations between younger age and feelings of anxiety, lack of freedom, insecurity, and reduced self-esteem. Most of the patients, both men and women, had a general feeling of well-being. Living with insulin-dependent diabetes appears to be quite consistent with experiencing well-being and feeling fit provided that no severe complications have developed.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Prognosis after stroke in diabetic patients. A controlled prospective study.

Cohorts of diabetic (n = 121) and non-diabetic (n = 584) patients were prospectively followed for up to ten years after having suffered from a stroke. All but six of the diabetic patients had Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. The diabetic patients had more risk factors associated with stroke: heart failure (p less than 0.001) and angina pectoris (p less than 0.001), than the non-diabetic patients. Neither body mass index nor blood pressure levels differed between the groups at admission. Haematocrit levels were higher in the diabetic group (p less than 0.01). The diabetic patients were more commonly afflicted by cerebral embolism and to a lesser extent by transient ischaemic attacks than the non-diabetic patients. When calculated by log-rank tests, the diabetic group had an increased risk of death (p less than 0.001), recurrent stroke (p = 0.001), and of myocardial infarction (p = 0.001) after the initial stroke. Autopsy-verified causes of death between the groups did not differ significantly, although half of all deaths during the period one to six months after stroke were caused by pulmonary embolism in the diabetic group. Thus, diabetes increases the risk of death after a stroke, and it also increases among stroke survivors the risk of recurrent stroke and myocardial infarction.

Cerebrovascular Disorders↗
PubMed1990

Impact of day care on dementia patients--costs, well-being and relatives' views.

Forty-seven patients in psychogeriatric day centre were analysed regarding use of resources, costs and well-being. The level of well-being was based on interviews with staff and relatives and related to the economic outcome--a cost utility analysis. A 6 month period prior to day care was compared with the first 6 months in such care. The use of resources at home increased by 20% while the use of institutional care was reduced by 22%. Fifty-three percent of the patients improved in their well-being after participation in day care. When the cost of utility analysis was applied, the cost for a well-year was 4293 pounds.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Smoking and metabolic control in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Within a defined geographical area, all 192 subjects with insulin-dependent diabetes of at least 2 years duration and free of diabetic complications were identified; 60 (31%) were smokers. The prevalence of smoking increased significantly with increasing haemoglobin A1c levels (17.5% among subjects with the best metabolic control, 47.5% in those with the worst control). Smoking and non-smoking diabetic patients did not differ in attitudes towards the disease, psychological well-being, extent of tedium, frequency of self-controls of blood glucose or proportion of patients with any sick leave in the preceding 2 years. In a case referent study of 25 matched patients with good or poor metabolic control, exposure to smoking was significantly more common among those with poor control (odds ratio 6.0). Thus there are several lines of evidence that smoking is associated with impaired metabolic control in patients with diabetes.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Do-not-resuscitate orders in Swedish medical wards.

In a nation-wide survey, procedures related to do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders in Swedish medical wards were investigated by means of a questionnaire given to internists-in-charge. The response rate was 89% (286 out of 323), of whom all but 2% (seven individuals) stated that DNR orders were used in their wards. The most common procedure was an oral direction to the nurse, who documented the order in the nurses' day-to-day work sheet. The DNR orders were signed by 28% of the physicians. A wide range of symbols and code words were used, and there was considerable disagreement regarding the meaning of a DNR order. Such orders were often associated with withdrawal and withholding of life-sustaining treatments other than cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Most physicians stated that they never discuss DNR order with the patients, and that only in a minority of DNR decisions do they involve family members. There was considerable conflict with regard to DNR ordering procedures not only between internists in different hospitals, but also within individual hospitals.

Documentation↗
PubMed1990

Pituitary-thyroid axis, prolactin and growth hormone in patients with acute stroke.

The pituitary-thyroid axis, serum prolactin and growth hormone levels were studied in 29 patients within 9 d of onset of acute ischaemic stroke. When compared to a control group of 80-year-old volunteers (n = 33), stroke patients were found to have elevated free thyroxine indices (P = 0.008), after adjustment for age and sex. Seventeen (81%) of the stroke patients showed a paradoxical rise in growth hormone in response to thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH). In a multiple regression model, disorientation was associated with a low thyrotropin response to TRH (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04; 20 and 60 min after TRH, respectively). Disorientation was also positively correlated with the prolactin response to TRH (P = 0.045 after 60 min). Growth hormone levels were predicted by extensive motor impairment (P = 0.02). In conclusion, changes in pituitary and thyroid hormones were commonly observed after stroke and were closely associated with cognitive and/or motor impairment.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Caregivers' perceptions and interpretations of severely demented patients during feeding in a task assignment system.

Ninety-one focused interviews concerning the feeding of 23 severely demented patients were performed with 62 caregivers who fed the patients in a task assignment system. The aim was to increase the understanding about how caregivers perceive and interpret severely demented patients' behaviour and experiences during feeding. Content analysis showed that the caregivers' commitment or lack of commitment constituted a superior level that determined whether the patient was seen as a subject or as an object. Subcategories that were found were knowledge of the patient's disease and personal history, intuition, identification, empathy, generalisation and routinisation.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica 0:3 in Finnish pigs and pork.

One hundred and forty seven samples of pig faeces collected from 14 herds located in different parts of Finland were examined for Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 4 serotype 0:3. Twenty six (17.7%) animals and 5 herds (35.7%) were positive. The tonsils of 350 animals from 35 herds with high condemnation figures at meat inspection and the tonsils of 131 animals from 13 herds with low condemnation figures collected from 2 abattoirs in southwest Finland were also examined. The prevalence raes of Y.e. in animals were 38.3% and 31.3% and in herds 74.3% and 61.5%, respectively. The prevalence of Y.e. in herds with the high and low partial condemnation percentages did not differ significantly. No isolation of Y.e. was made from 104 samples of pork and minced pork collected from retail markets in Helsinki and from exporting slaughterhouses.

Animals↗