[Rational use of antibiotics in hospitals].

Background: The Norwegian antibiotic policy emphasises use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics and has been regarded as successful. We have a low occurrence of antibiotic resistance, but hospital use of antibiotics in general, and broad-spectrum antibiotics specifically, has increased substantially the last 10 years. We now see a trend towards increasing antibiotic resistance, which will inevitably lead to the same serious resistance problems in Norway as abroad.

[The ward atmosphere and satisfaction in four psychogeriatric wards].

Background: We wanted to investigate the treatment milieu in two psychogeriatric hospitals by use of the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS), a self-report questionnaire that has been used in studies of the treatment climate in several psychiatric wards.

Material And Methods: 22 patients and 54 staff members in four psychogeriatric wards rated the WAS. The staff's perception of the working environment was also examined (the Working Environment Scale, WES-10).

[Surgical treatment of colon cancer].

Background: The incidence of colon cancer is increasing in Norway and about 2200 new cases are now diagnosed each year. This paper presents accepted principles of the surgical treatment of the disease.

Material And Methods: The article is based on literature retrieved from the PubMed and Cochrane databases, guidelines from other European countries and USA, and the authors' clinical experience.

[Risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes through three decades].

Background: Trends in risk factors provide important information for public health programmes. The relative importance of risk factors may change in new generations. It is essential to discover unfavourable trends.

[Laparoscopic aortic surgery].

Background: Laparoscopic aortic surgery (LAS), performed since 1993, has undergone a number of technical improvements during recent years. The published results are comparable with those for open surgery. The aim of this article is to present the method with a focus on technical details, and at the same time present our experience with this technique.

[Surgical treatment of morbid obesity at a regional center].

Background: Aker University Hospital has since 2004 offered laparoscopic surgery for morbid obesity. This study describes the characteristics of the patients undergoing surgery, the preoperative evaluation and the perioperative outcome after the first 139 laparoscopic procedures for morbid obesity.

Material And Methods: All patients operated between June 2004 and March 2006 are included in the study.

[Surgical treatment of morbid obesity].

Background: Patients with morbid obesity are prone to weight-related disease, reduced quality of life and shortened life expectancy. Long-term weight loss is unsatisfactory with conservative treatment and weight-reducing surgery is increasingly performed in all Norwegian health regions.

Methods: This review is based on electronic database searches.

[A construction worker with acute knee pain].

Background: Out of all peripheral arterial aneurysms, 70% are located in the popliteal artery; less than 4% of these rupture. Ruptured popliteal aneurysms may be mistaken for deep venous thrombosis.

Material And Methods: From March until June 2001 three patients were primarily admitted with a diagnosis of venous thrombosis.

[Bone metabolism in patients with newly diagnosed caeliac disease].

Background: Caeliac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy induced by gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. Malabsorption of vitamins and minerals is a common finding in untreated patients and disturbance in bone metabolism is therefore a suspected complication. We wanted to assess vitamin D status, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with newly diagnosed caeliac disease.

[Gestational diabetes in women from South Asia].

Background: The number of patients with diabetes is growing worldwide. In particular this increase, most pronounced for type 2 diabetes, affects South-Asians. In Norway pregnant women originating from this region are more prone to gestational diabetes than ethnic Norwegians.

[Medical and ventilatory treatment of acute heart failure].

Background: Traditional medical treatment of acute heart failure has remained unchanged for many years. It has been based on oxygen supplementation and mechanical ventilatory support as well as the administration of morphine, diuretics, nitrates and inotropic agents. In 2005 the European Society of Cardiology published new guidelines on diagnosis and treatment.

[Markers for diagnosis, prediction and prognosis of prostate cancer].

Background: Prostate cancer is the most frequent new cancer diagnosis in the western world today. There is an urgent need to obtain validated molecular markers that can identify clinically significant prostate cancer.

Material And Methods: The article represents our view of the current status of molecular markers in diagnosis of prostate cancer based on literature searches (PubMed).

[Molecular diagnostics in endocrine diseases].

Molecular diagnostic techniques provide an unsurpassed opportunity to understand the pathophysiological basis of endocrine disorders. Diseases have been associated with mutations in almost every gene known to have a role in either the production or secretion of a hormone or the mediators of hormone signalling. Even though most of these mutations are rare and account for only a small fraction of endocrine diseases, molecular diagnostics offers a valuable tool for the clinician in these cases.

[Thoracoscopic sympathectomy in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis and facial blushing].

Background: Severe palmar hyperhidrosis and facial blushing are conditions connected with considerable psychosocial burden. Conservative treatment is often of limited value. Several reports have demonstrated high success rates in thoracoscopic sympathectomy.

[Arterial ischemic ulcers].

Arterial ischaemic ulcers develop because of inadequate perfusion leading to local ischaemia in the skin and underlying tissue. The most common cause is peripheral arterial disease, giving rise to symptoms like intermittent claudication, rest pain and gangrene, in addition to local ulceration. Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of ulcer formation; admittedly mainly neuropathic ulcers with a low component of peripheral arterial disease.

[Venous leg ulcers].

Patients with venous leg ulcers usually have extensive symptoms both related to their venous insufficiency and to the wound itself, often combined with a reduced quality of life. Prevalence of venous leg ulcers varies from 0.1 to 1.