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- Frisk, Jessica, 1971-
(author)
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Acupuncture treatment for hot flushes in women with breast cancer and men with prostate cancer
- 2011
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The group of women and men with a history of cancer and distressing hot flushes and sweating is growing. The flushes negatively affect Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), perhaps partially by disturbing sleep. Treatments that are effective, tolerable and safe need to be developed. There are a number of treatment alternatives that are often not very effective or associated with more or less serious side-effects. Based on theories on the mechanisms behind hot flushes and acupuncture, treatment with acupuncture has been tried in menopausal women with hot flushes and in a few studies in women with breast cancer (BCa).Aim: The general aim of the research leading to this thesis was to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on hot flushes, HRQoL and sleep in men with prostate cancer (PCa) and women with BCa. To evaluate the effect in women with BCa of 12 weeks of electrostimulated acupuncture (EA) and two years of hormone therapy (HT) on number of, and distress caused by, hot flushes, and on HRQoL and sleep. To evaluate whether acupuncture therapy could be used to treat hot flushes in men with PCa treated with castration therapy, and then to evaluate in men with PCa and hot flushes the effect of 12 weeks of traditional acupuncture (TA) or EA on number of, and distress caused by, hot flushes and on urinary excretion of CGRP, HRQoL and sleep.Subjects and methods: Forty-five women with a history of BCa were randomized to oral HT for two years or EA for 12 weeks and were followed up till two years after start of therapy. Thirty-eight men with PCa and hot flushes were treated with acupuncture. Seven men were treated with EA for 10 to 12 weeks in a pilot study. After positive results from this study 31 men were randomized between EA and TA for 12 weeks and followed up till nine months after end of treatment. Hot flushes, HRQoL and sleep were monitored by means of log books and validated questionnaires.Results: The pilot study showed that 10 to 12 weeks of EA in men with PCa reduced number of hot flushes to below 50% of baseline with persistent effects at a follow up three months later. The two randomized studies showed that treatment with acupuncture in women with a history of BCa, and men with PCa was associated with a decrease in both the number of and distress caused by hot flushes by at least 50%. HT almost eliminated the hot flushes. There was no difference in reduction of hot flushes between men receiving EA or TA. Reduction of the number of hot flushes and distress caused by hot flushes probably leads to decreased disturbances at night, and was associated in women with a significant improvement in HRQoL and sleep variables. The improvement in HRQoL was as great in women treated with EA as in women receiving HT although the latter group had a more substantial reduction in number of flushes than the EA group suggesting that EA might have other effects in addition to those on hot flushes. In the men HRQoL did not change significantly. We saw very few and non-serious side-effects in the acupuncture groups and no signs that acupuncture activated the cancer or ovarian/testicular function.Conclusions: Acupuncture reduced the number of hot flushes and distress caused by hot flushes with at least 50% in women and men with hot flushes and a cancer disease and also improved HRQoL and sleep at least in women. Acupuncture should be further evaluated in these patient groups and could be a treatment alternative in patients with troublesome symptoms.
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- Ginstman, Charlotte, 1975-
(author)
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Contraception in women with obesity with special reference to gastric bypass surgery
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. The treatment of morbid obesity is dominated by bariatric surgery, for example Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. If other contraceptive options are available, women with obesity should not be prescribed combined hormonal contraceptives due to the obesity-related increased risk of venous thromboembolism. Women are advised not to become pregnant during the first 12-18 months after RYGB surgery. There is a lack of knowledge of what type of contraceptive methods women with obesity are prescribed and whether they experience more or different side effects compared to normal-weight women. It is not known if the absorption and pharmacokinetic profile of progestins are affected by RYGB. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the pattern of contraceptive use in women with obesity, what type of contraceptive counselling was given to women in relation to RYGB, and whether the pharmacokinetics of two different progestins were affected by RYGB surgery.Material and Methods: Paper I is a retrospective cohort study analysing the patterns of contraceptive prescription, adverse effects, duration of treatment, reasons for discontinuation and bleeding pattern in 371 women with obesity compared with 744 normal-weight women. Medical records were scrutinised from 1 Jan 2010 until 31 Dec 2014. Paper II is based on a questionnaire sent to 987 women who had undergone RYGB during 2010. The questionnaire concerned preoperative and present contraceptive use, contraceptive counselling in relation to surgery and what type of recommendations they had received regarding pregnancy after RYGB. Papers III and IV are experimental studies investigating the pharmacokinetics of desogestrel (etonogestrel) and levonorgestrel in relation to RYGB.Results and conclusions: The most commonly prescribed contraceptive method for women with obesity was the progestin-only pill but many women with obesity were prescribed combined hormonal contraceptives despite the current recommendations of cautious prescription of oestrogen-containing methods. There were no differences in adherence to contraceptive method between women with obesity and normal-weight women. Despite the uncertainties regarding absorption, almost 10 % of women continued using oral contraceptives after RYGB. Nearly 40% were not aware of the recommendation to avoid pregnancy in the first year after RYGB and almost one third did not use any contraception during this period. This could be due to a lack of information or that the women did not retain the given information to avoid pregnancy. We found no clinically significant differences in the steady state pharmacokinetics of desogestrel before compared with after RYGB, or in single dose pharmacokinetics of levonorgestrel in women with BMI< 30 having undergone RYGB compared with BMI-matched non-operated women. This suggests that oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and levonorgestrel might be used after RYGB surgery.
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- Paul, Rebecca, et al.
(author)
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Health-Related Quality of Life, Sexuality and Hormone Status after Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass in Women
- 2020
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In: Obesity Surgery. - : Springer-Verlag New York. - 0960-8923 .- 1708-0428. ; 30, s. 493-500
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectiveFew studies have been carried out concerning the influence of bariatric surgery on female sexuality and hormones, particularly utilizing hormone-based questionnaires. The effect of bariatric surgery on sex hormone levels, sexual function and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in women was analyzed in this study. Participants were included in a single-center study at a regional hospital in Sweden, with a duration of one-year follow-up.MethodsOne hundred non-smoking women, undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, were included in the study. Blood assay for sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) was analyzed. Participants completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Women’s Health Questionnaire (WHQ) and Psychological General Well-being Inventory (PGWB) parallel to lab testing.ResultsAt one-year follow-up, several significant results were found concerning hormones and questionnaires. Testosterone decreased and SHBG increased, N = 68/100. Desire, arousal, orgasm, satisfaction and total score domains for the FSFI increased after one year, N = 53/100. WHQ domains concerning depressed mood, somatic symptoms, memory, anxiety, sexual behavior and attractiveness improved after one year, N = 47/100. All domains in the PGWB (N = 52), including anxiety, depressed mood, positive well-being, self-control, general health, vitality and total score improved at follow-up. Spearman’s Rho coefficient analysis found correlation between testosterone/WHQ-sexual problems (0.3), SHBG/WHQ-general health (0.3) and SHBG/FSFI-arousal (−0.3).ConclusionsBariatric surgery normalizes levels of sex-hormones in women, and results in improved sexual function, health-related quality of life and psychological well-being.
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- Paul, Rebecca, 1978-, et al.
(author)
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Motherhood and motivations for bariatric surgery - a qualitative study
- 2023
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In: Human Fertility. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 1464-7273 .- 1742-8149. ; 26:2, s. 257-265
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obesity and its concomitant comorbidities have a myriad of detrimental effects on health, fertility, and quality of life. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for inducing weight loss and reduction of obesity-related comorbidities including subfertility. The aim of this study was to explore the expectations and experiences of women with a desire to have children as a motivation for undergoing bariatric surgery. An inductive qualitative design was used. Fourteen women were interviewed, and transcriptions were analysed with thematic analysis. Two themes emerged: (i) Motherhood and Femininity and (ii) A Normal Life. Participants found no other solution than to seek bariatric surgery to be able to become pregnant and carry a child to term. Coping physically with pregnancy and being an active mother were important factors. Overall, postoperative expectations were met, and the women experienced the effects of normalised sex hormone levels, were more physically mobile, and were released from the previous social hindrances that obesity caused them. This study has clinical implications for providing support and information to women with subfertility considering bariatric surgery and to better understand their experiences of life after bariatric surgery.
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| 6. |
- Paul, Rebecca, 1978-
(author)
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Obesity and Effects of Bariatric Surgery - with a Certain Focus on Women's Health
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Severe obesity influences sex hormone levels in women, which may result in subfertility, menstrual disturbances, anovulation and hyperandrogenism as well as increased risk for complications during pregnancy and birthing. Bariatric surgery leads to long-term weight loss and resolution of several comorbidities including hormone imbalance. However, the impact of altered sex hormones in women with obesity is insufficiently understood. Little is known concerning potential influences of changed sex hormone levels on women's function and quality of life following bariatric surgery and subsequent weight loss. This thesis aims to understand sex hormone balance in women with severe obesity and after bariatric surgery and to explore women’s experiences of changes in life after bariatric surgery and weight loss. Study I included 100 women and utilized blood assay to investigate changes in serum sex- hormone levels and questionnaires concerning sexual function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with severe obesity before and one year after bariatric surgery. Findings from Study I indicated that testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin normalized, and questionnaires showed improvements in several domains of sexual function, psychological well-being and general health in women one year after surgery. Study II used a qualitative method, specifically thematic analysis, to explore women's pre- and postoperative experiences, indicating that increased fertility and achieved motherhood were motivating factors to undergo bariatric surgery. Fourteen women were interviewed, and the themes of “Experiencing Motherhood and Femininity” and “Achieving a Normal Life” emerged from the data. Study III applied the qualitative method with Gadamer’s hermeneutic analysis to understand the lived experiences of premenopausal women with obesity before and after having undergone bariatric surgery. A focus was on influences of altered sex hormones and potential restoration of levels after surgery. Ten women were included, and analysis of the horizons created the fusions of “Recognition of Unhealthy Body Weight”, “Dealing with Other People’s Opinions and Society’s Norms”, “Life has Changed in a Positive Way” and “Accepting Inner Self and Bodily Changes”. Finally, to elaborate on previous studies' findings and better understand the current knowledge base, a systematic review and interpretative meta-synthesis of published literature involving qualitative methods concerning women’s experiences of womanliness related to changes after undergoing bariatric surgery was conducted in study IV. Ten relevant studies were included, and a meta-synthesis, according to Gadamer’s hermeneutics, created the fusions of “Womanliness,” “A Healthy and Functioning Body,” and “Mind and Body Connection.” This thesis provides a clearer understanding of the experiences of living with obesity that motivate premenopausal women to seek bariatric surgery. The importance of postoperative benefits such as restored function, health and womanliness are illustrated as well as clarifying difficulties involving adaptations to life after surgery. These findings may inform potential bariatric surgery candidates and healthcare professionals of the experiences of women living with obesity, as well as expectations, postoperative experiences and challenges. These findings promote patient-centred guidance prior to surgery and during postoperative follow-up.
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| 7. |
- Zeuchner, Jakob, et al.
(author)
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Introduction of a rapid sequence induction checklist and its effect on compliance to guidelines and complications
- 2021
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In: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-5172 .- 1399-6576. ; 65:9, s. 1205-1212
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Current evidence for the conduct of rapid sequence induction (RSI) is weak. This increases the risk of clinicians modifying the RSI procedure according to personal preferences. Checklists may help increase compliance to best practice guidelines and reduce complication rates. Their value during RSI, a critical procedure in anaesthesia, is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate compliance to local guidelines and frequency of RSI-related complications before and after introduction of an RSI checklist. Methods This was a prospective, observational, pre- and post-intervention study conducted at two hospitals. There were two interventions: the first was a standardized educational lecture to all staff at both hospitals, consisting of an educational instruction of the checklist and general information about RSI, and the second intervention was the introduction of a RSI checklist. The checklist consisted of 16 items. Compliance to guidelines was categorized as high, moderate and low, and was assessed pre- and post-intervention. The frequency of RSI-related complications was also measured. Results We registered 811 RSI procedures of which 412 were pre-intervention. After intervention, the proportion of procedures with high compliance to RSI guidelines increased from 49% to 70% (P < .001). The proportion with partial and low compliance decreased from 37% to 26% (P < .001) and 13% to 3.3% (P < .001) respectively. No change in RSI-related complication rates was detectable post-intervention (16.6%-16.7% P = .56). Conclusion The introduction of a structured RSI checklist significantly increased compliance to RSI guidelines. A change in RSI-related complications could not be detected due to the size of the study. A checklist may be a useful tool to reduce variance during the RSI procedure.
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