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- Rönnlund, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Secular trends in cognitive test performance : Swedish conscript data 1970–1993
- 2013
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Ingår i: Intelligence. - : Elsevier BV. - 0160-2896 .- 1873-7935. ; 41:1, s. 19-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated time-related patterns in levels of cognitive performance during the period from 1970 to 1993 based on data from Swedish draft boards. The conscripts, including more than a million 18–19-year old men, had taken one of two versions of the Swedish enlistment battery (SEB67; 1970–1979 or SEB80; 1980–1993), each composed of four subtests. The results revealed significant Flynn effects, with estimated gains of 1.2–1.5 IQ-units per decade. The effect seem to hold across ability levels, even though tendencies of more pronounced effects in the lower half of the ability distribution was observed. The largest gains were for visuospatial tests (Paper Form Board and Metal Folding), with little change, even slight losses during the second sub-period, for tests of verbal knowledge (Concept Discrimination and Synonyms) and a mixed pattern for a test of technical comprehension (losses followed by gains). Finally, comparisons of trends in cognitive performance and in standing height show that the gains in cognitive performance over the years from 1980 to 1993 occurred in the absence of overall gains in height, which speaks against nutrition as the cause of the Flynn effects.
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| 3. |
- Hallmans, Göran, et al.
(författare)
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Cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study Cohort : evaluation of risk factors and their interactions.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. Supplement Links. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4956 .- 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 61, s. 18-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is, first, to describe the organization, sampling procedures, availability of samples/database, ethical considerations, and quality control program of the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study Cohort. Secondly, some examples are given of studies on cardiovascular disease and diabetes with a focus on the biomarker programme. The cohort has been positioned as a national and international resource for scientific research.
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| 4. |
- Hultdin, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Elevated plasma homocysteine : cause or consequence of myocardial infarction?
- 2004
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 256:6, s. 491-498
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a first myocardial infarction leads to increased plasma homocysteine concentrations and whether the association between homocysteine and myocardial infarction was greater at follow-up compared with baseline. DESIGN: A population-based, prospective, nested case-referent study. SETTING: Screening took place at the nearest health survey centre in northern Sweden. SUBJECTS: Of more than 36,000 persons screened, 78 developed a first myocardial infarction (average 18 months after sampling). Fifty of these had participated in a follow-up health survey (average 8(1/2) years between surveys) and were sex- and age-matched with 56 referents. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of plasma homocysteine levels in case and referent subjects before and after development of a first myocardial infarction. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between cases and referents regarding homocysteine at baseline or follow-up. Plasma homocysteine and plasma creatinine increased significantly, and plasma albumin decreased significantly over time. Conditional univariate logistic regression indicated that high homocysteine at follow-up but not baseline was associated with first myocardial infarction (OR 2.49; 95% CI: 1.03-6.02), but the relation disappeared in multivariate analyses including plasma creatinine and plasma albumin. High plasma creatinine remained associated with first myocardial infarction at both baseline (OR 2.94; 95% CI: 1.05-8.21) and follow-up (OR 3.38; 95% CI: 1.21-9.48). CONCLUSION: In this study, first myocardial infarction did not cause increased plasma homocysteine concentration.
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| 5. |
- Hultdin, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Prospective study of first stroke in relation to plasma homocysteine and MTHFR 677C > T and 1298A > C genotypes and haplotypes : evidence for an association with hemorrhagic stroke
- 2011
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Ingår i: Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. - Berlin : Walter de Gruyter. - 1434-6621 .- 1437-4331. ; 49:9, s. 1555-1562
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Abnormalities in homocysteine metabolism have been suggested as risk factors for stroke. The aim of this prospective study was to examine whether total plasma homocysteine concentration (tHcy) and its main genetic determinant, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms, were associated with first ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.Methods: This was a nested case-referent study of 321 ischemic and 60 hemorrhagic stroke cases, defined by WHO MONICA criteria and each matched with two event-free referents for sex, age, cohort, recruitment date and geographical area. All subjects were from the population-based Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study cohorts. Odds ratios were determined by conditional logistic regression.Results: The mean follow-up time was 4.2 years. Both tHcy and MTHFR were independent predictors of hemorrhagic stroke in multivariate models including body mass index, hypertension and, for MTHFR, tHcy [OR for the highest vs. lowest tHcy quartile 8.13 (95% CI 1.83-36.1), p(trend)=0.002; OR for MTHFR 677TT vs. 677CC genotype 3.62 (95% CI 0.77-17.0), p(trend)=0.040]. Haplotype analyses confirmed that the MTHFR 677T-1298A haplotype was positively associated with hemorrhagic stroke [OR 1.81 (95% CI 1.09-3.00), p=0.022], whereas the MTHFR 677C-1298C haplotype was not significantly related to either hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. Neither tHcy nor the MTHFR polymorphisms were significant predictors of ischemic stroke.Conclusion: Both elevated plasma homocysteine levels and the MTHFR 677T allele are indicators of increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the northern Swedish population.
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| 7. |
- Thøgersen, Anna M., et al.
(författare)
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Changes in plasma C-reactive protein and hemostatic factors prior to and after a first myocardial infarction with a median follow-up time of 8 years
- 2009
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Ingår i: Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis. - 0957-5235 .- 1473-5733. ; 20:5, s. 340-346
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The objective of this study was to determine whether a first myocardial infarction leads to increased plasma levels of hemostatic factors and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and whether the association between theses biomarkers and myocardial infarction was greater at follow-up compared with baseline. Of more than 36,000 persons screened in northern Sweden, 78 developed a first myocardial infarction (on average 18 months after sampling) in a population-based, prospective, nested patient-referent study. Fifty of these had participated in a follow-up health survey (on average 8 and a half years between surveys) and were sex-matched and age-matched with 56 referents. The mean increases in hs-CRP, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) mass, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 mass, and tPA/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex concentration and von Willebrand factor among patients and referents were comparable during follow-up. Conditional logistic regression indicated that hs-CRP was not significantly associated with first myocardial infarction in a univariate analysis, whereas high plasma levels of tPA and creatinine were significantly associated with outcome at baseline and follow-up. tPA/plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 complex was not superior to tPA as a risk marker in this study. A first myocardial infarction did not in this study induce significantly different changes in plasma levels of hs-CRP and hemostatic factors among patients compared with referents during follow-up.
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| 8. |
- Van Guelpen, Bethany, et al.
(författare)
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Folate, vitamin B12, and risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke: a prospective, nested case-referent study of plasma concentrations and dietary intake.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation. - 1524-4628 .- 0039-2499. ; 36:7, s. 1426-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Folate metabolism has been implicated in stroke. However, the possibility of a role for folate and vitamin B12, independent of their effects on homocysteine status, remains to be explored. The aim of this prospective, nested case-referent study was to relate plasma and dietary intake levels of folate and vitamin B12 to risk of stroke, taking into consideration plasma homocysteine concentrations and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms. METHODS: Subjects were 334 ischemic and 62 hemorrhagic stroke cases and matched double referents from the population-based Northern Sweden Health and Disease Cohort. RESULTS: Plasma folate was statistically significantly associated with risk of hemorrhagic stroke in an inverse linear manner, both in univariate analysis and after adjustment for conventional risk factors including hypertension (odds ratio [OR] for highest versus lowest quartile 0.21 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.71; P for trend=0.008)). Risk estimates were attenuated by inclusion of homocysteine in the model (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.08 to 1.40; P for trend=0.088). A similar pattern was observed for increasing folate intake (multivariate OR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.55; P for trend=0.031 without homocysteine, and OR, 0.16, 95% CI, 0.02 to 1.23; P for trend=0.118 with homocysteine in the analysis). We found little evidence of an association between plasma or dietary folate and risk of ischemic stroke. Neither plasma nor dietary vitamin B12 was associated with risk of either stroke subtype. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest a protective role for folate, possibly in addition to its effects on homocysteine status, in hemorrhagic but not ischemic stroke.
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| 9. |
- Van Minh, Hoang, et al.
(författare)
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Primary healthcare system capacities for responding to storm and flood-related health problems : a case study from a rural district in central Vietnam
- 2014
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Ingår i: Global Health Action. - : Co-Action publishing. - 1654-9716 .- 1654-9880. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: As a tropical depression in the East Sea, Vietnam is greatly affected by climate change and natural disasters. Knowledge of the current capacity of the primary healthcare system in Vietnam to respond to health issues associated with storms and floods is very important for policy making in the country. However, there has been little scientific research in this area. OBJECTIVE: This research was to assess primary healthcare system capacities in a rural district in central Vietnam to respond to such health issues. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitative methods used self-administered questionnaires. Qualitative methods (in-depth interviews and focus groups discussions) were used to broaden understanding of the quantitative material and to get additional information on actions taken. RESULTS: 1) Service delivery: Medical emergency services, especially surgical operations and referral systems, were not always available during the storm and flood seasons. 2) Governance: District emergency plans focus largely on disaster response rather than prevention. The plans did not clearly define the role of primary healthcare and had no clear information on the coordination mechanism among different sectors and organizations. 3) Financing: The budget for prevention and control of flood and storm activities was limited and had no specific items for healthcare activities. Only a little additional funding was available, but the procedures to get this funding were usually time-consuming. 4) Human resources: Medical rescue teams were established, but there were no epidemiologists or environmental health specialists to take care of epidemiological issues. Training on prevention and control of climate change and disaster-related health issues did not meet actual needs. 5) Information and research: Data that can be used for planning and management (including population and epidemiological data) were largely lacking. The district lacked a disease early-warning system. 6) Medical products and technology: Emergency treatment protocols were not available in every studied health facility. CONCLUSIONS: The primary care system capacity in rural Vietnam is inadequate for responding to storm and flood-related health problems in terms of preventive and treatment healthcare. Developing clear facility preparedness plans, which detail standard operating procedures during floods and identify specific job descriptions, would strengthen responses to future floods. Health facilities should have contingency funds available for emergency response in the event of storms and floods. Health facilities should ensure that standard protocols exist in order to improve responses in the event of floods. Introduction of a computerized health information system would accelerate information and data processing. National and local policies need to be strengthened and developed in a way that transfers into action in local rural communities.
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