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Biomedical subjects

M Berglund

Publications and source records attributed to M Berglund.

126 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Amnestic-confabulatory syndrome in hydrocephalic dementia and Korsakoff's psychosis in alcoholism.

The clinical course of six alcoholics with Korsakoff's psyter shunt operation. The initial clinical state as well as the symptom improvement showed important similarities between the Korsakoff group and the hydrocephalic dementia group, who improved after shunt operation. Fantastic confabulation and appraxia were only observed in the hydrocephalic dementia group. Psychometrically, both groups showed a similar degree of improvement of the initially impaired verbal memory while only the hydrocephalic dementia group showed impairment of spatial abilities indicating a constructional apraxia. It is suggested that the similarities of the two conditions are related to dysfunction of diencephalic and temporal-limbic structures. The constructional and general apraxia as well as the fantastic confabulation in hydrocephalic dementia indicate a cortical, especially frontal cortical, dysfunction in this disorder.

Adult↗

Regional cerebral blood flow in a case of bromide psychosis.

A case of bromide psychosis is described. A course of repeated measurements of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was followed, using the 133Xe inhalation method. At the first examination, when the serum bromide level was 45 mmol/1, the cerebral blood flow was reduced to about one-third of the normal. The regional flow pattern was also abnormal with low flows in frontal and parieto-occipital regions. Hemodialysis was performed with an overall improvement of the condition and a successive normalization of rCBF. The pronounced decrease of the cerebral blood flow, together with the positive effects of hemodialysis, seems to indicate that bromide psychosis is of a toxic origin and not an abstinence phenomenon.

Bromides↗

Cerebral dysfunction in alcoholism and presenile dementia. A comparison of two groups of patients with similar reduction of the cerebral blood flow.

Fifteen chronic alcoholics and 15 presenile patients were matched in pairs with regard to their mean hemisphere cerebral blood parameters-an index of brain metabolism. The distribution of the regional cerebral blood flow was similar in the two groups. The alcoholics performed significantly better in all psychometric tests than the presenile patients and more alcoholics than presenile patients were still employed and working. Nine presenile patients and one alcoholic showed symptoms indicating brain stem dysfunction. The measurements of the cerebral blood blow were made at rest while the psychometric testings and the evaluation of the social performance gave information about the brain at work. It is suggested that cerebral dysfunction in alcoholics to some extent can be partly overcome by brain activation procedures. In contrast, the defects of higher mental functions in presenile dementia cannot be compensated for.

Alcoholism↗

Impact of soil and dust lead on children's blood lead in contaminated areas of Sweden.

The impact of lead in soil and dust on blood lead concentrations in young children (i.e., 1-5 y of age, N = 202) and the risk of health effects were investigated in an urban and a mining area of Sweden. Blood, soil, and indoor dust, as well as information on lead-exposure factors, were collected. The blood lead concentrations (total range = 9-77 microg/l) the authors measured indicated a low risk for lead-induced health effects. Lead in soil (i.e., < 10-5,000 microg/g) and in dust (i.e., < 1-316 microg/g) had little effect on blood lead concentrations, given the present conditions and present concentration range--especially in the mining area. Urban children had significantly higher blood lead concentrations than children in the mining area, despite higher concentrations of lead in soil in the mining area. In the urban children, blood lead concentrations were influenced by parental smoking and lead in dust at day-care centers.

Air Pollutants↗

Personal NO2 exposure monitoring shows high exposure among ice-skating schoolchildren.

A method for measuring personal nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure, using passive samplers, was tested among schoolchildren. Activity patterns and NO2 exposure levels were studied in relation to urban and rural living. Stationary air monitoring data indicated that the urban children were supposed to be exposed to NO2 levels that were among the highest in Sweden. It was shown that NO2 levels measured at the stationary air monitoring station were not representative for the children's exposure. The children spent 90% of their time indoors; only a small percentage of their time was spent in transit. The median daily NO2 exposure level in the urban area (13 micrograms NO2/m3, 7 ppb) was significantly higher (p < .001) than in the rural area (7 micrograms NO2/m3, 4 ppb). The most important source of exposure was the indoor ice-skating arenas, where levels up to 8,000 micrograms NO2/m3 (4 240 ppb) were measured during 1-h periods.

Air Pollutants↗

Acupuncture in alcoholism treatment: a randomized out-patient study.

Seventy-two alcoholics were treated with acupuncture to the ear in a randomized single-blind controlled design over 10 weeks. Orthodox points and incorrect points 3-5 mm from orthodox points were used. No initial differences were found regarding social characteristics, the responses to the Swedish version of the Alcohol Use Inventory and the Three-dimensional Personality Questionnaire, indicating a successful randomization. There were non-significant tendencies towards gender differential response after acupuncture treatment (P = 0.07). There was no difference in the number of drinking days or level of craving between treatment and control patients. Among females, those in the treatment group reported reduction of anxiety after 1 month, more often than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Response to acupuncture was not related to personality or drinking pattern. Patients' experience of needle placement was similar in the study and control groups. The effects of acupuncture were less pronounced than those previously reported.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

Nature and healing of tibial shaft fractures in alcohol abusers.

Alcohol abuse is associated with an increased risk of osteopenia and fractures. Previous histomorphometric studies on iliac crest bone have found decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption in alcohol abusers but it has not been established whether alcohol abuse has any effect on the anatomical location or the healing time of tibial shaft fractures. We studied, retrospectively, 199 adult male patients hospitalized for isolated tibial shaft fracture in the city of Malmö, Sweden, between 1980 and 1990. Forty-nine of the patients had earlier been registered at the Department of Alcohol Diseases and were judged to be problem drinkers. Abusers sustained their tibial shaft fractures more often by falling at ground level (P < 0.0001) or from a higher level (P = 0.009) and the fractures were more often oblique than transverse (P = 0.002) as compared with non-abusers. Healing time was impaired in abusers who had sustained a transverse fracture (P = 0.035), but no difference was observed in healing time in those with a oblique fracture. We found no difference between the abusers and the non-abusers regarding duration of hospital stay, fracture location, amount of displacement, occurrence of open fractures or the rate of complications.

Accidental Falls↗

The relationship between helping alliance and outcome in outpatient treatment of alcoholics: a comparative study of psychiatric treatment and multimodal behavioural therapy.

During the last decades, a positive relation between a good alliance and a successful therapy outcome has been demonstrated across a variety of different therapeutic modalities. The relationship between alliance and drinking outcomes in long-term treatment of alcoholics (12 months or more) has not, as far as we know, been presented. In the present study, alcoholics were randomized to two outpatient treatment programmes; multimodal behavioural therapy (MBT) and psychiatric treatment based on a psychodynamic approach (PT). As part of the study, analyses were performed concerning differences in alliance between the two treatment models (MBT, n = 17; PT, n = 18), and concerning the relationship between alliance and treatment outcome. A Swedish version of the Helping Alliance Questionnaire was used to measure alliance. All therapy sessions were tape-recorded. An independent researcher rated the patient's and therapist's contribution to the alliance at the third session (early alliance). Early patient and therapist alliances were not related to sociodemographic data or initial measures of alcohol severity, psychiatric symptoms, or personality structure in either therapy. Early therapist alliance was better in MBT in comparison with PT. For MBT patients, a significant positive correlation was found between early patient alliance and mood dimensions at 6 months. There were no significant positive correlations between early alliance and drinking outcome during the course of treatment and in the third year after start of treatment. Mood and drinking outcome also showed low correlations. In conclusion, an initial positive alliance seems insufficient to reduce alcohol misuse. The relationship between early alliance and improvement in alcohol misuse needs to be further investigated.

Adult↗

Mortality of treated alcoholics after eight years in relation to short-term outcome.

This study concerns the relation between mortality and the short-term outcome of inpatient treatment for alcoholism. A total of 121 patients (87 men, 34 women) were included, of whom 89 were voluntary and 32 compulsorily committed. They had a mean age of 41 +/- 7 (SD) years and attended a 5-week programme at Runnagården, Orebro, Sweden. Most patients were socially unstable and severely alcohol-dependent. Ten months (mean) after discharge, 96% of the patients and their referring social workers were contacted with mail questionnaires. Of these patients, 13% had been totally abstinent and a further 42% improved but had had relapses. After a mean of 8.5 +/- 0.27 years, 27 patients (24%) had died. All abstainers survived, but non-abstainers had nine-fold higher mortality than expected. Non-abstinent improved women tended to survive longer than non-improved women, but among non-abstinent improved men no such tendency was found. In conclusion, a reduction in the frequency and quantity of abusive drinking was not enough to reduce the higher risk of death. Only abstinence seemed to be preventive.

Adult↗

Cerebral dysfunction in alcoholism related to mortality and long term social adjustment.

All 1312 first-admitted alcoholics at the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital, Lund (120 women) during 1949-1969 were followed until December 31, 1980. There were 537 deaths. All patients had been rated at discharge with a multidimensional rating scale including signs of cerebral dysfunction. Thirty-three per cent of the total patient group had signs of cerebral dysfunction, increasing with age up to 64% in those over 50 years. Men younger than 50 years with brain dysfunction had a higher mortality caused by alcohol-related physical disorders in relationship to violent deaths compared with the others. The main finding in those over the age of 50 was the increased number of deaths caused by circulatory disorder in the brain dysfunction group. The social prognosis was similar in all groups. It is suggested that a continuous and heavy drinking pattern in the young dysfunctional group and an accelerated aging in the old dysfunctional group could explain the differences found.

Adult↗

Measurement of personal exposure to NO2 in Sweden--evaluation of a passive sampler.

A passive (filter badge) sampler for personal NO2 exposure measurements was tested in a laboratory setting (exposure chamber), and in the field--outdoors, during periods of high relative humidity (mean 85%) and low temperature (-5 to +10 degrees C), and indoors, in an ice-hockey arena--using chemiluminescence as a reference method. Parallel measurements of NO2 in the exposure chamber (concentration range 100-825 micrograms NO2/m3) for 15, 30, and 60 min sampling periods, showed good agreement between methods. The concentrations obtained with passive samplers were 78 to 122% (mean 94%, SD +/- 11, N = 39) of those obtained with chemiluminescence, using a sampling rate (K'OG) of 0.14 cm/sec. The detection limits were 320, 160, and 80 micrograms NO2/m3 for 15, 30, and 60 minutes of sampling, respectively. Outdoors (concentration range 15-102 micrograms NO2/m3, concentrations obtained with passive samplers were consistently lower than concentrations obtained with chemiluminescence (mean 79%, SD +/- 9.3%, range 61-95%, N = 25), using the K'OG of 0.14 of cm/sec (Passive samplerNO2 = 0.67ChemilumNO2 + 4.5). A better agreement between concentrations obtained with passive samplers and chemiluminescence was achieved with a K'OG of 0.11 cm/sec (mean 100%, SD +/- 12%, range 78-121%, Passive samplerNO2 = 0.84 ChemilumNO2 + 6.4). Indoors (concentration range 210-3895 micrograms NO2/m3), concentrations obtained with passive samplers were 70 to 113% (mean 90%, SD +/- 16%) of the concentrations obtained with chemiluminescence (Passive samplerNO2 = 1.00ChemilumNO2 - 93) using a K'OG of 0.10 cm/sec. Duplicate samples collected indoors N = 18) and outdoors (N = 31) showed a variability (coefficient of variation, or CV) of less than 6%. It was concluded that the passive sampler is useful for measuring personal daily exposure as well as peak exposure. It is necessary to determine sampling rates for various environmental conditions.

Air Pollutants↗