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Terms modified by Swedish Selected AbstractsPredicting reading and spelling difficulties in transparent and opaque orthographies: a comparison between Scandinavian and US/Australian childrenDYSLEXIA, Issue 2 2010Bjarte Furnes Abstract In this study, predictors of reading and spelling difficulties among children learning more transparent (Norwegian/Swedish) and less transparent (English) orthographies were examined longitudinally from preschool through Grade 2 using parallel versions of tests. A series of logistic regression analysis indicated three main findings. First, phonological awareness as a predictor of reading difficulties in the Scandinavian sample was time-limited to Grade 1, but remained as a significant predictor in the English-speaking sample. Second, phonological awareness predicted spelling difficulties similarly across orthographies. Third, preschool and kindergarten RAN was a significant predictor of reading and spelling difficulties at both Grades 1 and 2 across orthographies. The authors conclude that phonological awareness diminishes as a predictor of reading difficulties in transparent orthographies after the first years of schooling, that RAN is a better long-term predictor of reading difficulties, and that phonological awareness is associated with spelling difficulties similarly in transparent and opaque orthographies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] New reference for the age at childhood onset of growth and secular trend in the timing of puberty in SwedishACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 6 2000YX Liu The objectives of the present work were to present a new reference for the age at childhood onset of growth and to investigate the secular trend in the timing of puberty in a community-based normal population in Sweden. A total of 2432 children with longitudinal length/height data from birth to adulthood were used to determine the two measures by visual inspection of the measured attained length/height and the change in growth velocity displayed on a computer-generated infancy-childhood-puberty (ICP) based growth chart. The series represents a sample of normal full-term children born around 1974 in Göteborg, Sweden. We found about 10% of children were delayed (>12 mo of age) in the childhood onset of growth based on the previous reported normal range, i.e. 14% in boys and 8% in girls. Distribution of the age at childhood onset of growth was skewed. The medians were 10 and 9 mo for boys and girls, respectively. After natural logarithmic transformation, the mean and standard deviation (SD) were 2.29 (anti-log 9.9 mo) and 0.226 for boys, 2.23 (anti-log 9.3 mo) and 0.220 for girls, respectively. The 95% normal ranges were 6.3-15.4 and 6.0-14.3 for boys and girls, respectively. The distribution of the timing of PHV was close to the normal distribution. The mean values were 13.5 y for boys and 11.6 y for girls with 1 y SD for both sexes. Conclusion: A downward secular trend in the onset of puberty was clearly shown in the population. The age at childhood onset of growth did not correlate with the timing of puberty (r=,0.01 and 0.05, p > 0.7 and 0.1 in boys and girls, respectively). Normal ranges of the age at childhood onset of growth are in need of revise, as this study indicates. The new reference presented here could be a reliable indicator in further studies. [source] Ethical considerations in drama and conflict resolution research in Swedish and Australian schoolsCONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2005Dale Bagshaw This article discusses ethical considerations arising from drama and conflict research with adolescents in schools in two reasonably similar Western countries, Sweden and Australia. It proposes guidelines in sensitivity and ethical responsiveness for qualitative researchers who are working with adolescents in these areas in an educational context. [source] Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002): a new tool for surveying occupational skin diseases and exposureCONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 2 2003P Susitaival Occupational skin diseases are among the most frequent work-related diseases in industrialized countries. Good occupational skin disease statistics exist in few countries. Questionnaire studies are needed to get more data on the epidemiology of occupational skin diseases. The Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire Group has developed a new questionnaire tool , Nordic Occupational Skin Questionnaire (NOSQ-2002) , for surveys on work-related skin disease and exposures to environmental factors. The 2 NOSQ-2002 questionnaires have been compiled by using existing questionnaires and experience. NOSQ-2002/SHORT is a ready-to-use 4-page questionnaire for screening and monitoring occupational skin diseases, e.g. in a population or workplace. All the questions in the short questionnaire (NOSQ-2002/SHORT) are included in the long version, NOSQ-2002/LONG, which contains a pool of questions to be chosen according to research needs and tailored to specific populations. The NOSQ-2002 report includes, in addition to the questionnaires, a comprehensive manual for researchers on planning and conducting a questionnaire survey on hand eczema and relevant exposures. NOSQ-2002 questionnaires have been compiled in English and translated into Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Icelandic. The use of NOSQ-2002 will benefit research on occupational skin diseases by providing more standardized data, which can be compared between studies and countries. [source] Child behaviour and adult personality: comparisons between criminality groups in Finland and SwedenCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2000Professor Lea Pulkkinen Background; Lately there has been an increasing interest in whether personality traits are associated with criminal behaviour in male and female subjects. Criminality and alcohol abuse are often associated. Delinquent adolescents are impulsive and danger seeking. Childhood aggression may be a precursor of adult criminality. Method Using longitudinal data, adult personality and childhood behaviours were examined for groups of non-criminals and criminals of Finnish (n = 268) and Swedish (n + 169) samples, and crime groups were compared in the two cultures. Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) were given at adult age and the participants had been observed and rated by their teachers in respect of behaviour in childhood (at age 8 years and 13 years, respectively). Results Male offenders with alcohol problems (Finnish and Swedish) had significantly higher scores on psychopathy-related personality traits in adulthood than other subgroups, as indicated by higher impulsivity, muscular tension and lower socialization. They also displayed higher scores on teacher-rated aggressiveness in childhood than the non-criminal groups. The female subgroup displaying criminal activity was small. It did not differ significantly from non-offenders in adult personality characteristics. Female offenders, however, showed early indications of lower sociability (in Finland) and higher aggressiveness and disharmony in childhood than non-offenders (in Sweden). Discussion The study suggests that early problem behaviours are precursors of subsequent criminal activity in at least two cultures. The results emphasize the importance of longitudinal research programmes. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Error patterns in word reading among primary school children: A cross-orthographic studyDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2004Louise Miller Guron Abstract A comparative investigation of word reading efficiency indicates that different strategies may be used by English and Swedish early readers. In a first study, 328 native English speakers from UK Years 3 and 6 completed a pen-and-paper word recognition task (the Wordchains test). Results were analysed for frequency and type of errors committed. A sample of 123 chronological-age-matched Swedish children carried out the same task on a matched Swedish test. For a sub-sample of 68 English/Swedish pairs matched on word recognition score and sex, significant differences were observed in a comparison of average and low scorers from the two language groups. The English children attempted more task items and committed more errors, while the Swedish group corrected their errors more, suggesting a difference in approach to the task. A second study of a larger Swedish sample (241 participants) found the same pattern of errors as Study 1. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the effects of orthographic depth and morphemic complexity. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of landscape composition and substrate availability on saproxylic beetles in boreal forests: a study using experimental logs for monitoring assemblagesECOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2006Heloise Gibb Intensive forestry practises in the Swedish landscape have led to the loss and fragmentation of stable old-growth habitats. We investigated relationships between landscape composition at multiple scales and the composition of saproxylic beetle assemblages in nine clear-cut, mature managed and old-growth spruce-dominated forest stands in the central boreal zone of Sweden. We set out fresh spruce and birch logs and created spruce snags in 2001,2002 to experimentally test the effects of coarse woody debris (CWD) type and forest management on the composition of early and late successional, and red-listed saproxylic beetle assemblages. We examined effects of CWD availability at 100 m, and landscape composition at 1 and 10 km on saproxylic beetle abundances. Additionally, we tested whether assemblage similarity decreased with increasing distance between sites. We collected beetles from the experimental logs using eclector and window traps in four periods during 2003. CWD was measured and landscape composition data was obtained from maps of remotely sensed data. The composition of saproxylic beetles differed among different CWD substrates and between clear-cuts and the older stand types, however differences between mature managed and old-growth forests were significant only for red-listed species. Assemblage similarities for red-listed species on clear-cuts were more different at greater distances apart, indicating that they have more localised distributions. CWD availability within 100 m of the study sites was rarely important in determining the abundance of species, suggesting that early successional saproxylic beetles can disperse further than this distance. At a larger scale, a large area of suitable stand types within both 1 and 10 km resulted in greater abundances in the study sites for several common and habitat-specific species. The availability of suitable habitat at scales of 1,10 km is thus likely to be important in the survival of many saproxylic species in forestry-fragmented areas. [source] Genet age in marginal populations of two clonal Carex species in the Siberian ArcticECOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2000Ingibjörg S. Jónsdóttir During a Swedish-Russian expedition to northern Siberia 1994, we sampled two marginal populations of two Carex species at two high arctic sites (C, stans Drej. on Faddeyevsky Island and C. ensifolia V. Krecz ssp. arctisibirica Jurtz. at north-eastern Taymyr Peninsula), both north of previously documented localities in that areas for the two species. These populations were composed of a few distinct patches of ramet colonies, some of them shaped like fairy rings with dead centres. We measured the size of all colonies and collected samples for detailed morphometric analyses of rhizome growth. By using RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA) analysis we established that the largest colony at each site consisted of a single genet, based on 41 polymorphic bands amplified with three primers. Pooled samples from each of two additional colonies of C. stans on Faddeyevsky Island were analysed and showed that clones of the same species at the same site were relatively dissimilar (Dice's similarity index 0.26 0,43), We then assumed that each ramet colony represented a single genet. Based on the morphometric data, we developed a deterministic growth model that simulates the clonal growth of these species and enabled estimates of the time since establishment of the genets. The estimated age of the five C. Stans clones varied from 17 to 154 yr and the age of the two C. ensifolia ssp, arctisibirica clones was well over 3000 yr. [source] Baltic iron and the British iron industry in the eighteenth centuryECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 4 2002Chris Evans Before the revolution in coal technology that swept the British iron industry in the last years of the eighteenth century, native ironmasters were unable to meet the burgeoning demand for malleable bar iron. The shortfall was made good by imports of bar iron from the Baltic, first from Sweden, then from Russia. This article presents new empirical evidence on the role played by Baltic iron in the Georgian economy. It also considers the impact of Swedish and Russian iron on domestic ironmasters as they sought organizational, as well as technological, ways to overcome the energy constraints facing the industry. [source] Strategic Use of Corporate VenturingENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 2 2007Jeffrey G. Covin Corporate venturing (CV) is said to be most productive as a path to superior corporate performance when practiced in a strategic manner. Unfortunately, considerable ambiguity exists concerning what it means in an organizational practice sense to strategically pursue CV. The result is a failure of many companies to fully leverage CV for strategic purposes. Based on a review of the CV literature and findings from a field study of 15 Swedish, U.K., and U.S. corporations, this article describes several models that depict the ways in which CV and business strategy coexist as organizational phenomena. Empirically derived propositions are offered to suggest how some companies are strategically engaged in their CV efforts. [source] Sociocultural Variation in Mothers' Control over Children's BehaviorETHOS, Issue 1 2004Associate Professor Tiia Tulviste Prior findings of strict control of middle-class Estonian mothers have not been consistent with middle-class parent,child interaction patterns reported in other studies. The current study sought to find out to what degree the tendency to be more controlling toward children can be explained by the Estonian mothers' own experience of growing up in a totalitarian society. With this aim, measures of maternal controlling attitudes and actual verbal control of children were employed in a second country with a similar history of Soviet occupation,Latvia, and compared with previous data on Estonian, Finnish, and Swedish mono- and bicultural mothers. The questionnaire data revealed that Estonian (including Swedish,Estonian) and Latvian mothers placed higher emphasis on controlling children than did Finnish and Swedish mothers. At the same time, in their real-life interactions, only Estonian mothers living in Estonia exhibited a highly directive conversational style. Finally, the discussion focuses on possible reasons for cultural variability in maternal controlling attitudes and actual control of children. [source] Swedish snuff: a hazardous experiment when interpreting scientific data into public health ethicsADDICTION, Issue 9 2003GUNILLA BOLINDER First page of article [source] Association of psoriasis to PGLYRP and SPRR genes at PSORS4 locus on 1q shows heterogeneity between Finnish, Swedish and Irish familiesEXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Kati Kainu Abstract:, A susceptibility locus for psoriasis, PSORS4, has been mapped to chromosome 1q21 in the region of the epidermal differentiation complex. The region has been refined to a 115 kb interval around the loricrin (LOR) gene. However, no evidence of association between polymorphisms in the LOR gene and psoriasis has been found. Therefore, we have analysed association to three candidate gene clusters of the region, the S100, small proline-rich protein (SPRR) and PGLYRP (peptidoglycan recognition protein) genes, which all contain functionally interesting psoriasis candidate genes. In previous studies, the SPRR and S100 genes have shown altered expression in psoriasis. Also polymorphisms in the PGLYRP genes have shown to be associated with psoriasis. We genotyped altogether 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 255 Finnish psoriasis families and analysed association with psoriasis using transmission disequilibrium test. A five-SNP haplotype of PGLYRP SNPs associated significantly with psoriasis. There was also suggestive evidence of association to SPRR gene locus in Finnish families. To confirm the putative associations, selected SNPs were genotyped also in a family collection of Swedish and Irish patients. The families supported association to the two gene regions, but there was also evidence of allelic heterogeneity. [source] More Peace for Less Money: Measurement and Accountability in the Swedish Armed ForcesFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2005Bino Catasús Studies of measurement and accountability are leading public sector transformation. By examining military work, this paper addresses the relationship between measurements and accountability by highlighting the measurements. Evidence was gathered from documents, political statements and field research. Several layers of accountability systems were found in the organisation. The principal can be the weak link in an accountability relationship if the measurement agenda is in the hands of the agent. The problems seem to go beyond performance and output, and a more fundamental question is challenging the public sector: `Are we doing the right things?' Or an even more dramatic existential question arises: `Why do we exist?' [source] Ownership and Production Costs: Choosing between Public Production and Contracting-Out in the Case of Swedish Refuse CollectionFISCAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2003Henry Ohlsson Abstract Many comparisons of public and private firms use a public/private ownership dummy variable to capture cost differences. If, however, public and private firms use different production technologies, the dummy-variable approach is misspecified. Data from public and private firms should not be pooled. Secondly, selectivity bias may arise, making it more difficult to identify cost differentials that actually exist. Thirdly, if data should be pooled, the resulting empirical model may be logically inconsistent. This paper compares public and private firms using the refuse collection costs of 170 firms in 115 Swedish municipalities. First, public production costs were 6 per cent lower than private production costs. Secondly, cost differences did not affect producer choice. It is crucial to adjust for selectivity. Data for private and public firms should not be pooled. The dummy-variable model is misspecified. [source] Telling stories from everyday practice, an opportunity to see a bigger picture: a participatory action research project about developing discharge planningHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2009Pia Petersson RN Abstract In spite of laws, rules and routines, findings from Swedish as well as international research show that discharge planning is not a simple matter. There is considerable knowledge about discharge planning, but the quality of the actual process in practice remains poor. With this in mind, a research and developmental health and social care network decided to use participation action research to explore the discharge planning situation in order to generate new ideas for development. This paper reports on the research process and the findings about our enhanced understanding about the discharge planning situation. Story dialogue method was used. The method is based on stories from everyday practice. The stories are used as ,triggers' to ask probing questions in a dialogical and structured form. Local theory is developed to help the participants to find solutions for action in the practice. Our findings were that the discharge planning situation could be seen as a system including three interconnected areas: patient participation, practitioners' competence and organizational support. To reach good quality in discharge planning, all these three issues need to be developed, but not only as routines and forms. Rather, when developing a discharge planning situation, a system where relational aspects such as confidence and continuity are essential and thus needs to be considered. To achieve a change, the core problem needs to be clarified. When the issue is complex, the solution needs to consider the bigger picture and not just the parts. Telling stories from everyday practice, and to systematically reflect and analyse those in interprofessional groups can create opportunities for enhanced understanding, as well as be a vehicle for future change of practice. [source] Gatekeepers in sickness insurance: a systematic review of the literature on practices of social insurance officersHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2005Elsy Söderberg Abstract Decisions concerning entitlement to sickness benefits have a substantial impact on the lives of individuals and on society. In most countries, such decisions are made by staff of private or public insurance organisations. The work performed by these professionals is debated, hence more knowledge is needed on this subject. The aim of the present study was to review scientific studies of the practices of social insurance officers (SIOs) published in English, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Studies were searched for in literature databases, in reference lists, and through personal contacts. Analyses were made of type of study, areas investigated, research questions, theories used, and the results. Sixteen studies were included. SIOs and several other actors are responsible for applying measures to minimise sick-leave and promote return to work (RTW). The studies focusing on coordination of such measures revealed that SIOs felt unsure about how to handle their contacts with clients and other actors. One study indicated that the SIOs, partly due to lack of time, accepted the recommendations of physicians instead of making their own judgments about granting sickness benefits. While all SIOs must make decisions concerning entitlement to sickness benefits on a daily basis, few of the reviewed studies scrutinised the actual granting of sickness compensation. The studies were also deficient in that they investigated the decision latitude of the SIOs from a very limited perspective, mainly on an individual level and often primarily in relation to colleagues and/or clients rather than to the laws and regulations of the sickness insurance. The concepts and framework in this area of research need to be developed to facilitate elucidation of the interaction between different actors in local spheres, professionals in different disciplines, and between welfare staff and individual citizens. [source] Transglutaminase-1 gene mutations in autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis: Summary of mutations (including 23 novel) and modeling of TGase-1,HUMAN MUTATION, Issue 4 2009Matthew L. Herman Abstract Autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI) is a heterogeneous group of rare cornification diseases. Germline mutations in TGM1 are the most common cause of ARCI in the United States. TGM1 encodes for the TGase-1 enzyme that functions in the formation of the cornified cell envelope. Structurally defective or attenuated cornified cell envelop have been shown in epidermal scales and appendages of ARCI patients with TGM1 mutations. We review the clinical manifestations as well as the molecular genetics of ARCI. In addition, we characterized 115 TGM1 mutations reported in 234 patients from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds (Caucasion Americans, Norwegians, Swedish, Finnish, German, Swiss, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Hispanics, Iranian, Tunisian, Moroccan, Egyptian, Afghani, Hungarian, African Americans, Korean, Japanese and South African). We report 23 novel mutations: 71 (62%) missense; 20 (17%) nonsense; 9 (8%) deletion; 8 (7%) splice-site, and 7 (6%) insertion. The c.877-2A>G was the most commonly reported TGM1 mutation accounting for 34% (147 of 435) of all TGM1 mutant alleles reported to date. It had been shown that this mutation is common among North American and Norwegian patients due to a founder effect. Thirty-one percent (36 of 115) of all mutations and 41% (29 of 71) of missense mutations occurred in arginine residues in TGase-1. Forty-nine percent (35 of 71) of missense mutations were within CpG dinucleotides, and 74% (26/35) of these mutations were C>T or G>A transitions. We constructed a model of human TGase-1 and showed that all mutated arginines that reside in the two beta-barrel domains and two (R142 and R143) in the beta-sandwich are located at domain interfaces. In conclusion, this study expands the TGM1 mutation spectrum and summarizes the current knowledge of TGM1 mutations. The high frequency of mutated arginine codons in TGM1 may be due to the deamination of 5, methylated CpG dinucleotides. Hum Mutat 0, 1,12, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Environmental factors in inflammatory bowel disease: A co-twin control study of a Swedish-Danish twin populationINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 10 2006Jonas Halfvarson MD Abstract Background: Genetics and environmental factors are implicated in the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We studied environmental factors in a population-based Swedish-Danish twin cohort using the co-twin control method. Subjects and Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 317 twin pairs regarding markers of exposures in the following areas: infections/colonization and diet as well as smoking, appendectomy, and oral contraceptives. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by conditional logistic regression. When confounding appeared plausible, multivariate conditional logistic regression was added. The questions were also divided into topic groups, and adjustment was made for multiple testing within each of the groups. Results: The response rate to the questionnaire was 83%. In consideration of the study design, only discordant pairs were included (Crohn's disease [CD], n = 102; ulcerative colitis [UC], n > = 125). Recurrent gastrointestinal infections were associated with both UC (OR, 8.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0,64) and CD (OR, 5.5; 95% CI, 1.2,25). Hospitalization for gastrointestinal infections was associated with CD (OR, 12; 95% CI, 1.6,92). Smoking was inversely associated with UC (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2,0.9) and associated with CD (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2,7.1). Conclusions: The observed associations indicate that markers of possible infectious events may influence the risk of IBD. Some of these effects might be mediated by long-term changes in gut flora or alterations in reactivity to the flora. The influence of smoking in IBD was confirmed. [source] Personnel breathing zone sevoflurane concentration adherence to occupational exposure limits in conjunction with filling of vaporisersACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 9 2010H. HEIJBEL Background: Work place pollution during filling of anaesthetic vaporisers has been a matter of concern. We studied personnel breathing zone ambient air sevoflurane concentrations during filling of sevoflurane with three different filling systems: Quik-FilÔ for Abbott and Dräger FillÔ resp. Easy-FilÔ adapters for Baxter sevoflurane bottles, referred to as ,Abbott and Baxter filling systems'. Method: Sequential filling of three vaporisers was performed for a 15-min period, once with each of Abbott and Baxter filling systems, by four nurses. Ambient-air sevoflurane p.p.m. concentration in the breathing zone was continuously measured using a Miran 1a device during filling, and the mean 15 min sevoflurane concentration was calculated. Results: All eight measured (4 × 2 sequences) 15-min mean breathing zone sevoflurane concentrations covering filling of three vaporisers were well below the recommended short-term value (STV) provided by the Swedish Work Environment Authority (STV 20 p.p.m.). Conclusion: The breathing zone sevoflurane concentration during filling of sevoflurane with Baxter or Abbott filling systems, in an ordinary operating theatre, was found to be reassuringly below the Swedish recommended STV (20 p.p.m. average for a 15-min period). [source] Bilingual lexical development: a Persian,Swedish word association studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, Issue 3 2004Shidrokh Namei Previous word association studies show that the first language (L1) mental lexicon is organized mainly on a semantic basis, while the organization of the second language (L2) mental lexicon in the early stages of development is phonologically based, indicating a less profound lexical knowledge. This study examines whether or not this is the case by comparing 100 Persian,Swedish bilingual subjects with 100 native speakers of Swedish and Persian. The elicitation instrument was the Kent-Rosanoff association list (1910), and the subjects' task was to give a single-word response to each stimulus word. The results show that phonologically-based associations occur in both the L1 and the L2 as a function of the degree of word knowledge. Phonologically-based organization is a primary acquisition feature of every individual word, and it is not abandoned even during the advanced stages of language proficiency, whether in the L1 or the L2. It was found that words that are barely known may elicit phonologically-based associations, those that are partially known may have a strong syntactic organization, and well-known words are connected to other words mainly on a semantic basis. [source] Co-twin control and cohort analyses of body mass index and height in relation to breast, prostate, ovarian, corpus uteri, colon and rectal cancer among Swedish and Finnish twinsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 4 2007Ellen Lundqvist Abstract Associations between anthropometric measures and cancer have been studied previously, but relatively few studies have had the opportunity to control for genetic and early shared environmental factors. In this study, we analyzed 2 twin cohorts from Sweden born 1886,1925 (n = 21,870) and 1926,1958 (n = 30,279) and 1 from Finland born 1880,1958 (n = 25,882) including in total 78,031 twins, and studied the association between BMI and height and risk of prostate, breast, ovarian, corpus uteri, colon and rectal cancer. The cohorts were both analyzed through a co-twin control method and as traditional cohorts. In co-twin control analyses, older obese (BMI , 30 kg/m2) subjects (median age 56 years at baseline) were at higher risk of cancer of the corpus uteri (OR = 3.0; 95% CI 0.9,10.6), colon (OR = 1.9; 95% CI 0.8,4.5) and breast (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.3,4.2). For younger obese women (median age 30 years at baseline), an inverse tendency was observed for breast cancer (OR = 0.6; 95% CI 0.3,1.5, p for trend = 0.05). The tallest women had an increased risk of breast (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.3,2.7) and ovarian cancer (OR = 1.7; 95% CI 0.8,3.5). No consistent associations were found for prostate cancer either for BMI or height. There are some suggestions in our study that uncontrolled genetic or early shared environmental factors may affect risk estimates in studies of anthropometric measures and cancer risk, but do not explain observations of increased cancer risks related to BMI or height. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale: translation and reliability testing in a Swedish intensive care unitACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2010M. ALMGREN Background: Awareness about adequate sedation in mechanically ventilated patients has increased in recent years. The use of a sedation scale to continually evaluate the patient's response to sedation may promote earlier extubation and may subsequently have a positive effect on the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) provides 10 well-defined levels divided into two different segments, including criteria for levels of sedation and agitation. Previous studies of the RASS have shown it to have strong reliability and validity. The aim of this study was to translate the RASS into Swedish and to test the inter-rater reliability of the scale in a Swedish ICU. Methods: A translation of the RASS from English into Swedish was carried out, including back-translation, critical review and pilot testing. The inter-rater reliability testing was conducted in a general ICU at a university hospital in the south of Sweden, including 15 patients mechanically ventilated and sedated. Forty in-pair assessments using the Swedish version of the RASS were performed and the inter-rater reliability was tested using weighted , statistics (linear weighting). Result: The translation of the RASS was successful and the Swedish version was found to be satisfactory and applicable in the ICU. When tested for inter-rater reliability, the weighed , value was 0.86. Conclusion: This study indicates that the Swedish version of the RASS is applicable with good inter-rater reliability, suggesting that the RASS can be useful for sedation assessment of patients mechanically ventilated in Swedish general ICUs. [source] Variations in number and morphology of permanent teeth in 7-year-old Swedish childrenINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 1 2001B. Bäckman Summary.Objectives. To establish the prevalence of numerical and morphological variations of permanent teeth in Swedish 7-year-olds and to accept or reject the hypothesis of a higher prevalence for these conditions in northern Sweden compared to other areas. Design. Cross-sectional. Setting. Department of Odontology/Pedodontics, Umeå University, Sweden. Sample and methods. A total of 739 healthy Caucasian 7-year-olds residing in the city of Umeå, northern Sweden in 1976. The children were examined clinically and radiographically. Results. The prevalence of hypodontia (excluding third molars) in girls was 8·4%, in boys 6·5%, and in both sexes combined 7·4%. Of the children with hypodontia, the majority (90·9%) lacked one or two teeth. Lower second premolars were the teeth most frequently missing. The prevalence of hyperdontia was 1·9%; 11 girls and three boys were affected; 78% of the supernumerary teeth were mesiodenses. Of the morphological variations, peg-shaped upper lateral incisors were found in 0·8% of the children, double-formation (gemination) in 0·3%, taurodontism in 0·3% and dens invaginatus in 6·8%. One diagnosis was found in 18% of the children, and in almost 8% of them more than one diagnosis was found. Conclusions. The results agree with those obtained in similar populations and are considered representative of this ethnic group. The hypothesis of a genetically determined higher prevalence of numerical and morphological variations in the study population was not verified. [source] Childbearing after Migration: Fertility Patterns of Foreign-born Women in Sweden,INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 2 2004Gunnar Andersson The present study provides an investigation of patterns in childbearing among foreign-born women in Sweden from the 1960s to the 1990s. Event-history techniques are applied to longitudinal population register data on childbearing and migration of 446,000 foreign-born women who had ever lived in Sweden before the end of 1999. Period trends in parity-specific fertility appear to be quite similar for Swedish- and foreignborn women, but important differences exist in levels of childbearing propensities between women from different countries of origin. Most immigrant groups tend to display higher levels of childbearing shortly after immigration. We conclude that migration and family building in many cases are interrelated processes and that it is always important to account for time since migration when fertility of immigrants is studied. [source] Young People of Migrant Origin in SwedenINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 4 2003Charles Westin This article surveys immigration during the second part of the twentieth century with the aim of determining the origins of the immigrant population and the socioeconomic position of the second generation. It focuses on migration from Turkey from the 1960s onward. Originally, migration from Turkey was within the framework of labor recruitment. These migrants were predominantly ethnic Turks of rural origin. A second wave of migrants from Turkey was composed of Syriani/Assyrians, a Christian minority from eastern Turkey seeking asylum in the 1970s on the grounds of religious persecution. Since the 1980s, the main intake of migrants from Turkey has been Kurds seeking protection on the grounds of political persecution. Immigration of ethnic Turks and Syriani/Assyrians is restricted to family reunification and family formation; the numbers are low. Kurds, on the other hand, are accepted both on the grounds of refugee claims and family reunification/family formation. The article looks at conditions of growing up in Sweden, with a particular focus on education, mother-tongue classes and instruction in Swedish. Second-generation youth distinguish themselves by an overrepresentation among dropouts from school, but also by an overrepresentation among those who do well academically in comparison with native Swedes. This applies to second-generation youth with family roots in Turkey. Though very few under the age of 18 hold regular employment, the article also discusses the prospects of entering the labor market, based on information from the regular labor market surveys. Unemployment rates are consistently higher for second-generation migrants than for native-born Swedish youth. The article closes with a discussion about the developing multicultural society in Sweden and the niches that second-generation youth tend to occupy. [source] A systematic review of professional support interventions for breastfeedingJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 9 2008Leena Hannula PhD Objectives., The objectives of this systematic review were first, to describe how breastfeeding is professionally supported during pregnancy, at maternity hospitals and during the postnatal period. Secondly, to find out how effective interventions are in supporting breastfeeding. Background., Breastfeeding is an effective way to promote the health of infants. In many countries, the rates for breastfeeding remain lower than recommended. Many studies have examined breastfeeding promotion interventions; some of them are successful and some fail. It is important to find effective combinations of support. Design. Systematic review. Methods., Search of CINAHL, Medline and Cochrane Central Register databases were conducted for data collection. The search was limited to articles published in Finnish, Swedish and English between the year 2000 and March 2006, focusing on breastfeeding and breastfeeding support interventions. Two reviewers independently analysed 36 articles in the final analysis. Results., Interventions expanding from pregnancy to the intrapartum period and throughout the postnatal period were more effective than interventions concentrating on a shorter period. In addition, intervention packages using various methods of education and support from well-trained professionals are more effective than interventions concentrating on a single method. Conclusions., During pregnancy, the effective interventions were interactive, involving mothers in conversation. The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) as well as practical hands off -teaching, when combined with support and encouragement, were effective approaches. Postnatally effective were home visits, telephone support and breastfeeding centres combined with peer support. Relevance to clinical practice., Professionals need breastfeeding education and support of their organisations to act as breastfeeding supporters. The BFHI -programme is effective and it would be wise to include the core components of the programme in breastfeeding promotion interventions. Mothers benefit from breastfeeding encouragement and guidance that supports their self-efficacy and feelings of being capable and empowered, and is tailored to their individual needs. [source] Swedish Registered Nurses' incentives to use nursing diagnoses in clinical practiceJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 8 2006Lena Axelsson BSc Aims and objectives., The purpose of this study was to describe Registered Nurses' incentives to use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Background., The use of nursing diagnoses is scarce in Swedish patient records. However, there are hospital wards were all nurses formulate and use nursing diagnoses in their daily work. This leads to the question of what motivates these nurses who do use nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Design., A qualitative descriptive design. Methods., A purposeful sampling of 12 Registered Nurses was used. Qualitative interviews to collect data and a content analysis were performed. Results., Five categories were identified: identification of the patient as an individual and as a whole, a working tool for facilitating nursing care, increasing awareness within nursing, support from the management and influence on the professional role. The principle findings of this study were: (i) that the Registered Nurses perceived that nursing diagnoses clarified the patient's individual needs and thereby enabled them to decide on more specific nursing interventions, (ii) that nursing diagnoses were found to facilitate communication between colleagues concerning patient care and thus promoted continuity of care and saved time and (iii) that nursing diagnoses were perceived to increase the Registered Nurses' reflective thinking leading to a continuous development of professional knowledge. Conclusions., The present findings suggest that the incentives to use nursing diagnoses originate from effects generated from performing a deeper analysis of the patient's nursing needs. Further research is needed to test and validate the usability and consequences of using nursing diagnoses in clinical practice. Relevance to clinical practice., Motivating factors found in this study may be valuable to Registered Nurses for the use and development of nursing diagnoses in clinical care. Moreover, these factors may be of relevance in other countries that are in a similar situation as Sweden concerning application of nursing diagnoses. [source] Measuring patient assessments of the quality of outpatient care: a systematic reviewJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 1 2008Tiina Säilä MNSc Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives, The aim of the study was to answer three questions: first, what methods have been used to measure patient assessments of the quality of care? Second, how do outpatients rate their care? And third, what needs to be taken into account in measuring patient assessments of the quality of care? Methods, Systematic review of the literature. Electronic searches were conducted on Medline, CINAHL and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. To be included, articles were to deal with patients' assessments of health care in ambulatory units for somatic adult patients. They were to have been published between January 2000 and May 2005, written in English, Swedish or Finnish with an English abstract, and the research was to have been conducted in Europe. The search terms used were: ambulatory care, ambulatory care facilities, outpatient, outpatients, patient satisfaction and quality of health care. The articles were screened by two independent reviewers in three phases. Results, Thirty-five articles were included. The quality of care was measured using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Only a few studies relied on the single criterion of patient satisfaction for quality measurements. It is easy to identify common sources of dissatisfaction in different studies. Sources of satisfaction are more closely dependent on the target population, the context and research design. Conclusion, Patient satisfaction is widely used as one indicator among others in assessing the quality of outpatient care. However, there is no single, universally accepted method for measuring this. [source] The effects of thermal effluent exposure on the gametogenesis of female fishJOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000D. Luk High temperature in Swedish and Lithuanian thermal effluent areas influenced gametogenesis of female perch Perca fluviatilis, roach Rutilus rutilus and pike Esox lucius negatively, indicating reduced reproductive capacity. Oocyte atresia started during vitellogenesis in autumn, and was often followed by asynchronous egg cell development. Among other anomalies, multi-nucleus oocytes and hermaphroditism were observed. No significant impact was seen in silver bream Blicca bjoerkna. Ruffe Gymnocephalus cernuus reacted by a tendency to produce an additional mature oocyte generation during the spawning period. Ovaries in roach from coastal areas were often infected by a microsporidian parasite Pleistophora mirandellae, causing severe damage to the gonad. Parasites were also detected in pike, but neither in perch nor in lake populations of roach. Fish living in open coastal environments did not avoid impact by moving out of the heated areas. There seems to be a conflict in some temperate fish between temperature preference behaviour and safeguarding normal reproduction. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||