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Biomedical subjects

T Abelin

Publications and source records attributed to T Abelin.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The use of transdermal nicotine in smoking cessation.

The transdermal administration of nicotine by means of a transdermal nicotine system (TNS) affords a novel way of nicotine replacement to alleviate smoking cessation. The plasma levels of nicotine maintained with the TNS are in the range of the footpoint concentrations observed in smokers. The efficacy of the TNS was investigated in two placebo-controlled double-blind smoking cessation programs with minimal contact and minimal psychological support. A total of 311 smokers were treated for 3 months or 9 weeks. The abstinence rates at the end of the treatment and weaning periods were almost doubled in the TNS groups (36% and 39%) as compared to the placebo groups (23% and 20%) with a significant difference for both studies (p less than 0.05). These data suggest that the TNS can also improve the smoking cessation rates under the conditions of general medical advice, making it suitable for use outside of specialized smoking cessation centers.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1990

[Epidemiology of alcohol and its sequelae in Switzerland].

5 to 7% of adults in Switzerland are consumers of health damaging quantities of alcohol, and some 10% are drinkers at elevated risk of becoming alcoholics. The 7% of the adults who are the heaviest drinkers account for about half of the total alcohol consumed in Switzerland. Among middle-aged men and women, alcohol-related diseases are among the leading causes of hospitalisation in medical departments. About 100 deaths per year are due to causes related to alcoholism. Alcohol consumption at all levels is markedly elevated in the French- and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland. These observations lead to a preventive strategy, in which preventive support of at-risk drinkers at the worksite and by the personal physician plays an important role; special efforts are indicated in the western and the southern part of the country.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1989

[The development in smoking habits in Canton Bern 1977 to 1987. Survey of smoking habits through regular x-ray screening in industry].

The smoking habits of workers were registered on occasion of chest-x-ray screening over the eleven years period from 1977 to 1987 in Berne, Switzerland. In 1977 about 52% of the males were smoking. During the eleven years a decrease in prevalence of smoking can be observed in the male population. The decrease is more pronounced among older than among younger males. Young women smoke more frequently than older women. The prevalence has remained stable at about 28% in the female population between 1977 and 1987. These findings are in accordance with other Swiss studies and show that in Switzerland the preventive radiodiagnostic institutions are important vehicles for community oriented prevention and prevention research.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[Current trends in the epidemiology of smoking, passive smoking and lung cancer].

In this review of new developments in the field of "smoking and health", three questions are more closely analyzed. The first concerns the health consequences of passive smoking. Based on the example of bronchial carcinoma, evidence is shown on which independent expert committees have come to the conclusion that a causal relationship has to be accepted as probable. A graph is presented showing that among more than a dozen epidemiologic studies, most point clearly to a dose response relationship. In addition it has been shown that passive smoking involves mainly inhalation of sidestream smoke containing significant amounts of carcinogens. The second question concerns the trend of smoking habits in Switzerland. Among men, the proportion of smokers has dropped from at least 60 to 70% in the nineteen fifties to 40% today, and among women, a downward trend has also been observed in recent years. Finally, lung cancer rates have started to decline in several countries and levelled off among men in Switzerland. A decline of the proportion of smokers and a reduction of the tar content of cigarettes by the tobacco industry are seen as principal factors in this development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Controlled trial of transdermal nicotine patch in tobacco withdrawal.

A transdermal nicotine patch, which delivers 0.7 mg/cm2 per 24 h and is available in sizes of 10, 20, and 30 cm2 was tested in subjects from 21 general medical practices in a 3-month, placebo-controlled randomised double-blind study. The nicotine group (n = 100) and the placebo group (n = 99) were similar at entry. Participants who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day were treated with the 30 cm2 patch and the others with the 20 cm2 patch. When abstinence, defined as smoking 0-3 cigarettes per week and verified by CO measurement, was achieved, the next smallest patch was applied. After 1, 2, and 3 months of treatment 41, 36, and 36%, respectively, in the nicotine group were abstinent. The corresponding figures in the placebo group were 19, 20, and 23%. The differences were significant for all 3 months. Body weight did not increase in the nicotine group, but in the placebo group the mean increase was 4.4 kg. Craving and withdrawal symptoms decreased more with nicotine substitution for cigarettes. The patches were generally well tolerated, although 25% of subjects in the nicotine group and 13% in the placebo group had transient local erythema after application of the patch; 5 members of the nicotine group withdrew because of poor cutaneous tolerance.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1989

The family and the help needs of disabled elderly in two Swiss cities.

The purpose of the present article is to describe the situation in which informal help is no longer sufficient, and thus to contribute to the understanding needed for the planning of organized services. Interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of 480 over 65-year-olds in two urban areas of Switzerland representing a 80.4% response rate. The married elderly receive most of their daily help from their spouse; daily nursing assistance to the widowed elderly comes from a family member (60-70%) or from organized services, whereas neighbours may provide occasional help in household activities. Unmarried old people in need of daily help live almost always in stationary institutions. Under the conditions examined, domiciliary services for the disabled elderly serve to complement informal help rather than to replace it. Supporting and motivating informal caregivers would seem to be a promising strategy toward more efficient domiciliary services.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1989

Effectiveness of a transdermal nicotine system in smoking cessation studies.

To investigate the effectiveness and tolerability of a transdermal nicotine system (TNS) as an aid towards easing smoking cessation, two double-blind placebo-controlled randomized field studies were performed. The TNS was available in sizes of 10, 20 and 30 cm2, delivering 7, 14 and 21 mg of nicotine per 24 h. A first study was undertaken in general medical practice by a group of 21 doctors (Practitioner Study). This study involved 199 nicotine-dependent cigarette smokers of whom 100 were allocated to the nicotine group and 99 to the placebo group. The second trial was performed in 112 young people, 56 in each treatment group, at the Universities of Basle and Zurich (University Study). The placebo and the nicotine groups were comparable in both studies. Participants smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day were treated with the 30-cm2 system and the others with the 20-cm2 system. When abstinence, as verified by CO measurements, was achieved, the next smaller system was applied. In the Practitioner Study, the double-blind treatment phase lasted for 12 weeks with consultations every month and in the University Study the consultations during the 9-weeks' treatment period took place every 3 weeks. Abstainers in both studies will be followed up until 12 months after treatment was begun. After 1, 2 and 3 months of treatment 41%, 36% and 36% of the participants in the nicotine group of the Practitioner Study were abstinent. The corresponding figures in the placebo group were 19.4%, 20.4% and 22.5%. The differences were statistically significant for all three months (p = 0.001; p = 0.018 and p = 0.043). Body weight did not increase in the TNS group, but did in the placebo group (+ 4.4 kg). The craving for cigarettes and withdrawal symptoms decreased more under nicotine substitution. Abstinence rates in the University Study were initially higher with 51.8% in the nicotine group and 28.6% in the placebo group after 3 weeks of treatment, but then declined to 42.9% after 6 weeks and 39.3% after 9 weeks in the nicotine group and to 25% and 19.6%, respectively, in the placebo group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant on all 3 occasions, with p = 0.012, p = 0.046 and p = 0.023.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1988

Smoking, alcohol consumption, and endurance capacity: an analysis of 6,500 19-year-old conscripts and 4,100 joggers.

Using data from two Swiss studies, a 20% random sample (n = 6,592) of all 19-year-old army conscripts and all male participants in a 16-km popular race (n = 4,358), we studied the relationships among smoking, alcohol consumption, and endurance capacity using univariate and multivariate analyses. Alcohol was significantly correlated with endurance capacity among joggers in univariate analysis, but lost its significance in multivariate analysis. Among army conscripts, the distance covered in a 12-min endurance run was inversely related to daily cigarette consumption and years of smoking (P less than 0.001). This association was apparent even among light smokers who had been smoking for less than 2 years when they were compared with nonsmokers. Among joggers, even when the lower training activity of the smokers was controlled for, smoking retained a negative, independent association with endurance capacity, as measured by 16-km race time. In multiple regression analysis of endurance capacity, the standardized regression coefficient for smoking was -0.14 for distance covered in the 12-min run and 0.10 for 16-km running time, the latter despite the low prevalence (6.9%) of regular cigarette smokers among the joggers. Seventy percent of the 16-km race participants who smoked around the time they took up jogging quit smoking as joggers. Within the limits of this cross-sectional study design, these results suggest that smoking exerts a direct, biologically mediated, deleterious effect on endurance capacity. The lower levels of exercise of the smokers did not entirely explain the difference in endurance between smokers and nonsmokers. This observation of a short-term negative association between even light smoking and endurance capacity may have implications for health education and promotion efforts.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Relationship of training and life-style to 16-km running time of 4000 joggers. The '84 Berne "Grand-Prix" Study.

To investigate running activity, life-style, and endurance capacity of joggers, all competitors of a popular 16-km race were surveyed by questionnaire. The response rate was 83.6%, yielding a study population of 4358 male runners over age 16. In univariate analysis, there were significant associations between 16-km running time and weekly training distance (average of 1 year), weekly training frequency, body mass index (BMI), age, cigarette smoking, years of regular running, and frequency of alcohol cosumption. A multiple regression analysis provided six significant, independent predictors of 16-km time, explaining 47% of its variance: weekly training distance (standardized regression coefficient = -0.46), age (0.37), BMI (0.23), years of regular running (-0.19), weekly training frequency (-0.11), and cigarette smoking (0.10). Based on laboratory treadmill testing of a subsample of runners, 16-km running times were transformed into maximum aerobic capacities (VO2 max equivalents) for all competitors. In comparison with the general population, even the slowest 5% of the runners showed a higher endurance capacity than the age-specific population mean. Application of the multivariate regression model for an estimation of the overall impact of training and life-style on endurance capacity showed that the great difference in mean endurance levels between joggers and the general population could entirely be attributed to differences in running activity, BMI, and smoking. We conclude that the joggers investigated were, on average, not selected concerning biological predisposition and genetic endowment since their behavior alone explained their high average endurance capacity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

[Handicaps and needs of the elderly. A multifactor epidemiologic study under urban conditions].

As the number of old people increases, the need for a reliable statistical basis for socio-medical planning becomes more and more evident. Results of a representative survey in two cities of German-speaking Switzerland are presented, including correlations between the extent of need for assistance and predisposing factors. About half of the elderly are not disabled in everyday life, but 9.3% of the 66- to 75-year-olds and 46.1% of the over 85-year-olds are in need of regular daily assistance. In addition to age, male sex and being unmarried turned out to be independent predisposing factors for an increased need for help. Women were in the majority in some particular disturbances, but as a whole their need for assistance was less than among men. Socio-economic status was the most important risk factor for need for assistance. In comparison to those from higher social classes, elderly from the lowest class are round five times as often in nursing homes and ten times as often in residential homes. Their need for all forms of assistance is increased, and, in particular, they need much more daily household help than those in higher socio-economic groups. The number of admissions to institutions could be considerably reduced if more of these elderly persons could be offered ambulatory household assistance services. Furthermore, elderly of low socio-economic status tend to live more in unsuitable dwellings, eat food of lower quality, get less physical exercise, are less often of normal body weight, and have functional disturbances more often. Among the predominant factors associated with the need for nursing care are disturbances of orientation, incontinence and visual disturbances, whereas cardiovascular diseases and malignant tumors are of little importance in this context. The situation is different with respect to the need for household help, which is particularly frequent among persons with disturbances of the extremities. These in turn are about twice as frequent among elderly of lower social class than among those who are better-off. In the population under study about 40% of the elderly requiring daily nursing assistance are cared for in their homes, with their own family members providing most of the assistance. This is less often the case in the lower socio-economic groups. Our analyses make it possible, for the first time in Switzerland at least, to demonstrate clearly the important role social status, family situation and gender play in determining the level of disability and need for assistance among the elderly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1986

[Epidemiology of running-induced complaints of joggers. Berne runner study '84].

In a sample of 4358 male joggers (= 76.1% of the participants in a popular 16 km race in Berne 1984) 45.8% of joggers sustained running-related injuries during a one year period. 14.2% sought medical help and 2.3% missed work because of jogging injuries. The most important factor in running-related injuries is (average) weekly mileage. Joggers see the doctor less often than the reference population, although this difference cannot be attributed directly to jogging. Increasing mileage is associated with more frequent visits to the doctor, and this increased frequency of medical consultations is due entirely to jogging-related injuries.

Adolescent↗