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Biomedical subjects

O Ekeberg

Publications and source records attributed to O Ekeberg.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Attitudes toward informing the cancer patient--a survey of Norwegian physicians.

To examine Norwegian physicians' attitudes to informing patients of a diagnosis of cancer, a random sample of 1467 were surveyed. The respondents rated their level of agreement to 14 statements, and the responses were analysed by chi-squared statistics. 990 physicians responded (67%). Only 30.5% of the responding physicians had treated more than 10 cancer patients the previous year, which included 7.8% who had treated more than 50. 40.4% had treated none. The great majority (81%) preferred full information of the diagnosis. Physicians with increasing age preferred relatives not being present and gave priority to factual information and informing patients with the same diagnosis identically. Hospital physicians (39.5%) more often preferred other health professionals being present than physicians in private practice (18%) (P < 0.001). Number of cancer patients treated was not associated with attitudes toward the disclosure of information. Norwegian physicians prefer revealing the cancer diagnosis to patients, but have divergent opinions about how to do so. Some of these indicate suboptimal information-giving.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The effect of meditation on shooting performance.

OBJECTIVE: To study effects of meditation on the shooting performance. METHODS: 25 elite shooters were investigated in an independent groups design. The results in standardised test shootings indoors and in ordinary competitions outdoors were assessed before and after regular meditation training for the experimental group. The experience of tension during the test shootings was self recorded on a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: The competition results in the outdoor season (1993), just after the meditation training period, compared with the results the previous season (1992), were better in the meditation group (P < 0.05). No significant difference between the groups was observed in the test shootings before and after the relaxation intervention. A significant association was shown between low tension and the results in the test shootings (correlation r = 0.42, P < 0.0001; Wilcoxon rank sum test, z = -3.36, P < 0.001); 18% (= r2) of the variance in performance was explained by tension. CONCLUSIONS: Meditation may enhance competitive shooting performance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

[Repetition and private exams--the road to medical studies. Extent, financing and social consequences of collecting of grades for medical studies in Norway].

This article is based on a survey of Norwegian freshmen medical students in autumn 1993. Norwegian medical students are selected mainly by grades from the upper secondary school, and the purpose of this study is to shed light on the extent of repetition of exams among the entrants, emphasizing differences by gender and social background. A wide range of activities are associated with improvement of grades, including a high rate of attendance at private school. Most students are recruited from the upper social strata, and children of physicians are remarkably overrepresented. The unintended consequences of the selection mechanisms are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

A double-blind study of psychosocial factors in 40-year-old women with essential hypertension.

Most studies on essential hypertension have been performed in men. The aim of the present study was to describe psychosocial characteristics of 40-year-old women with never-treated essential hypertension. Psychosocial factors like childhood traumas, economy and education were studied, and psychological assessments of irritability, hostility, 'John Henryism' and type A behavior pattern carried out. Hypertensive premenopausal women (n = 29) were compared with healthy, age-matched, normotensive women (n = 18). Neither the women nor the examining physicians were aware of the subjects' blood pressure status, and the setting, thus, was double-blind. All women were investigated in the same phase of the menstrual cycle, and in a random order. The hypertensives' parents more often had hypotension than the normotensives'. The psychiatrist who conducted the interviews correctly classified the majority of subjects as either hypertensive or normotensive. Alexithymia and difficulties in coping with aggression were more prevalent among the hypertensives. Hypertensive and normotensive women did not differ in most of the psychosocial factors previously found to differ between hypertensive and normotensive men. Our data may imply that psychosocial as well as genetic factors may contribute differently to the etiology of essential hypertension in women than in men.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

[A new teaching program in behavioral sciences in Oslo].

The Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine at the University of Oslo was established in 1977. The teaching programme followed the same main principles until 1992, and took place in the third and fourth terms. Since 1992, however, several changes have taken place. The teaching is now given together with medical history during ten weeks at the end of the preclinical term. Teaching practical skills in doctor-patient communication is introduced in this term, and is continued in the first clinical year. The students work together in plenary seminars on the main topics presented in the lectures. The teaching is still concentrated on four main topics: Psychobiology, medical psychology, medical sociology and the doctor-patient relationship and communication. We conclude that the changes have improved the teaching. Written evaluation by the students strongly supports this conclusion.

Behavioral Sciences↗
PubMed1994

Neuronal network models of motor generation and control.

Computer simulation of neuronal networks is rapidly becoming accepted as a powerful tool in neuroscience. We illustrate the trends in this field by looking at motor generation and control, with examples from recent modeling studies of different systems, including the spinal swimming rhythm generator of the lamprey.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Quality of life on enalapril after acute myocardial infarction.

Quality of life was assessed 4-6 months after an acute myocardial infarction in a randomized double-blind study of enalapril versus placebo. Quality of life was evaluated using the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), the Physical Symptoms Distress Index (PSDI), the Work Performance Scale (WPS) and the Life Satisfaction Index (LSI). The study comprised 36 women (aged 46-85 years, mean 68) and 96 males (aged 39-81 years, mean 62). Quality of life did not differ significantly between patients treated with enalapril versus placebo. The scores were (enalapril vs placebo, mean +/- SE): average NHP 15.4 +/- 2.3 vs 17.1 +/- 2.3; PSDI 9.5 +/- 1.0 vs 10.8 +/- 0.9; WPS 19.8 +/- 2.0 vs 19.4 +/- 1.4; LSI 24.1 +/- 1.0 vs 22.5 +/- 1.4. Men reported a better quality of life than women on most assessments, and non-smokers and ex-smokers better than smokers. Patients with moderate or severe angina pectoris had a worse quality of life measured by PSDI and NHP than patients with minimal or no angina pectoris. Patients with congestive heart failure had a higher PSDI than those without (13.6 +/- 1.7 vs 9.4 +/- 0.7, P < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in the NHP scores. In conclusion, quality of life was similar in enalapril and placebo-treated patients after an acute myocardial infarction. However, it was reduced in patients with angina pectoris or heart failure and in those who continued smoking.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1994

Mortality and causes of death in a 10-year follow-up of patients treated for self-poisonings in Oslo.

The present 10-year follow-up study includes all patients (N = 926; 50% females) treated in the medical departments in Oslo for self-poisonings during one year (1980). Seventeen percent were considered suicidal attempts upon admission, 25% among the non-substance abusers and 8% among the abusers. At follow-up, 207 patients (22%) were dead (62% males). The mortality rate was highest among the abusers. The most common causes of death were suicide (21%), heart disease (17%), opiate abuse (15%), and accidents/wounds (13%). Forty-one percent of the suicides occurred during the first two years of the follow-up period. The suicides were by poisoning (57%), hanging (20%), and other methods (23%). The female mortality rate decreased in the second half of the follow-up period whereas the male rate did not change. The risk of death within 10 years after discharge increased with age and was higher in men and in abusers, whereas social group and motive for suicide were not predictive factors. The females had an excess suicide rate of 182 (36-327, 95% CI) in the first year after the self-poisoning and 61 (36-87, 95% CI) in the total period. The corresponding figures for males were 70 (19-122) and 21 (12-30). The only factor associated with an increased suicide rate was a suicidal motive upon the admission for self-poisoning with a 3.1 (1.7-5.8, 95% CI) times increased risk of suicide in the 10-year follow-up period.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Prioritizing in hospital departments].

A framework for decision-making is introduced in which two out of five patients will be denied treatment. Certain resource constraints are accepted in this hypothetical example. The authors' own ranking of five patients from a department of internal medicine are presented. It was not difficult to select the highest prioritized patients. However, ranking of the remaining patients revealed considerable controversy. Emphasis is therefore laid on the reasons given for each ranking. An interesting finding is that variations in awarding priority to some cases are clearly based on disagreement about facts, not values. The article concludes by suggesting a classification of selection criteria for priority setting based on a distinction between necessary, controversial and unacceptable criteria. The article is presented in an attempt to stimulate a debate about priority setting in everyday hospital work.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1993

Response properties of a population of neurons.

This work is concerned with the question of how a population of neurons responds to tonic and transient synaptic input from other similar populations. Because of the methodological problems involved in measuring and manipulating the firing properties of a large set of real neurons simultaneously, another strategy is used here: the experiments are made as a series of simulations using a population of realistic model neurons. The steady state response of this particular model neuron is found to be similar to that used in abstract nonspiking models. The transient response, however, reveals that even though each individual neuron simply changes its frequency moderately, the population can respond quickly and with damped oscillations. These oscillations are due to spike synchronization caused by systematic phase shifts induced by synchronous changes in the input.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Computer simulations of NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic drive: sensory and supraspinal modulation of neurons and small networks.

1. The segmental locomotor network in lamprey can generate the rhythmic burst pattern underlying locomotion when it is driven via synaptic glutamate receptors. Lower rates of activity can be evoked by activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, whereas a rapid activity can only be induced by non-NMDA receptors [kainate/alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)]. The reticulospinal and sensory inputs are known to act via both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors, but it is unclear how these inputs can provide an appropriate control of the locomotor rate. We have examined the effects of different types of excitatory synaptic input to neurons of the locomotor network with the use of a computer-simulated electrical neuron model, with Na+, K+, Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels, and with inherent oscillatory properties linked to the NMDA conductance. Synapses were modeled as a modulated ionic conductance in the membrane of the postsynaptic cell comprising a voltage-dependent NMDA component (Na+, K+, Ca2+ conductances) of long duration, and/or a non-NMDA component (Na+, K+ conductance) of short duration. 2. By using two neurons to drive a postsynaptic cell with non-NMDA-type synapses, a continuous range of firing frequencies could be evoked in the postsynaptic cell, by altering the firing rate of the presynaptic cells. If a single presynaptic neuron was used, there was a tendency toward spike synchronization between the pre- and postsynaptic cells. 3. When a postsynaptic neuron was driven via NMDA synapses, an oscillatory burst activity could be evoked. The rate of the oscillations was, however, little affected by the presynaptic firing rate. When a drive neuron with mixed (NMDA and non-NMDA) synapses was used, the rate of the oscillations could be changed within a limited frequency range by altering the presynaptic firing rate. By adding another larger drive neuron, having a larger rheobase current and mixed synapses with smaller relative NMDA components, the frequency range of the postsynaptic oscillations could be markedly increased. The frequency range depended on the parameters selected for each of the two types of mixed synapses. 4. A small rhythm-generating neuronal network, comprising six cells connected as the principal interneurons of the lamprey spinal locomotor network, was used to test the role of a tonic NMDA and non-NMDA receptor activation to drive the network and produce bursting.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Quality of life after kidney transplantation. A 10-22 years follow-up.

Out of 69 patients who were kidney transplanted from 1963 to 1978, 33 patients were alive with a functioning graft in 1988. Of these, 94% completed a questionnaire for the assessment of the quality of life. The total life situation was considered very good by 16%, good by 48%, medium by 29% and difficult by 6%. Nine patients (eight males) had a total of 16 children after the transplantation. There were 72% who were working full-time and the family income was acceptable for most of the patients. No patients had major psychological problems. Our conclusion is that this group of transplanted patients almost all reported a good quality of life and were almost fully rehabilitated in the second and third decade after their transplantation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

[Drug therapy of depression in general practice].

The authors advocate use of the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale in general practice as a screening instrument for depression. A score of 20 and above for more than two weeks indicates a need for treatment with antidepressant drugs. The treatment should continue with full dosage for at least two months after the patient has been cured. In order to maintain the patient's quality of life, reduce risk of drug-related toxicity and improve compliance, we recommend alfa-2-receptor blocker, a selective 5HT-re-uptake inhibitor or a selective monoamino-oxidase A inhibitor as the first drug choice for treatment of depression by general practitioners. Monitoring serum levels of the drug may be helpful, especially in persons who do not respond to treatment.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1992

Awareness of high blood pressure influences on psychological and sympathetic responses.

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of awareness of hypertension on psychological factors and whether there was an association between psychological and sympathetic responses. To avoid self-selection bias 32 19-yr old white men, all with mean blood pressure of 116 mm Hg were randomized into two groups. One group was informed that the blood pressure was elevated and asked to come to a second examination while the other was invited to take part in a coronary heart disease prevention program. A cold pressor test was undertaken and the subjects completed the Karolinska Scale of Personality (KSP). Assessed by the KSP, the informed group showed lower verbal aggression (p less than 0.01), irritability (p less than 0.05), monotony avoidance (p less than 0.05) and impulsiveness (p less than 0.05), higher detachment (p less than 0.05) but no significant differences in the other subscales like anxiety, psychasthenia or factors of hostility. Information significantly increased resting blood pressure and increments in heart rate and plasma adrenaline responses to cold pressor test. Thus, both psychological and sympathetic responses were influenced by awareness of high blood pressure. There were significant correlations between less assertive behaviour and increased plasma catecholamines.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

A computer-based model for realistic simulations of neural networks. II. The segmental network generating locomotor rhythmicity in the lamprey.

1. To analyze the function of the spinal interneuronal network generating locomotion in the lamprey CNS, a vertebrate model system, we performed computer simulations with realistic model neurons possessing the essential properties of their biological counterparts. 2. The segmental network has been simulated by modeling experimentally established types of neurons with their specific membrane properties and synaptic interconnections. Fictive locomotor activity, which can be experimentally induced by elevating the background excitability by bath application of excitatory amino acids, was simulated by opening membrane conductances for kainate/alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Kainate/AMPA receptor activation induced a rhythm in the middle and upper part of the physiological burst frequency range, whereas NMDA receptor activation evoked bursting in the lower part of the range, which corresponds well to earlier experimental findings. 3. Several factors contributing to the termination of the burst were studied and their interaction was assessed in simulations of the network. 1) The summation of spike afterhyperpolarizations (late AHPs), leading to adaptation of the discharge, acts as a primary burst-terminating factor at lower rates of kainate/AMPA-induced bursting, and it also interacts with the NMDA-induced oscillatory membrane properties during slow rhythmicity. 2) The termination of the depolarized NMDA plateau is another important factor during NMDA-evoked rhythmicity. 3) The synaptic inhibition from lateral interneurons to the interneurons mediating reciprocal inhibition is important at higher rates of kainate/AMPA-induced bursting. 4. The mechanism of action of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on the lamprey segmental network was further investigated by simulation. 5-HT is known to lower the burst frequency during fictive locomotion and also to decrease the conductance through the Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels, and thereby the size of the late AHP that follows the action potential. Decreasing this conductance in the network simulations resulted in a lesser amount of AHP summation and thereby less frequency adaptation during the burst, longer bursts, and a lower locomotor frequency. Thus the selective action of 5-HT on the Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels, and hence on the AHP, can account for the modulatory effect on the fictive locomotor rhythm seen experimentally. 5. The results demonstrate that the present simulation of the segmental network can account for essential features of the motor pattern seen experimentally during lamprey locomotion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Opiate-related deaths among drug addicts. Autopsy findings, circumstances and forensic toxicologic analyses regarding deaths].

The study is based on autopsies of 86 drug addicts who died during the period 1986-88 after an opiate ingestion. The average postmortal concentration of morphine after ingestion of heroin was 0.88 mumol/l blood, ranging from 0.0 to 3.1 mumol/l, which is substantially lower than values that have been reported from patients receiving morphine intravenously as an analgetic. Postmortal blood concentrations of morphine were significantly lower among deceased with only fresh needle marks than among deceased with both old and fresh needle marks, suggesting that a pause in the drug abuse may have led to a decrease in opiate tolerance. There was no relationship between the detected organ pathology finding of other ingested substances and the postmortal concentration of morphine. In 20% (n = 17) of the deceased the HIV-antibody test was positive and the average blood concentration of morphine was higher in this sub-population than in the rest of the cases.

Adult↗