The economic impact of multiple sclerosis to the patients and their families in Norway.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) imposes high economic costs on society, but the patients and their families have to bear some of these costs.

Objective: We aimed to estimate the magnitude of these economic costs in Norway.

Method: We collected data through a postal questionnaire survey targeting 922 MS patients in Hordaland County, western Norway, in 2013-2014; 546 agreed to participate and were included.

[A user evaluation of software programs in family practice].

Software for electronic patient journals was evaluated. A questionnaire was sent to a total of 551 general practitioners working on contract, salaried general practitioners and specialist practitioners. Among the 345 respondents, 63% used electronic journals.

[Scleroderma with an unusual complication].

A 30 year-old woman who had had progressive systemic sclerosis for seven years was admitted to our hospital with a history of one week of increasing abdominal girth and one month's history of increasing peripheral oedema, especially in the lower limbs, and a weight loss of 10 kilograms in the course of five months. On admission she had oedema of the lower limbs, lower back and abdomen, and had ascites but no signs of peritonitis. An abdominal X-ray examination revealed distended bowels with elevated air fluid levels and pneumoperitoneum.

[Occupational environment and health among hospital physicians].

66% of the hospital doctors at the Central Hospital, Akershus and Ullevål Hospital responded to a questionnaire concerning different aspects of a doctor's work situation and health. The investigation revealed a large work load and lack of consulting rooms and equipment. Violence, threats, abusive language, risk of infection, high temperatures, cytostatic drugs, narcosic gases, irradiation are all risk factors during daily work for a large percentage of the doctors.

24,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 treatment inhibits parathyroid-stimulated adenylate cyclase in iliac crest biopsies from uremic patients.

Renal osteodystrophy with increased bone resorption is a major clinical problem in patients with chronic renal failure. Previous reports have shown that treatment with 24,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 (24,25(OH)2D3) may result in decreased bone resorption. The present study addresses basic mechanisms for the action of 24,25(OH)2D3 in bone of patients with elevated serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels due to chronic renal disease.

[Exposure to blood among hospital physicians].

We used a questionnaire to study the working situation of physicians in two large Norwegian hospitals. During the last six months 40% of the doctors reported one or more episodes of exposure to blood when transfer of infectious agents such as hepatitis B-virus or HIV would have been possible. The fact that so many doctors had been exposed to blood conflicts with the low number reported to the hospital department of the occupational health service.

Quality of life after kidney transplantation. A 10-22 years follow-up.

Out of 69 patients who were kidney transplanted from 1963 to 1978, 33 patients were alive with a functioning graft in 1988. Of these, 94% completed a questionnaire for the assessment of the quality of life. The total life situation was considered very good by 16%, good by 48%, medium by 29% and difficult by 6%.

Alterations in serum and urine parameters reflecting bone turnover in uremic patients during treatment with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

Previously we demonstrated that bone resorption in uremic patients appears to be related to increased serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and to osseous PTH-stimulated adenylate cyclase (AC), the latter being inversely correlated to serum 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24,25(OH)2D3]. In this study, we continue to examine the possible modulatory role of vitamin D3 analogs on the progression of the uremic condition. Four groups of predialytic uremic patients received oral administrations of CaCO3 (control), 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] (0.

A low oncogenic variant of Friend murine leukemia virus with strong immunosuppressive properties.

Friend leukemia complex (FLC) is known to induce immunosuppression but the use of FLC in studies of immune cells function is disadvantageous since the immunosuppression always is accompanied by an acute erythroleukemia. To obtain immunosuppressive variants of FLC with reduced leukemogenic potential, we isolated T-helper cells from FLC infected mice, and passed lysates of the cells to recipient uninfected mice. A group of these mice developed a condition distinct from the disease induced by FLC.

Prevention of hemodialysis associated hypoxemia by use of low-concentration bicarbonate dialysate.

Hypoxemia during acetate dialysis is caused by hypoventilation due to bicarbonate loss across the dialyzer and its regeneration from acetate by a CO2 consuming process. Loss of bicarbonate is prevented by using a bicarbonate containing dialysate, but hypoxemia is still found by many authors. In the current study, ten patients were dialyzed twice against acetate dialysate, high concentration bicarbonate (36 mmol/L), and low concentration bicarbonate (29 mmol/L) dialysates.

Long term morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation.

A cohort of 69 patients received a kidney transplant in the period 1963-1977. The mean observation time was 9.5 years.

Removal of chelated aluminium during haemodialysis using polysulphone high-flux dialysers.

Polysulphone high-flux dialysers were used for removal of chelated aluminium in desferrioxamine-treated patients on maintenance haemodialysis. When compared with charcoal haemoperfusion in series with a cuprophane dialyser, the same aluminium clearance was obtained (34% of blood flow). During 4 h of haemodialysis serum aluminium was reduced to the concentration seen before desferrioxamine infusion.

Effects of nimodipine on cerebral blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid pressure after cardiac arrest: correlation with neurologic outcome.

Fifty-one patients were included in a blind randomized study to evaluate whether the Ca-blocker nimodipine could influence cerebral blood flow (CBF) or cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) during the cerebral hypoperfusion period that follows resuscitation from cardiac arrest and to determine whether changes in CBF correlate with neurologic outcome. CBF measured 1 to 4 hours after arrest with the use of 133Xe intravenous was significantly greater with nimodipine than with placebo (27 +/- 3 versus 13 +/- 1 ml.100 g-1.

Benzodiazepine-receptor antagonist, a clinical double blind study.

In a double blind study including 18 patients in whom a benzodiazepine intoxication was suspected, the first specific benzodiazepine antagonist was compared to placebo. There was a highly significant effect on consciousness, all patients given antagonist awaked, usually within minutes. No adverse effects were observed.

Heat stroke in endurance exercise.

Six athletes were examined immediately after collapsing from heat stroke during exercise, and then followed for several weeks. At the time of collapse most of the patients were sweating profusely, their rectal temperatures being more than 42 degrees C. All recovered within a few hours.

TSH unresponsiveness, a case report.

A patient with congenital primary hypothyroidism is presented. His thyroid gland had a normal uptake of radioiodine which was independent of endogenous or exogenous TSH, sympathetic B-receptor blockade or prostaglandin inhibition. Infusion of dibuturyl-cyclic AMP increased the uptake of radioiodine and stimulated release of protein bound 131I.

The effect of regular physical activity on the organs of ventilation.

Possible effects of regular physical activity on the respiratory organs are discussed. There is no evidence that training affects the vital capacity or the diffusing capacity in healthy individuals. However, in asthmatics it is possible that systematic training can have a favourable effect on total lung volume.