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Ulla Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to Ulla Christensen.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Group cohesion and social support in exercise classes: results from a danish intervention study.

This study examines the formation of group cohesion and social support in exercise classes among former sedentary adults, participating in a Danish community-based intervention. Furthermore, the aim is to analyze the impact of this process on exercise activity among the participants. A multimethod approach was used, analyzing both survey data and 18 personal interviews collected among 87 participants who completed the intervention project. Analysis was performed according to the grounded theory method. The formation of group cohesion was conditioned by the social composition of the group, the teaching ability by the instructors, and the activity by itself. The cohesive group was characterized by an attitude of mutual support toward exercise activities. This mutual support facilitated development of self-efficacy beliefs among the participants improving their mastery expectation regarding exercise. Manipulating group dynamics may be a promising intervention tool in the promotion of leisure-time physical activity.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Expectations to and evaluation of a palliative home-care team as seen by patients and carers.

OBJECTIVES: Although the number of palliative home-care teams is increasing, knowledge of what patients and principal informal carers expect from a home-care team is sparse. We aimed to elucidate this as well as evaluate a home-care team. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Individual semi-structured interviews with nine patients and six carers before receiving home care and 2-4 weeks after. In total, 26 interviews were conducted. Interviews were analysed with Template Analysis. Peer debriefing was performed. MAIN RESULTS: Patients and carers expected the team members to have specialised knowledge in palliative care and to improve their sense of security being at home. They also expected respite for carers and activities for patients. They evaluated the team positively but missed respite for carers and 24-h on-call service. CONCLUSIONS: Patients and carers found the home-care team essential to their sense of security being at home. Primary health care professionals must receive any necessary training outside patients' homes. Offering respite for carers and 24-h on-call service would be an improvement.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Family based association analysis of the IL2 and IL15 genes in allergic disorders.

Allergic diseases affect an increasing number of individuals and are a major global health problem. A substantial genetic contribution in the aetiology of allergic diseases is well documented. We have previously reported linkage of allergic diseases and atopy to the region harbouring the IL2 gene (4q27). IL15 is located approximately 20 Mb distal to IL2. The two genes encode cytokines that are structurally and functionally related, both inducing T-cell activation and proliferation. We screened the two genes for sequence variation and applied the seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in a family based association study of two Danish samples comprising a total of 235 families with allergic diseases. None of the IL15 SNPs showed significant association and the haplotype analysis yielded inconsistent results in the two samples. In contrast, the two IL2 SNPs showed association both separately and in haplotypes with several atopic phenotypes, most significantly with IgE-mediated allergy. (single SNP P-value 0.0005 for positive skin prick test, haplotype P-value 0.019 for positive RAST test). To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting association between IL2 and IgE-mediated allergy, asthma and atopic eczema. The SNP (rs2069762) that showed the most consistent results is located in the promoter and has previously been shown to influence the level of IL2 expression. We suggest that the observed overtransmission of the T allele of this SNP may convey increased susceptibility to allergic disease by skewing the Th1/Th2 balance towards Th2.

DNA Primers↗
PubMed2006

Coping with unemployment: does educational attainment make any difference?

AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between educational attainment and coping strategies with unemployment in a random sample of 37- to 56-year-old Danish men and women in long-term unemployment. METHODS: Data were based on a survey among 575 men and 1,064 women who had been unemployed at least 70% of the time during a three-year period (October 1996 to October 1999). The outcome measures were two scales for coping with unemployment, one for problem-solving coping, and one for avoidant coping. Educational attainment was measured by years of vocational training. RESULTS: A significant association was found between low educational attainment and low use of problem-solving coping among both men, OR = 1.81 (95% CI 1.19-2.75), and women, OR = 1.57 (1.13-2.18). Adjustment for cohabitation status, self rated health, economic strain, and unemployment status did not change this association substantially. High use of avoidant coping was associated with low educational attainment among men, OR = 1.57 (0.98-2.51). For women, medium educational attainment was significantly associated with low use of avoidant coping, OR = 0.60 (0.42-0.85). This result was not affected by adjustment for the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Coping strategies are considered a potential modifier of the impact of unemployment on health and well-being. In this study, differences in coping strategies with unemployment were associated with educational attainment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

Socioeconomic position and variations in coping strategies in musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional study of 1,287 40- and 50-year-old men and women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between socioeconomic position and coping strategies in musculoskeletal pain. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Cross-sectional study of a random sample of 40- and 50-year-old Danes, participation rate 69%, n=7,125. The study included 1,287 persons who reported functional limitations due to musculoskeletal pain. METHODS: Data was collected by postal questionnaires and scales were developed on problem-solving coping and avoidant coping, based on a range of preliminary studies. Multivariate logistic regression analyses was used to study the correlation with socioeconomic position, measured by occupational social class. RESULTS: Among women, there was no correlation between social class and avoidant coping, but a significant decrease in the use of problem-solving coping by decreasing social class, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.64 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.31-5.32) in social class V vs social classes I + II. Among men, there was no correlation between social class and problem-solving coping, but a significant increase in the use of avoidant coping with decreasing social class, adjusted OR = 3.31 (95% CI 1.75-6.25) in V vs I + II. CONCLUSION: It is important for clinicians who advise and support patients in their response to musculoskeletal pain to be aware of socioeconomic differences in coping strategies. Gender differences in the association between socioeconomic factors and coping should be further investigated.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

Influence of marital history over two and three generations on early death. A longitudinal study of Danish men born in 1953.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effects of marital status over two and three generations on last generation's mortality, and tested the hypothesis of an effect of the latest status (proximity effect) as well as the hypothesis of an accumulative effect. METHODS: The study population covers a random sample of all boys born in the the metropolitan area of Copenhagen with complete data from interviews and registers on two and three generation's marital status, socioeconomic position variables, and last generation's admission to psychiatric hospital, n = 2614. Among these 105 deaths occurred. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the effect of marital status on mortality. RESULTS: Never married sons showed a considerably increased mortality compared with their married counterparts in the adjusted analyses. Mother's marital status at childbirth was also associated with increased mortality among the sons. There was no independent effect of maternal grandparent's experience of divorce on third generation's mortality. Son's marital status was the strongest marital status predictor of mortality. Accumulation of both two and three generations' marital status was significantly associated with mortality risk in a dose-response pattern. All analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic position variables and mental health. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the proximity hypothesis as son's marital status was the strongest predictor of mortality, and suggest an accumulative effect as each of the three non-married generations added to an increased mortality risk.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Does infertility cause marital benefit? An epidemiological study of 2250 women and men in fertility treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate (i) marital benefit, e.g., that infertility has strengthen the marriage and brought the partners closer together among people beginning fertility treatment and (ii) communication and coping strategies as predictors of marital benefit 12 months later. METHODS: A prospective cohort design including 2250 people beginning fertility treatment and a 12-month follow-up. Data were based on self-administered questionnaires measuring marital benefit, communication, and coping strategies. The analyses of predictors were based on the sub-cohort (n=816) who had not achieved a delivery after fertility treatment. RESULTS: 25.9% of women and 21.1% of men reported high marital benefit. Among men medium use of active-confronting coping (e.g., letting feelings out, asking others for advice) and use of meaning-based coping were significant predictors for high marital benefit. Having the infertility as a secret, difficult marital communication, and using active-avoidance coping (e.g., avoid being with pregnant women or children, turning to work to take mind off things) were among men significant predictors for low marital benefit. No significant predictors were identified among women. CONCLUSION: Fertility patients frequently experience marital benefit. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The study provides information about where to intervene with male fertility patients in order to increase their marital benefit after medically unsuccessful treatment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

The mediation proportion: a structural equation approach for estimating the proportion of exposure effect on outcome explained by an intermediate variable.

It is often of interest to assess how much of the effect of an exposure on a response is mediated through an intermediate variable. However, systematic approaches are lacking, other than assessment of a surrogate marker for the endpoint of a clinical trial. We review a measure of "proportion explained" in the context of observational epidemiologic studies. The measure has been much debated; we show how several of the drawbacks are alleviated when exposures, mediators, and responses are continuous and are embedded in a structural equation framework. These conditions also allow for consideration of several intermediate variables. Binary or categorical variables can be included directly through threshold models. We call this measure the mediation proportion, that is, the part of an exposure effect on outcome explained by a third, intermediate variable. Two examples illustrate the approach. The first example is a randomized clinical trial of the effects of interferon-alpha on visual acuity in patients with age-related macular degeneration. In this example, the exposure, mediator and response are all binary. The second example is a common problem in social epidemiology-to find the proportion of a social class effect on a health outcome that is mediated by psychologic variables. Both the mediator and the response are composed of several ordered categorical variables, with confounders present. Finally, we extend the example to more than one mediator.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Structures of dCTP deaminase from Escherichia coli with bound substrate and product: reaction mechanism and determinants of mono- and bifunctionality for a family of enzymes.

dCTP deaminase (EC 3.5.4.13) catalyzes the deamination of dCTP forming dUTP that via dUTPase is the main pathway providing substrate for thymidylate synthase in Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. dCTP deaminase is unique among nucleoside and nucleotide deaminases as it functions without aid from a catalytic metal ion that facilitates preparation of a water molecule for nucleophilic attack on the substrate. Two active site amino acid residues, Arg(115) and Glu(138), were identified by mutational analysis as important for activity in E. coli dCTP deaminase. None of the mutant enzymes R115A, E138A, or E138Q had any detectable activity but circular dichroism spectra for all mutant enzymes were similar to wild type suggesting that the overall structure was not changed. The crystal structures of wild-type E. coli dCTP deaminase and the E138A mutant enzyme have been determined in complex with dUTP and Mg(2+), and the mutant enzyme also with the substrate dCTP and Mg(2+). The enzyme is a third member of the family of the structurally related trimeric dUTPases and the bifunctional dCTP deaminase-dUTPase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. However, the C-terminal fold is completely different from dUTPases resulting in an active site built from residues from two of the trimer subunits, and not from three subunits as in dUTPases. The nucleotides are well defined as well as Mg(2+) that is tridentately coordinated to the nucleotide phosphate chains. We suggest a catalytic mechanism for the dCTP deaminase and identify structural differences to dUTPases that prevent hydrolysis of the dCTP triphosphate.

Alleles↗
PubMed2004

TARC augments TNF-alpha-induced CTACK production in keratinocytes.

Thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC)/CCL17 and cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK)/CCL27 are both pivotal mediators of the inflammatory reaction of atopic dermatitis (AD). TARC attracts CCR4 positive T cells known to be mainly of Th2 subtype whereas CTACK attracts skin-homing T cells of both Th1 and Th2 subtype that express CCR10. We found that CTACK can be induced in cultured human keratinocytes by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), but not by TARC alone. However, if the keratinocytes were preincubated with TNF-a for 6 h, TARC was able to augment the CTACK-inducing effect of TNF-a. Performing immunohistochemical stainings, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting, we found that TNF-a-induced CCR4 mRNA production, but that stimulated as well as non-stimulated keratinocytes expressed CCR4. In order to see if these results had any clinical relevance, we investigated the plasma concentrations of TARC and CTACK from 48 patients suffering from AD. This revealed that TARC and CTACK concentrations in plasma correlate with each other. Surprisingly, p-CTACK correlated inversely with SCORAD scores of the patients, which most likely is due to the treatment the patients received. Our results suggest that the primary Th2-dominated inflammatory reaction in AD induced by TARC leads to an augmented skin-specific inflammatory reaction through CTACK.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Pre-steady-state kinetics of Bacillus licheniformis 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase: evidence for a regulatory binding site.

In a previous paper, we reported the first stopped-flow experiments on a Bacillus licheniformis 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase [Abel, Planas and Christensen (2001) Biochem. J. 357, 195-202]. It was shown that the pre-steady-state kinetics of the 1,3-1,4-beta-glucanase using the substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl 3-O-beta-cellobiosyl-beta-D-glucoside may be explained by a reaction scheme involving an induced fit and the binding of two substrates as well as a second enzymic conformational change, whereas the results definitely could not be explained in terms of the simple double-displacement scheme. In the present study, we report further stopped-flow kinetic results on the glucanase using a series of low-molecular-mass substrates with various leaving groups and varying chain length. The analysis of the resulting data leads to the conclusion that the free enzyme exists in two conformations, one of which binds the substrates rather strongly in a regulatory site, before any productive interactions can take place. This corresponds to an allosteric activation mechanism. With these substrates, however, the productive enzyme-substrate species are also able to change into less active or inactive forms. This may be seen as a feedback inhibitory mechanism.

Bacillus↗
PubMed2003

Income inequality and ischaemic heart disease in Danish men and women.

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that areas with an unequal income distribution are less likely to invest in health and more likely to have a social environment that influences the development of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) METHODS: We used pooled data from two cohort studies conducted in Copenhagen to analyse the association between area income inequality and first admission to hospital or death from IHD in women and men while controlling for individual income and other IHD risk factors. A total of 11 685 women and 10 036 men, with initial health examinations between 1964 and 1992, were followed for a median of 13.8 years. Information on median income share at parish and municipality levels was obtained from population registers. RESULTS: During follow-up 1700 men and 1204 women experienced an IHD event. At parish level income share was inversely associated with an increased risk of IHD in men (hazard ratio [HR](most versus least equal quartile) = 0.85 (95% CI: 0.73-0.98). Among women there was no relation between parish income inequality and IHD. Subject's household income was inversely related to IHD, and when this variable was controlled for, the association between income inequality at parish level and IHD in men attenuated slightly. When behavioural and biological risk factors were entered into the Cox model this relation attenuated further. However, some of these risk factors might mediate rather than confound the effect of income inequality. The association between income inequality at municipality level and IHD was insignificant for men, while in women the relation had a curved shape with those living in the least equal areas having the lowest risk. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides no clear evidence for an association between income inequality measured at parish or municipality level and IHD in Danish adults. The associations were weak and varied between different strata and geographical levels.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Income inequality, individual income, and mortality in Danish adults: analysis of pooled data from two cohort studies.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the association between area income inequality and mortality after adjustment for individual income and other established risk factors. DESIGN: Analysis of pooled data from two cohort studies. The relation between income inequality in small areas of residence (parishes) and individual mortality was examined with Cox proportional hazard analyses. SETTING: Two population studies conducted in Copenhagen, Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: 13 710 women and 12 018 men followed for a mean of 12.8 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: All cause mortality. RESULTS: Age standardised mortality was highest in the parishes with the least equal income distribution. After adjustment for individual risk factors, parish income inequality was not associated with mortality, whereas individual household income was. Thus, individuals in the highest income quarter had lower mortality than those in the lowest quarter (adjusted hazard ratio for men 0.51 (95% confidence interval 0.45 to 0.59) and for women 0.60 (0.54 to 0.68)). CONCLUSION: Area income inequality is not in itself associated with all cause mortality in this Danish population. Adjustment for individual risk factors makes the apparent effect disappear. This may be the result of Denmark's welfare system, based on a Nordic model.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cynical hostility, socioeconomic position, health behaviors, and symptom load: a cross-sectional analysis in a Danish population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the cross-sectional association between cynical hostility and high symptom load in a Danish population-based study. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate to what extent health risk behaviors mediated this association. METHODS: Data were based on a postal questionnaire in a Danish random sample of 3426 men and 3699 women aged 40 or 50 years. Cynical hostility was measured by the 8-item Cynical Distrust Scale. High symptom load was assessed by physiological and mental symptoms experienced within the last 4 weeks. Confounders were age and socioeconomic position, while potential mediators were alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, and BMI. RESULTS: Higher cynical hostility was associated with self-reported symptom load. Health behaviors did not seem to mediate this effect. Socioeconomic position was a strong confounder for the effect on both health and health behaviors. After adjustment the effects of hostility on health remained with odds ratios of 2.1 (1.7-2.6) for women and 2.3 (1.8-2.8) for men. CONCLUSION: After adjustment for socioeconomic position, cynical hostility has an effect on self-reported high symptom load, and this effect is not mediated by health behaviors.

Adult↗