To take charge of one's life - group-based education for patients with type 2 diabetes in primary care - a lifeworld approach.

: The number of people suffering from diabetes worldwide, including Sweden, has increased. To strengthen the patient's empowerment and thus improve their ability to take care of their own health, patient education in self-care management plays a central role in diabetes care.: The specific aim in this study was to describe patients' experiences of group-based education using the model.

Working suspended in a harness rig: A comparative study of musculoskeletal health complaints in rope access technicians and controls.

Background: Rope access technique is an alternative method for gaining access to challenging work locations. There is limited knowledge about possible adverse effects of this technique on the workers' health.

Objective: To compare the frequency of bodily regions with pain in rope access technicians with craft workers and the working population in general.

Are elderly construction workers sufficiently fit for heavy manual labour?

Unlabelled: This study analysed the work ability of elderly construction workers. Forty male construction workers, 20 young (age < 33 yrs) and 20 senior (age>44 yrs) workers, were tested regarding aerobic power (VO2max) and muscle strength. The aerobic demand of a number of tasks in construction work was measured and compared with the workers' aerobic power.

Association between perceived present working conditions and demands versus attitude to early retirement among construction workers.

Background: Early retirement is an increasing problem in the construction industry. There is limited information about causes leading employees to leave working life early. We have compared construction workers present situation with their perception of future demands at work to avoid early retirement.

Adrenaline potentiates insulin-stimulated PKB activation in the rat fast-twitch epitrochlearis muscle without affecting IRS-1-associated PI 3-kinase activity.

We have previously shown in the rat slow-twitch soleus muscle that adrenaline greatly potentiates insulin-stimulated protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation without having an effect alone. However, insulin signalling capacity through the PKB pathway is higher in soleus than in fast-twitch muscles, whereas adrenaline activates phosphorylase more strongly in epitrochlearis. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the interaction between adrenaline and insulin signalling in the fast-twitch epitrochlearis muscle.

Lactate elimination and glycogen resynthesis after intense bicycling.

Objective: Muscles break down glycogen to lactate during intense exercise, and in the recovery period, glycogen reappears while lactate disappears. The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent lactate is resynthesized to glycogen within the formerly active muscles themselves in man.

Material And Methods: Fifteen healthy young men cycled for 2 min to exhaustion.

Muscle glycogen inharmoniously regulates glycogen synthase activity, glucose uptake, and proximal insulin signaling.

Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and incorporation of glucose into skeletal muscle glycogen contribute to physiological regulation of blood glucose concentration. In the present study, glucose handling and insulin signaling in isolated rat muscles with low glycogen (LG, 24-h fasting) and high glycogen (HG, refed for 24 h) content were compared with muscles with normal glycogen (NG, rats kept on their normal diet). In LG, basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthesis and glycogen synthase activation were higher and glycogen synthase phosphorylation (Ser(645), Ser(649), Ser(653), Ser(657)) lower than in NG.

Improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activation in rat skeletal muscles after adrenaline infusion: role of glycogen content and PKB phosphorylation.

Aim: Effects of in vivo adrenaline infusion on subsequent insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activation was investigated in slow-twitch (soleus) and fast-twitch (epitrochlearis) muscles. Furthermore, role of glycogen content and Protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation for modulation insulin sensitivity was investigated.

Methods: Male Wistar rats received adrenaline from osmotic mini pumps ( approximately 150 microg kg(-1) h(-1)) for 1 or 12 days before muscles were removed for in vitro studies.

Adrenaline potentiates insulin-stimulated PKB activation via cAMP and Epac: implications for cross talk between insulin and adrenaline.

Adrenaline and insulin are two of the most important hormones regulating a number of physiological processes in skeletal muscle. Insulin's effects are generally requiring PKB and adrenaline effects cAMP and PKA. Recent evidence indicates cAMP can regulate PKB in some cell types via Epac (Exchange protein directly activated by cAMP).

Leg gas exchange, release of glycerol, and uptake of fats after two minutes bicycling to exhaustion.

It is not known to what extent the muscles use fats and carbohydrates as substrate for oxidation after intense, anaerobic types of bicycling. Six healthy young men therefore bicycled at constant power for 2 min to exhaustion. Blood was drawn from indwelling catheters in the femoral artery and vein at intervals during the 1-h postexercise recovery.

Quantitative determination of cell surface beta-adrenoceptors in different rat skeletal muscles.

In the present study, the density of cell surface beta-adrenergic receptors was determined in different skeletal muscles using the hydrophilic ligand [3H]CGP 12177. The density of beta-adrenergic receptors was highest in the slow-twitch soleus muscle (32.8+/-0.

Apoptotic effects of dichloro stearic and dichloro myristic acid in human hepatoma cells (HepG2).

Chlorinated fatty acids represent the major fraction of extractable organically bound chlorine in fish. After dietary intake such fatty acids may accumulate in adipose tissue, and even be transferred from mother to child via breast milk. We have previously reported that 9,10-dichloro stearic acid and 5,6-dichloro myristic acid inhibited cell growth.

Effect of strenuous strength training on the Na-K pump concentration in skeletal muscle of well-trained men.

This study examined how strenuous strength training affected the Na-K pump concentration in the knee extensor muscle of well-trained men and whether leg muscle strength and endurance was related to the pump concentration. First, the pump concentration, taken as 3H-ouabain binding, was measured in top alpine skiers since strength training is important to them. Second, well-trained subjects carried out strenuous eccentric resistance training either 1, 2, or 3 times.

Arterio-venous differences of blood acid-base status and plasma sodium caused by intense bicycling.

After intense exercise muscle may give off hydrogen ions independently of lactate, perhaps by a mechanism involving sodium ions. To examine this possibility further five healthy young men cycled for 2 min to exhaustion. Blood was drawn from catheters in the femoral artery and vein during exercise and at 1-h intervals after exercise.

Effect of training on the activity of five muscle enzymes studied on elite cross-country skiers.

This study examines the effect of training intensity on the activity of enzymes in m. vastus lateralis. Elite junior cross-country skiers of both sexes trained 12-15 h weeks-1 for 5 months at either moderate (60-70% of VO2max, MIG) or high training intensity (80-90% of the VO2max, close to the lactate threshold; HIG).

Adrenaline-mediated glycogen phosphorylase activation is enhanced in rat soleus muscle with increased glycogen content.

The effect of glycogen content on the activation of glycogen phosphorylase during adrenaline stimulation was investigated in soleus muscles from Wistar rats. Furthermore, adrenergic activation of glycogen phosphorylase in the slow-twitch oxidative soleus muscle was compared to the fast-twitch glycolytic epitrochlearis muscle. The glycogen content was 96.

Growth-modulating effects of dichloro myristic and dichloro stearic acid in cell cultures.

Chloro-containing fatty acids are a major fraction of extractable, organically bound chlorine in fish. It has been suggested that dichloro stearic acid (9,10-dichlorooctadecanoic acid) (C18) is metabolized to dichloro myristic acid (5,6-dichlorotetradecanoic acid) (C14) which accumulates in tissues. Hence, the biological effects of the C18 dichloro fatty acid could be due to formation of the C14 dichloro fatty acid.

Growth modulating effects of chlorinated oleic acid in cell cultures.

Chlorinated fatty acids represent a major fraction of extractable, organically bound chlorine in fish. After dietary intake such fatty acids may be transferred from the mother to the foetus through the placenta, and via breast milk to the child. In the present work we have studied the effect of chlorinated oleic acid on the growth of three widely differing types of cells in culture.

Hard training for 5 mo increases Na(+)-K+ pump concentration in skeletal muscle of cross-country skiers.

To study how training affects the Na(+)-K+ pump concentration, 11 male and 9 female elite junior cross-country skiers trained 12-15 h/wk at 60-70% (moderate-intensity group) or 80-90% (high-intensity group) of their maximal O2 uptake for 5 mo. Muscle biopsies taken from the vastus lateralis muscle before and after the training period were analyzed for Na(+)-K+ pump concentration by the [3H]ouabain-binding technique. Before training, the concentration was 343 +/- 11 nmol/kg wet muscle mass (mean +/- SE) for the men and 281 +/- 14 nmol/kg for the women (18% less than for the men, P = 0.

Blood reticulocyte count and plasma lactate dehydrogenase activity are positively related to the free fatty acid/albumin ratio in geriatric patients.

The objective of this study was to investigate the in vivo relationship between plasma free fatty acid (FFA)/albumin molar ratio and indicators of cellular damage. A case series study was carried out in 20 geriatric patients in a stable clinical condition. Their plasma albumin concentration was in the range 26-42 g l-1.

Changes in Na+, K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase, citrate synthase and K+ in sheep skeletal muscle during immobilization and remobilization.

The K+ balance and muscle activity seem to interact in a complex way with regard to regulating the muscle density of Na(+)-K+ pumps. The effect of immobilization was examined in ten sheep that had low muscle K+ content. Three additional sheep served as untreated controls.

Enzymatic microdetermination of plasma and serum free fatty acids.

A simple and sensitive enzymatic method for determination of plasma and serum fatty acids (FAs) is described. The method is based on acylation of long chain FAs by a bacterial acyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) producing equivalent amounts of acyl-CoA and AMP. AMP production was measured using the coupled reaction of myokinase (MK), pyruvate kinase (PK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) allowing fluorinate detection of NADH.

Phase-shifts of apparent circadian rhythms due to west and east transmeridian flights or to corresponding night-shift sleep displacements.

Phase movements of apparent circadian rhythms during 2 wk of forward or backward displacement of the sleep-wake cycle were investigated in four experimental series in a subject. The 7-hr delay or advance of sleep due to a westward or an eastward transmeridian flight was duplicated by corresponding sleep displacements during experimental night shifts. Sudden phase advances (or delays) by several hours were observed in the rhythms of continuously recorded rectal temperature and urinary excretion rates (4-hr collection intervals) of adrenaline, noradrenaline and aldosterone the first day after sleep-wake displacement.

Apparent phase-shifts of circadian rhythms (masking effects) during rapid shift rotation.

Six subjects worked an experimental 8 h rapidly rotating shift system in which 6 shifts were compressed into 5 d (work two mornings - 8 h interval - work two nights - 8 h interval - work two afternoons). Rectal temperature was continuously recorded and urinary excretion rates of adrenaline, noradrenaline, K+, Na+ and Hg+ were assessed in samples collected at 4 h intervals. Higher rectal temperatures and higher excretion rates of the two each catecholamines than those expected from the normal circadian rhythms were observed during night work, while lower than expected values were recorded forenoon sleep.

Circadian rhythmicity of the urinary excretion of mercury, potassium and catecholamines in unconventional shift-work systems.

The round the clock urinary excretion rates of mercury were assessed for two series of unconventional patterns of activity and sleep in subjects who were not exposed to occupational, medical, or other obvious sources of mercury. In the first series the urine was collected in 3-h periods from six subjects during the first and last 2 d of a four-week, continuous 6-h shift (car ferry, watches either 0800--1400 and 2000--0200 or 1400--2000 and 0200--0800). In the second series the urine was collected in 4-h periods from five subjects working an 8-h experimental rotation shift compressed into 5 d (work two mornings--8-h interval--work two nights--8-h interval--work two afternoons).