Background: In a population-based epidemiological study in Ngaoundere, Cameroon, we studied cross-sectional child morbidity and the cost of necessary investigation and treatment. Methods: Three teams of two to three health workers visited haphazardly selected households in all major housing quarters. We asked permission to enter for a health survey. Children with cough, fever or weight loss as ...

Background: The knowledge of factors accurately predicting the long lasting sick leaves is sparse, but information on medical condition is believed to be necessary to identify persons at risk. Based on the current practice, with identifying sick-listed individuals at risk of long-lasting sick leaves, the objectives of this study were to inquire the diagnostic accuracy of length of sick leaves ...

Background: Data concerning incidence and prevalence of cancer in the different regions of Russia have traditionally not been provided on a basis that facilitated comparison with data from countries in western parts of Europe. The oncological hospital in Arkhangelsk, in co-operation with Universitetet i Tromsø (Norway), has established a population based cancer registry for Arkhangelskaja Oblast ...

Background: Ovarian carcinomas from 30 BRCA1 germ-line carriers of two distinct high penetrant founder mutations, 20 carrying the 1675delA and 10 the 1135insA, and 100 sporadic cases were characterized for somatic mutations in the TP53 gene. We analyzed differences in relation to BRCA1 germline status, TP53 status, survival and age at diagnosis, as previous studies have not been conclusive. Methods: ...

Background The role of the general practitioner (GP) in cancer follow-up is poorly defined. We wanted to describe and analyse the role of the GP during initial follow-up of patients with recently treated cancer, from the perspective of patients, their relatives and their GPs. Methods One focus group interview with six GPs from the city of Bodø and individual interviews with 17 GPs from the ...

Background: The reasoning behind evaluating medical interventions is that a hierarchy of methods exists which successively produce improved and therefore more rigorous evidence based medicine upon which to make clinical decisions. At the foundation of this hierarchy are case studies, retrospective and prospective case series, followed by cohort studies with historical and concomitant non-randomized ...

Introduction Obesity has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Increased peripheral production of estrogens has been regarded as the main cause for this association, but other features of increased body fat mass may also play a part. Leptin is a protein produced mainly by adipose tissue and may represent a growth factor in cancer. We examined the association ...

Background An influenza pandemic may have considerable impact on health and societal functioning. The aim of this study was to explore people's reflections on the consequences of a pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional web-based survey of 1,168 Norwegians aged 16–82 years. The main outcome measures were answers to questions about a potential pandemic ("serious influenza epidemic"): statements about ...

BACKGROUND Previous research have documented that acupuncture distinguish itself by being the complementary or alternative therapy that medical practitioners most often use both personally and professionally. Possible changes over the years have not previously been investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS In February 1994 and November 2004 equivalent postal surveys were sent to proportional, ...

Glykosylert hemoglobin er et stabilt mål for gjennomsnittlig sukkermengde i blodet de siste 6-12 ukene. Høye serum­glukoseverdier er et (kardinal-) symptom på diabetes (diagnostisk kriterium). Manglende glukosekontroll (”impaired glucose tolerance”, IGT) forbindes også med (kardio)vaskulære sjukdoms(risiko)tilstander. HbA1c-test er derfor ett viktig verktøy for å måle en persons (hyper)glykemiske ...