| 1. |
- Jönsson, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test : a pilot study
- 2010
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 35:9, s. 1397-1403
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE™ system with three rear projected walls (4 m×3 m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during which salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, parasympathetic activity), and T-wave amplitude (TWA, suggested to be related to sympathetic influence on myocardial performance) were assessed. Cortisol secretion showed a marked increase (88% vs. baseline) during the first stress provocation, but habituated in the second session. The magnitude of HR and TWA reactivity during stress provocation was approximately the same at both sessions, implying a stable increase in sympathetic activity. Heart rate showed a maximum increase of 40% at the first session, and 32% at the second. TWA showed a maximum decrease of 42% at the first session, and 39% at the second. The results resemble those obtained in prior studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings.
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| 2. |
- Karlson, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term stability of return to work after a workplace-oriented intervention for patients on sick leave for burnout
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1471-2458 .- 1471-2458. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:The period from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s saw a rapid increase in long-term sick leave in Sweden, primarily due to mental illness and often related to job burnout. This led to an urge for effective treatment programs that could prevent the often long sick leaves. In 2010 we presented a newly developed work-place intervention method, showing that 89% of the intervention group had returned to work at a 1.5 year follow-up, compared to 73% of the control group. The main aim of this study was to assess the long-term stability of these promising results.METHODS:Sick leave registry data from the Regional Social Insurance Office were analyzed for an additional year (50 weeks) beyond the original 1.5 year period (80 weeks). Data from 68 matched pairs of intervention participants (IP) and controls were available. The proportions of participants being on full-time sick leave versus having returned to work to any extent were computed for every 10th week. Generalized estimating equations were used with GROUP (IP versus controls) as between-subjects factor, WEEKS and AGE as covariates, and return-to-work (RTW) as dependent variable. Significant differences (Wald χ2 with α ≤ .05) was followed up with polynomial contrasts. Individual relapses to higher degrees of sick leave (e.g. from 50% to 100%) and whether partial RTW led to later full-time RTW, were also analyzed.RESULTS:The omnibus test over all 130 weeks showed a GROUP*WEEKS interaction effect (p = .02), indicating differential group developments in RTW, though similarly high at week 130 in both groups with 82.4% of the IP and 77.9% of the controls having RTW (p = .22; χ2-test). A significant interaction with age led to separate analyses of the younger and older subgroups, indicating a stable pattern of superior RTW only among younger IP (week 130: 88.6% vs. 69.7%, p = .054; χ2-test). There was no group difference in relapses into increased degree of sick leave. Part-time sick leave did not predict a later stable full-time RTW.CONCLUSIONS:The previously reported improvement in RTW with the newly developed workplace-oriented intervention showed a long-term stability only among younger participants.
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| 3. |
- Eek, Frida, et al.
(författare)
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Factors associated with prospective development of environmental annoyance
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Psychosomatic Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1360 .- 0022-3999. ; 69:1, s. 9-15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI) has in cross-sectional studies been associated with emotional problems and psychiatric disorders. However, in the absence of prospective studies it has not been possible to determine whether emotional problems precede the onset of IEI, or are a consequence of IEI. The purpose of this study was to address this issue in a prospective panel study design. Methods: The study sample (n=10 275) responded to a postal survey that included five questions regarding annoyance from environmental factors, at baseline and at follow-up five years later. Associations between a number of self-rating scales of stress, subjective health, and working conditions at baseline on one hand, and development of environmental annoyance from baseline to follow-up on the other, were examined. Results: Participants having developed environmental annoyance between baseline and follow-up had at baseline reported more subjective health complaints, higher levels of stress, strain, and lack of recovery, more dissatisfaction with their work situation, and lower personal social support, compared to participants not developing environmental annoyance. Conclusion: Elevated subjective health complaints, high stress in daily life and a strained work situation, all possible signs of sustained arousal, increase the risk of developing annoyance to environmental factors. The results fit the hypothesis that reduced subjective health, over the course of time, may be attributed to environmental factors. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Fjalldal, Sigridur, et al.
(författare)
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Hypothalamic Involvement Predicts Cognitive Performance and Psychosocial Health in Long-term Survivors of Childhood Craniopharyngioma
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. - : Endocrine Society. - 0021-972X .- 1945-7197. ; 98:8, s. 3253-3262
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Hypothalamic damage caused by craniopharyngioma (CP) is associated with poor functional outcome. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanObjective: To assess cognitive function and quality of life in childhood-onset CP on hormonal replacement, including GH treatment. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanDesign: A cross-sectional study with a median follow-up time of 20 years (1-40). less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanSetting: Patients were recruited from the South Medical Region of Sweden. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanParticipants: The study included 42 patients (20 women) surgically treated for a childhood-onset CP between 1958 and 2000. Patients were aged andgt;= 17 years. Equally many controls, matched for age, sex, residence, and smoking habits, were included. Tumor growth into the third ventricle was found in 25 patients. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMain Outcome Measures: All subjects were examined with a battery of cognitive tests and the following questionnaires: Symptom Checklist-90, the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction, and the Social Network concept. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: The CP patients had lower cognitive performance, reaching statistical significance in 12 of 20 test variables, including executive function and memory. Comparison of patients with tumor growth into the third ventricle to controls revealed a significant lower mean total score (P = .006). A significant negative correlation was recorded between mean z-score of cognitive performance and years since operation (r = -0.407; P = .014). No statistically significant group differences were observed across any of the 9 Symptom Checklist-90 subscales. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: Adults with childhood-onset CP, on hormone replacement, including GH treatment, have memory defects, disturbed attention, and impaired processing speed. Patients with hypothalamic involvement are more affected. Patients rated their quality of life as good as their matched controls.
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| 5. |
- Follin, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Cardiovascular Risk, Cardiac Function, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life with and without Long-Term Growth Hormone Therapy in Adult Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
- 2010
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Ingår i: The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism. - : The Endocrine Society. - 1945-7197 .- 0021-972X. ; 95, s. 3726-3735
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Long-term data are missing in GH-treated acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. GH therapy may result in poorer outcome regarding cardiovascular (CV) and particularly cardiac effects than in patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disease. Objective: Our objective was to evaluate GH therapy on CV risk, cardiac function, physical activity, and quality of life in ALL patients treated with cranial radiotherapy (18-24 Gy) and chemotherapy (anthracycline dose 120 mg/m(2)). Design and Setting: We conducted a 5- and 8-yr open nonrandomized prospective study in a university hospital clinic. Study Participants: Two groups of GH-deficient ALL patients (aged 25 yr; range 19-32 yr) and matched population controls participated. Interventions: One ALL group (n = 16) received GH for 5 yr, and the other ALL group (n = 13) did not receive GH therapy. Main Outcome Measures: We evaluated the prevalence of CV risk factors and metabolic syndrome (International Diabetes Federation consensus), cardiac function (echocardiography), and quality of life and physical activity questionnaires. Results: In comparison with 8 yr without, 5 yr with GH therapy resulted in significant positive changes in plasma glucose (-0.5 vs. 0.6 mmol/liter, P = 0.002), apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A1 ratio (-0.1 vs. 0.0, P = 0.03), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (0.20 vs.-0.01 mmol/liter, P = 0.008) and a significant reduction in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (P = 0.008). No significant difference in the left-ventricular systolic function or in physical activity and quality of life was recorded before and after 5 or 8 yr, respectively (all P > 0.3). Conclusion: GH therapy reduced the CV risk in this young ALL population but resulted in no clear benefit or deterioration in cardiac function.
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| 6. |
- Garde, Anne Helene, et al.
(författare)
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Month-to-month variation in sleep among healthy, Scandinavian daytime workers
- 2014
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1502-7686 .- 0036-5513. ; 74:6, s. 527-535
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. The overall purpose of the present study was to attain more insight in month-to-month variation of sleep duration and quality in order to improve design and interpretation of, e.g. epidemiological studies using sleep as outcome. Methods. The study design entailed monthly self-reports from 38 (26 women/12 men) daytime workers, who completed the Karolinska Sleep Diary (KSD) once a month during one year. A subgroup (n = 16) also wore actigraphs on one day every month during a year. Self-reports of bedtime, time of awakening, sleep duration, individual sleep characteristics, disturbed sleep index (DSI, 4 items) and awakening index (AWI, 3 items) were analyzed together with actigraphy-derived measures. Hours of daylight were used to test for circa-annual variation in statistical models adjusted for intake of hypnotics and alcohol, gender, age and within-person variability. Results. Hours of daylight were found to be associated to self-reported bedtime (p = 0.032) and DSI (p = 0.030), thereby indicating a circa-annual variation. Bedtime was delayed by 1.8 min (95% CI: 0.6-2.9 min) per 1 hour increase in length of daylight. Sleep was slightly more disturbed during the winter. Conclusion. Only circa-annual variation in self-reports of bedtime and DSI were observed in a healthy daytime working population, and the effects were small. Therefore potential bias due to circa-annuality in the studied parameters appears to be of limited concern in adult daytime working populations.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Jönsson, Peter, et al.
(författare)
-
Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A pilot study.
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3360 .- 0306-4530. ; 35, s. 1397-1403
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE system with three rear projected walls (4mx3m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during which salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, parasympathetic activity), and T-wave amplitude (TWA, suggested to be related to sympathetic influence on myocardial performance) were assessed. Cortisol secretion showed a marked increase (88% vs. baseline) during the first stress provocation, but habituated in the second session. The magnitude of HR and TWA reactivity during stress provocation was approximately the same at both sessions, implying a stable increase in sympathetic activity. Heart rate showed a maximum increase of 40% at the first session, and 32% at the second. TWA showed a maximum decrease of 42% at the first session, and 39% at the second. The results resemble those obtained in prior studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings.
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