Biomedical subjects

O Ekeberg

Publications and source records attributed to O Ekeberg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

The Illness Attitude Scales in chest pain patients: a study of psychometric properties.

The main aim of the study was to assess the factorial structure of the Illness Attitude Scales (IAS). The study population comprised 199 patients referred to cardiological out-patient investigation because of chest pain. The factor analysis revealed three factors of the IAS. Accordingly, we found three subscales, interpreted as health anxiety (HA), illness behavior (IB), and health habits (HH). The internal consistency of the subscales, measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient, were 0.92, 0.80, and 0.49, respectively. The HA and IB scores were significantly intercorrelated (r = 0.39, p < 0.001), but HH was not significantly correlated with either HA or IB. The HA and IB subscales discriminated between patients with and without panic disorder. The results support previous findings, namely that the IAS comprise two subscales with psychometrically sound properties. Correlational analysis indicated validity of the two subscales. Further studies are needed to confirm the validity.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1999

Reduced health-related quality of life among Hodgkin's disease survivors: a comparative study with general population norms.

BACKGROUND: Late complications after curative treatment of Hodgkin's disease are of special relevance because most of the cured are young adults. The aims of the present study were: (1) to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Hodgkin's disease (HD) survivors with normative data from the general Norwegian population and (2) to examine the relations between disease/treatment characteristics and HRQOL in the HD survivors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 459 HD survivors aged 19-74 years (mean 44.0, SD 11.8) treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital 1971-1991 were approached in 1994 and compared to norms from 2214 subjects approached in 1996. The norms are representative of the general Norwegian population. HRQOL was assessed by the Short Form 36 (SF-36), which measures HRQOL in eight separate scales (0 = worst health state, 100 = best health state). RESULTS: The HD survivors had lower scores than the normal controls on all scales after adjustment for age, gender and educational levels. Statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) were found in general health (10.4), physical functioning (6.1), role limitations (physical, 9.3), physical functioning (3.6) and in vitality (4.7). Patients with disease stage IB-IIB had the lowest scores on all scales. The differences in relation to stage/substage reached statistical significance (P < 0.01) in physical functioning and in role limitations (physical). Time since diagnosis, types of primary treatment or having relapsed were not associated with statistically significant differences in HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Long-term HD survivors have poorer HRQOL, primarily in physical health, than the general Norwegian population.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Panic disorder in chest pain patients referred for cardiological outpatient investigation.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to: (i) determine the prevalence of panic disorder (PD) in patients referred to cardiological outpatient clinics for evaluation of chest pain; (ii) compare psychiatric comorbidity, psychological distress, pain characteristics and suicidal ideation in PD and non-PD patients: (iii) compare the prevalence of coronary risk factors and medical comorbidity in PD and non-PD patients; and (iv) describe current PD treatment and need for PD treatment as expressed by PD patients. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study based on psychiatric and cardiological investigation. SETTING: Four cardiological outpatient clinics in Oslo, Norway. SUBJECTS: One-hundred and ninety-nine consecutive patients without known heart disease referred to out-patient clinics for investigation of chest pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Psychiatric state diagnosis (axis I); scores on self-assessment rating scales of psychological factors and pain modalities; cardiological diagnosis. RESULTS: Thirty-eight per cent of the patients met criteria for current panic disorder (PD). Panic disorder was associated with psychological distress, comorbid psychiatric disorders, medical disorders and significantly higher prevalence of coronary risk factors (P<0.05). Furthermore. the results suggest that these patients were not identified and appropriately treated for panic disorder prior to cardiological investigation. The results indicate that the patients are positive to screening for psychiatric disorder and communicate a need for treatment early in the investigation process. CONCLUSION: PD commonly occurs in this chest pain population. Thus, there is a need to educate physicians caring for these patients about PD identification and treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Motivation for medical school: the relationship to gender and specialty preferences in a nationwide sample.

OBJECTIVES: Motivation for going to medical school and career plans of a 1 year cohort of students entering medical school in Norway (n = 420 response rate: 90%, 54% women, mean age: 22 years) were surveyed by a postal questionnaire the first month after they had started. DESIGN: Motives for choosing medicine were categorized into three indexes: 'people orientated', 'status/security orientated' and 'natural science orientated' motives. SETTING: University of Oslo. SUBJECTS: Medical students. RESULTS: Students picked out which they preferred among 53 specialties. The highest motivational scores were on the 'person orientated' index, female students scoring higher than men. Female students were, however, nearly as highly motivated by status/security and interests in natural science as were men. 'Person orientated' and 'natural science orientated' motives exerted the strongest influence on specialty preferences. Those who preferred family medicine were more person orientated and less natural science orientated, while those who preferred internal medicine were more natural science orientated. Father being a physician did not influence the motivational pattern, but increased the preference for laboratory and internal medicine. Frequently repeated upper secondary school exams for acceptance into medical school were negatively related to natural science motivation, and to increased preference for becoming a surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: In this first month of the curriculum students regarded person oriented motives as the most important for becoming a doctor.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Hodgkin's disease survivors more fatigued than the general population.

PURPOSE: To estimate the level of fatigue and frequency of fatigue cases among Hodgkin's disease survivors (HDS) and compare them with normative data from the general population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional follow-up study was done of 557 HDS (age range, 19 to 74 years) treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital from 1971 to 1991. The sample was approached by mail, and their data were compared with normative data from 2,214 controls (age range, 19 to 74 years) representative of the general Norwegian population. Of the 557 HDS, 459 (82%) responded. The mean age (+/- SD) at the time of study was 44+/-12 years, and the mean observation time was 12+/-6 years. The Fatigue Questionnaire (11 items) measures physical and mental fatigue. Two systems of scoring were used, dichotomized (0, 0, 1, and 1) and Likert (0, 1, 2, and 3). Total fatigue (TF) constitutes the sum of all the Likert scores. Caseness was defined as a total dichotomized score of > or =4 and fatigue that lasted 6 months or longer. RESULTS: The HDS had significantly higher levels of TF than the controls (14.3 v 12.2) (P < .001). Fatigue among the HDS equaled that of the controls in poorest health. More HDS (61%) than controls (31%) reported fatigue symptoms lasting 6 months or longer (P < .001). Fatigue cases were more frequent among HDS (men, 24%; women, 27%) than among the controls (men, 9%; women, 12%) (P < .001). Disease stage/substage IB/IIB predicted fatigue caseness (P = .03). No significant associations were found between treatment characteristics and fatigue. CONCLUSION: Hodgkin's disease survivors are considerably more fatigued than the general population and report fatigue of a substantially longer duration.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Sex differences in adolescent suicides in Norway, 1990-1992.

All suicides in persons under 20 years in Norway in the time period 1990-1992 (99 males, 30 females) were included in a postmortem case-control study with seven controls for each suicide, focusing on gender differences. Few sex differences between the suicide completers were evident, in spite of the difference in suicide rates (M/F rate ratio = 3.0). Females more often attempted suicide (p = .05), more often wrote farewell notes (p = .03), and used less violent suicide methods (ns). The adjusted risk for suicide related to affective disorders (Female OR = 22,1; Male OR = 24.0, both p = .000) and disruptive disorders (female OR = 14,7, ns; male OR = 5.0, p = .002) differed little, as did the effect of frequent use of alcohol or substances (female OR = 0.4, ns; male OR = 0.4, ns).

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

[Help for those who fear air travel].

The Wright brothers were the first people to fly, in 1903. Since then, flying has become a safe mode of travel. The risk of the aircraft crashing is less than one in a million flights, and mortality is about 50%. Fear of air travel is fairly common, and 5% of the Norwegian population will not fly. Programmes for the treatment of flight phobia can reduce the fear of air travel considerably; the participants fly more often, and their consumption of alcohol and tranquillizers show best results. The use of medication is of minor importance in the treatment of flight phobia.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

A neuro-mechanical model of legged locomotion: single leg control.

Most models of legged locomotion have concentrated on properties of either the mechanical or the neural system. Here a combined neuro-mechanical model of stepping in a single leg is presented, as the first step in the process of modeling and building a fast and dynamically stable quadruped. It is based on general principles of legged animals with special reference to vertebrates. The mechanical leg was first studied separately in order to take advantage of its inherent mechanical properties and avoid over-control during stepping generation. As a part of the design strategy it uses elastic actuators to increase shock tolerance and energy efficiency. The neural controller consists of a neural phase generator (NPG), a system of fast feedback pathways, and a single control neuron representing descending drive from higher centers in the brain. Sensory information directly influences the movements through the fast feedback pathways, but also entrains the NPG. The NPG has its own description of the state of the leg, which then enables it to set the feedback pathways so that only actions appropriate for the particular stage of the step cycle are undertaken. This preprogramming benefits from the NPG's ability to filter out any inconsistencies or gaps in the afferent input. In this way the model unites the use of central pattern generators and peripheral feedback systems for the generation of stepping movements. The neuro-mechanical system produced stable stepping patterns over a large velocity range and was adaptable to different body weights and landing from varying heights.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Fatigue in the general Norwegian population: normative data and associations.

Population norms for interpretation of fatigue measurements have been lacking, and the sociodemographic associations of fatigue are poorly documented. A random sample of 3500 Norwegians, aged 19-80 years, was therefore investigated. A mailed questionnaire included the fatigue questionnaire (11 items) in which the sum score of the responses (each scored 0, 1, 2, 3) is designated as total fatigue (TF). Sixty-seven percent of those receiving the questionnaire responded. Women (TF mean=12.6) were more fatigued than men (TF mean=11.9), and 11.4% reported substantial fatigue lasting 6 months or longer. TF and age were weakly correlated (men: r=0.17; women: r=0.09). No firm associations between fatigue and social variables were found. Disabled and subjects reporting health problems were more fatigued than subjects at work or in good health. Fatigue is highly prevalent in somatic and psychiatric disorders, but is often neglected. This national representative sample provides age- and gender-specific norms that will allow for comparisons and interpretations of fatigue scores in future studies.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Large neural network simulations on multiple hardware platforms.

To efficiently simulate very large networks of interconnected neurons, particular consideration has to be given to the computer architecture being used. This article presents techniques for implementing simulators for large neural networks on a number of different computer architectures. The neuronal simulation task and the computer architectures of interest are first characterized, and the potential bottlenecks are highlighted. Then we describe the experience gained from adapting an existing simulator, SWIM, to two very different architectures-vector computers and multiprocessor workstations. This work lead to the implementation of a new simulation library, SPLIT, designed to allow efficient simulation of large networks on several architectures. Different computer architectures put different demands on the organization of both data structures and computations. Strict separation of such architecture considerations from the neuronal models and other simulation aspects makes it possible to construct both portable and extendible code.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1998

Use of alcohol to cope with tension, and its relation to gender, years in medical school and hazardous drinking: a study of two nation-wide Norwegian samples of medical students.

AIMS: To study the association between the use of alcohol to cope with tension and hazardous drinking, and the prevalence and the predictors of such drinking behaviours. DESIGN: Cross-sectional surveys of two nation-wide samples of medical students, one at the beginning and one at the end of medical training. PARTICIPANTS: Medical students entering Norwegian medical schools in 1993 (N = 379) or graduating in 1993 and 1994 (N = 522); 55.6% of the total sample were women. MEASUREMENTS: Postal questionnaires including SCL-5, Perceived Medical School Stress. FINDINGS: Use of alcohol to cope was reported by 10.5% of the students with no significant gender difference. Hazardous drinking ('binge drinking' at least 2-3 times per month) was reported by 14% of all the students, 24% among the men and 6% among the women. There was a strong association between use of alcohol to cope with tension and hazardous drinking, OR = 5.11, 95% CI (2.88-9.07) when controlling for other possible predictors. Use of alcohol to cope was also associated with increasing age, mental distress and lack of religious activity. The senior students used alcohol as a way of coping less often, but not hazardous drinking. Male gender, religious inactivity, high self-esteem and having no children were predictors of hazardous drinking. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the use of alcohol to cope with tension is an independent risk factor connected with hazardous drinking among medical students, with no difference in prevalence between the genders.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1998

Suicide among children and younger and older adolescents in Norway: a comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics and risk factors of suicide in early adolescence (younger than age 15 years) and in late adolescence. The authors examined whether differences in risk factors or resilience might explain the different suicide rates in the two age groups. METHOD: Information about all registered suicides of young people in Norway from 1990 through 1992 was gathered from several professional informants. Children younger than 15 years old who committed suicide (n = 14) were compared with late-adolescent suicides (15 through 19 years) (n = 115) and with controls (n = 889). RESULTS: Younger compared with older adolescent suicides more often hanged themselves (93% versus 35%). Suicidal ideation (7% versus 39%) and precipitating events were described less frequently (29% versus 49%). Older adolescents more often had psychiatric disorders (77% versus 43%). Compared with controls, the risk factors for suicide were affective disorders (young adolescents: odds ratio [OR] = 23.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.3 to 1,183; older adolescents: OR = 19.6, CI = 10.6 to 38.8); disruptive disorders (young adolescents: OR = 3.4, CI = 0.0 to 340; older adolescents: OR = 6.1, CI = 3.0 to 12.7); and not living with two biological parents (young adolescents: OR = 3.1, CI = 0.6 to 14.7; older adolescents: OR = 2.5, CI = 1.6 to 3.8). CONCLUSION: Children and young adolescents completing suicide were less exposed to known risk factors than older adolescents. The increased suicide risk was similar for both groups when they were compared with community controls. The low suicide incidence in childhood may be related to fewer risk factors, rather than to resilience to risk factors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

[How shall we set priorities among experimental treatment methods?].

There is an increasing demand from patients to have access to new and promising treatment for severe diseases. Norway has recently started ordinary public funding of large-scale clinical investigation of treatment effect and safety for new treatment modalities. The government has thus established a new principle for funding a sub-category of clinical research: investigational medicine. How should we prioritize between promising clinical protocols when resources are scarce? The article examines criteria for priority setting in investigational medicine: quality of evidence; magnitude of expected benefit from treatment; balance between risks and benefits; quality of the research protocol; cost; and size of patient population. These criteria are applied on a controversial clinical examples, high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support for metastatic breast cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

PubMed1997

[Suicide attempts among the elderly].

The purpose of the study is to describe the life stories leading to the suicide attempts. In-depth interviews with nine persons who had attempted suicide (six females and three males, mean age 73 years) were analysed using a qualitative method. Five categories describe the main interview topics: "I had to leave home to survive." (childhood, youth), "You have to bear it." (adult life), "I will manage, I always have." (present life), "You have to give in order to get. If you have nothing to offer, then life is not worth living." (expectations for future life), "I want to decide my own life." (reflections concerning the suicide attempt). The life stories have a common theme; the patients grew up under very difficult conditions and had little emotional support. Their basic trust was poorly developed and their self-esteem was dependent on their capability to work and to give. Without this capability they felt worthless, and life was unbearable. Attempted suicide was the consequence.

Aged↗

PubMed1997

[Career plans of future physicians. Level of ambition and plans for specialization among medical students].

This nation-wide study inquiry concerned the intended future careers of medical students at the end of their studies and those of a cohort of first-year students. More first-year than final-year students hoped to obtain a position as a hospital physical or surgeon with management responsibility and twice as many men as women wanted such a position in both cohorts. High self esteem, having a doctor as father and successful examinations at medical school were associated with a high level of ambition. Compared with first-year students, more final-year students preferred family medicine and internal medicine, and less preferred surgery, psychiatry and social medicine. Plans for specialisation were influenced by the father's education level, successful examinations at medical school, whether they had children or not, and the university of graduation. More women preferred gynaecology, more men preferred surgery. The interest for surgery among female students is high compared with the low share of female surgeons. Assuming that these trends persist, psychiatry, laboratory medicine and social medicine risk insufficient recruitment. The share of women holding clinical professorships will probably remain low, even in a generation with more female than male medical students.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

[Consultation-liaison-psychiatry in Norway. Use of psychiatric services in somatic departmetns].

The aim of the present study was to assess the use of consultation-liaison psychiatry in Norway, the resources used, the organisation and quality of the services, and whether there is a need to increase the services and improve the education. A questionnaire was mailed to all the major somatic and psychiatric departments in Norway. The questionnaires were completed and returned by 189 somatic departments (85%) and 74 psychiatric departments (55%). Each psychiatric department gives a median of two consultations each week (range 1-13). A minority of the consultations are with a specialist in psychiatry. About 60% of the psychiatric departments offer supervision of younger doctors. Psychiatric evaluation is seldom carried out when the somatic diagnosis is unclear. Most of the somatic departments are satisfied with the services. Both the somatic and psychiatric departments express a need for more extensive services and more education in medical psychology.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed1997

Psychological distress after cancer cure: a survey of 459 Hodgkin's disease survivors.

To assess the levels of psychological distress and identify predictors of anxiety/depression caseness after cancer cure, a national population of 557 Hodgkin's disease (HD) survivors was surveyed. The respondents [204 women, 255 men, mean age 44 years (SD = 12)] returned a mailed questionnaire including The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Disease and treatment variables were based on the hospital records. A total of 27% had caseness scores (anxiety, 14.5%; depression, 4%; anxiety and depression, 8.5%). In a multiple logistic regression analysis, anxiety caseness was predicted by low educational status [OR (odds ratio) = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.02-4.22], observational period 7 years or longer (7-10 years: OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 1.26-7.47), combined irradiation and chemotherapy treatment (OR = 2.77, 95% CI = 1.17-6.54) and psychiatric symptoms before HD (OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.40-4.65) or during treatment (OR = 3.51, 95% CI = 2.08-5.90). Depression caseness was predicted by age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.00-1.06) and psychiatric symptoms before HD (OR = 5.1, 95% CI = 2.55-10.31) Anxiety cases are more prevalent than in the general Norwegian population, and were found to be most common 7-10 years after treatment. The most intensive treatment was associated with increased risk for anxiety caseness. The subjects experienced distress during treatment precedes difficulties in long-term adjustment. Focusing on these predictors during treatment and follow-up controls may improve long-term outcome.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Youth suicide in Norway, 1990-1992: a comparison between children and adolescents completing suicide and age- and gender-matched controls.

In Norway 1990-1992, the suicide rate was 18.6 per 100,000 individuals per year for boys 15-19 years old and 6.3 for girls, and for 10-14 year olds the rate was 2.7 for boys and 0.5 for girls. Comparison of all completed suicides (N = 129) with gender- and age-matched control subjects identified depression (OR = 19.9; CI = 11.2, 35.5), disruptive disorders (OR = 6.0; CI = 3.1, 11.4), and previous suicidal behavior (OR = 3.4, CI = 2.0, 5.6) as main risk factors. Of the suicide completers, 74% had mental disorders. Suicidal intent was previously expressed by 48%, but few (24%) had received treatment, despite well-developed health services. A history of disruptive disorders (17%) and substance abuse (10%) were less frequently found than in previous studies, but binge drinking may contribute to the adolescent suicide rate.

Adolescent↗