The aims of this study were to evaluate the oral health status and nutritional status in a group of geriatric rehabilitation patients, and to analyse the relationship between these two parameters. Nurses at the ward performed structured assessments of oral and nutritional status using the Revised Oral Assessment Guide and the Subjective Global Assessment form in 223 newly admitted patients. Most oral health problems were found among patients who stayed longer at the hospital and were more dependent on help as compared with the healthier patients. Thirty-four per cent of the patients were either severely undernourished, at risk or suspected to be undernourished (UN). Oral health problems were more common among UN patients (p < 0.0005) compared with well-nourished patients. The most frequent oral health problem was found on teeth or dentures (48%). Problems related to the tongue and lips were also common among UN patients (56 and 44%, respectively). Oral health status was correlated (r = 0.32) to nutritional status. Problems with swallowing had the strongest association to the nutritional status (OR 6.05; 95% CI 2.41-15.18). This study demonstrated that poor oral health status was related to undernourishment.

A method for time-resolved x-ray diffraction studies has been demonstrated. As a test case, coherent acoustic phonon propagation into crystalline InSb is observed using a laser plasma x-ray source. An extended x-ray topogram of the semiconductor's surface was projected onto a high spatial resolution x-ray detector and acoustic phonons were excited by rapidly heating the crystal's surface with a femtosecond laser pulse. A correlation between the spatial position on the x-ray detector and the time of arrival of the laser pulse was encoded into the experimental geometry by tilting the incident laser pulse with an optical grating. This approach enabled a temporal window of 200 ps to be sampled in a single topogram, thereby negating the disadvantages of pulse-to-pulse fluctuations in the intensity and spectrum of the laser-plasma source. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.

Encounter the Memory – Scandinavian History Cultures

This article deals with history culture in different areas in Scandinavia. The main points are as follow:

History culture is in official and political contexts masculine. Symbols of war, death and nationality create the realm in which political and ideological use of history flourish, while the feminine elements, especially the female sexuality, present passive pictures of the nation. This might lead to a diverse history culture whereas official political culture which narrative abbreviations connotation war affect men while a more personal and intimate history representation, such as advertisement, are supposed to affect women.

History culture produces different kinds of uses. A perspective on what Friedrich Nietzsche names the antiquarian way, is history as fetish. By means of the fetishistic use of artifacts as well as narrative abbreviations, history replaces absence in daily life and official politic, such as taboo or lack of positions in political agendas. An example of that is the Swedish campaign Levande Historia (Living History) on Holocaust. The idea was politically initiated and derived from certain assumption about lack of knowledge on Holocaust among Swedish schoolchildren, but also from a will to entrance the global social memory of World War II.

The historian has two roles in the official history culture. The first is the part as an expert on history and thereby an actor among others in the field of history production. The second function is that of the analyzer of history culture. This article stresses the idea that theory of social memory and history culture must include not only the reception of history, but also the reception and representation of history in areas we do not associate with history representation in order to seek for the connection between official history culture and private social memory.

The aims were to follow-up, analyse and compare the pain status after 4-9 years with that at the baseline examination of 109 consecutive patients referred to the Pain Group at the Faculty of Odontology in Malmö, Sweden during the period 1988-1993 due to long-lasting orofacial pain. A further aim was to identify predictive factors of significance for pain alteration. 85 (78%) women with a median age of 51 years and 24 (22%) men with a median age of 60 years were included in the study. A survey of the pain status at the follow-up was conducted by means of a mailed questionnaire. The questionnaire covered the following aspects: pain alteration, pain intensity, pain location, medication and education. After one reminder, the non-responding patients were called for a telephone interview. A response level of 85% was obtained. Significant improvements were noted by the patients in the answers of the questionnaire in mainly three areas; the patients answered individually that pain relief had occurred, pain intensity rated on the VAS was lower at follow-up compared to the baseline examination and a decrease in drug use was reported. The responses indicated pain relief for 75% of the patients. However, only 27% of the patients experienced total disappearance of pain. Medication at baseline with opioids, muscle relaxants with central effect, antidepressants, neuroleptics, hypnotics or sedatives was found to be a predictive factor for persistent pain.

This study investigates dental care utilization in an adult population in Southern Sweden in relation to dental and social conditions, attitudes to costs, and perceived need to obtain dental services. The study was based on responses to a questionnaire sent in 1998 to a random sample, 1974 persons, aged 56-75 years. The response rate was 66%. A significantly higher probability of dental care utilization less than once a year was found for men, for those with few remaining teeth, and for those with removable dentures. A higher probability of dental care utilization less than once a year was found for those who stated perceived need to obtain dental care with no possibility because of the cost and for those who stated that the cost had influenced their attendance for dental care. The results showed that there were differences for sex and dental conditions in dental care utilization and that dental care utilization was related to attitudes towards costs of dental care.

In recent years, there has been a lively debate on the state of schools. Two aspects have so far been discussed separately: the problematic status of the teaching profession, and interaction problems between teachers and students. These aspects have been considered in an inquiry involving 110 upper secondary school students. The analysis revealed severe criticism of teachers' actions and attitudes towards their students. Using this study as a basis, several theories are put forward - starting point for understanding the causes of the problems that have provoked students' criticism. These theories cover the following factors: interaction, the generation gap, relations between Human Service Organization Workers and their clients, and dissonance in the interaction between teachers and students. One particular implication is that teachers' inadequate professionalism may limit their possibilities to counteract the tendencies noted in the theoretical approaches mentioned above.

Effects of short‐term (1 h exposure) and long‐term (7 d exposure) aluminium stress on photosynthesis and reproductive capacity have been studied in Euglena gracilis strain Z. Following concentrations of Al_tot (added as AlCl₃) were tested: 0.5 mg L^‐1, 1.0 mg L^‐1, 1.5 mg L^‐1, 2.5 mg L^‐1, 5.0 mg L^‐1, 7.5 mg L^‐1, 10.0 mg L^‐1, and 15.0 mg L^‐1 Al, respectively. Growth rates at different aluminium concentrations did not show significant differences, except at 15.0 mg L^‐1Al. Initial respiration was higher in long‐term than in the short‐term experiments. It is supposed that an energy‐dependent mechanism of excretion of aluminium ions has been active in the stressed cells. Consequently, the cells of E. gracilis after long‐term exposure to aluminium are believed to be more acclimatised to the aluminium stress. Photosynthetic efficiency (PE) has been negatively affected by aluminium in all experiments performed. Differences between control algae and those treated with aluminium were significant in all cases. PE in long‐term experiments was in general significantly higher at all concentrations of aluminium studied, compared to the short‐term experiments. The aluminium concentrations tested led only to a general decrease in PE while the level of decrease was not especially concentration‐dependent. In general, aluminium tolerance of E. gracilis can be estimated as low, especially by short‐term exposure. However, good acclimatisation capacity of this green flagellate to aluminium doses by long‐term exposure can be supposed.

Questionnaire studies have indicated that patients with dental gold will more frequently have contact allergy to gold. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between contact allergy to gold and the presence and amount of dental gold alloys. A total of 102 patients were referred for patch testing because of suspicion of contact allergy. Patch tests were performed with gold sodium thiosulphate 2% and 5%. The patients underwent an oral clinical and radiological examination. Contact allergy to gold was recorded in 30.4% of the patients, and of these 74.2% had dental gold (p=0.009). A significant correlation was found between the amount of gold surfaces and contact allergy to gold (p=0.008), but there was no statistical relationship to oral lesions. It is concluded that there is a positive relationship between contact allergy to gold and presence and amount of dental gold alloys.

Previous studies have demonstrated an association between gold allergy and the presence of dental gold restorations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the concentration of gold in blood (B-Au) and the number of tooth surfaces with gold alloys in subjects with and without contact allergy to gold. In 80 patients referred for patch testing because of eczematous disease, blood samples were taken and analyzed for B-Au using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The detection limit for the Au determination was 0.04 microg/L. In addition, a dentist made a clinical and radiological examination of the patients and registered the number of dental gold surfaces. Patients with dental gold restorations had a statistically significantly higher B-Au in Mann-Whitney U test (P = 0.025), (range < 0.04-1.07 microg/L) than patients without (range < 0.04-0.15 microg/L). Furthermore, a positive correlation was found between B-Au and the number of dental gold surfaces (P < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in B-Au between persons with and without contact allergy to gold. The study thus indicates that gold is released from dental restorations and taken tip into the circulation.

In this article the task of the teaching profession in relation to the role of the family, both at present and in historical terms, is discussed. Considerable changes in the tasks teachers are given have occurred within recent years. Schools have been given increasing responsibility not only for education but also for the upbringing of children. This has confronted teachers with a variety of new tasks and problems. Giving teachers much of the responsibility that parents traditionally had for the bringing up of children can be viewed against the background of a critical attitude which the pluralistic society of today has shown toward the role of parents and of the family. In the social and educational professions as these have developed, criticisms of parents and of their manner of bringing up their children have been voiced repeatedly (Donzelot 1997, Johansson 1993). This has been accompanied by an increasing professionalism in the care of children. Criticisms of the parental role have paved the way for an increase in the tasks the schools are given. Schools are expected to create a holistic context and a sense of citizenship based on the values generally accepted in society. This is seen as calling for more comprehensive work on the part of teachers. As a result, teachers are faced with difficult and complex problems today. The postmodern pluralism of childhood, with the many different forms it can take, calls into question the demands for homogeneity, stability and normality that institutionalised ideologies make. This confrontation between schools as they presently exist and postmodern conceptions of childhood leads to a questioning of the goal of creating normality (Hargreaves 1994). The basic aim of the project in which we are engaged is to analyze how the responsibility for reproducing the goals and content of society is divided up at present, and has been divided up earlier, between the home and the school. The results of two investigations are presented: - In the one study, elementary school and preschool teachers from schools in two areas of differing socioeconomic level described in open-ended interviews their thoughts regarding their professional task, as well as children generally, childhood and the role of parents. That study had a clear perspective of change. Those interviewed have also been asked to report their views on the changes that had occurred in the teaching task and in the content of their profession. - The other investigation was a questionnaire study of teacher-training students in either their first or their final semester of training. The questions involved were based on statements the teachers who had taken part in the interview investigation had made. The statements made in the interview by the teachers from schools in the two areas of differing socioeconomic level, regarding their tasks being much broader than they had been earlier, were very much alike. It thus seems to be factors other than those of the character of the area involved that affect how changes in the role of teachers are experienced. It appeared that the flexibility of the women teachers was taken advantage of. The new expectations placed on teachers were seen to involve a redefinition of the teaching profession that those interviewed were unwilling to accept. As they expressed it the content of their work was being transformed from working with children to working increasingly with groups of adults and they explained of there being no adequate rationale for the changes that had occurred. They considered that the demands placed on them failed to correspond to certain deeply rooted conceptions of their profession, representing a clear threat to their professional identity, creating a sense of insecurity in their day-by-day work. They also regarded it as being a change for the worse in their professional status through its degrading their position from their being educators to their providing children help and support on an individual basis (Johansson & Pramling 2000). Those teaching at both the preschool and the primary school level provided a negative account of childhood and parenting today, describing children as being less empathetic and less concentrated today than earlier. The preschool teachers in particular felt that children had difficulties in playing with each other, whilst the elementary school teachers emphasised marked difficulties children had in following norms. The preschool and the elementary school teachers from the ecnomically less privileged area agreed closely with each other in describing children as being unconcentrated, being inept in their use of language, showing a lack of empathy and having difficulties in playing with each other. Although the elementary school and preschool teachers from schools in the economically prosperous area likewise considered childhood to be particularly problematical today, their major criticisms differed from the views just reported. They described children as having an overly scheduled and planned existence, one that differed from what they considered to be a happy childhood situation. They considered children to have too structured an existence and to be overly exposed to stress. The teachers as a whole felt that the conditions with which parents are faced today have changed. Parents do not have the same possibilities for bringing up their children as earlier and have partly given up the responsibilities in this respect that they once took. This result was independent of the socioeconomic status of the parents. At the same time, two differing conceptions of the problems with which parents are faced were evident. Parents from the more well-to-do area were considered to be subjected to a high degree of stress, to have very strong demands placed on them, and to work so much that they were unable to spend sufficient time with their children. Parents from the more economically depressed area were considered to likewise neglect their children, although in a different way - many of them having social problems and letting their children fend for themselves to a large extent. It was felt that the conditions for the upbringing of children in the home had declined. Teachers felt they were increasingly involved in the children's and the families' private lives and that their responsibilities toward children had increased. There appeared to be no comparable increase in the involvement of parents in matters of the preschool and elementary school education of their children. In summary, one can say that the preschool teachers and primary school teachers from schools in both socioeconomic areas were engaged in compensatory efforts to reconstruct for their pupils more of what they regarded as being ideal childhood conditions, involving children being provided with a calm and relaxed environment, having more free time, having more outdoor activities, developing a greater degree of fantasy and greater empathy, being better able to play with each other, being more active physically and having greater respect both for adults and for other children. What was regarded as the most important task of the elementary school and the preschool was to provide children with a sense of self-confidence, joy and a desire to learn. The teacher's task was seen as being a difficult one if this was combined, in these times of reductions in educational resources, with the need of conducting psychologically problematical discussions both with children and with their parents. Regarding the questionnaire results, a particular concern of the teacher trainees for the problems of both children and their parents and their belief that giving children a sense of security was the foremost function of the pre-school and the elementary school alike could be noted. Among those preparing to be preschool teachers, those in their last semester of training showed a more critical attitude towards children and their parents than those in their first semester of training. No such differences were noted, however, among those preparing to be elementary school teachers, although there were differences between the first and last semester groups in the problems they emphasized and in their conceptions regarding the teaching profession and the school as an institution. We plan to relate the various patterns we discovered to questions of the content of teacher training. How do those involved in teacher training view the broadened tasks that teachers are faced by today? How is the extended responsibility for children on the part of teachers dealt with in teacher training? Are the relations of teachers to the families of the children discussed in a critical way? What position is taken toward the rights of parents to influence the schools? Teacher training has been criticized for its failure to emphasize either the importance of caring for the emotional needs of the individual child or the important role that many socioemotional relations teachers develop play (Gannerud 1999). It is often felt that during teacher training too little attention is directed at these highly important aspects of teacher work. Regardless of the socioeconomic context in which their teaching took place, the teachers who were interviewed told of the teaching profession having changed in the direction of greater emphasis being placed on social dimensions and of the teacher's task being broadened. Despite this increase in the teachers' social responsibilities, both in preschools and elementary schools, this matter appeared not to have been dealt with either in their socialization to the role of being a teacher or in their teacher training. They described a conflict between professional ideologies they had come to accept, both during their teacher training and on the basis of traditions propagated generally in their profession, and the demands and expectations placed on them by the changed tasks they were confronted by, one which led to a sense of uncertainty in their professional identity. The conceptions they had of what a happy childhood involves collided with how they experienced the childhood of those children with whom they had contact in their teaching. The statements of the teachers in our interviews concern a teaching profession caught up in change. The professional identity of teachers is being challenged. It is also difficult for teachers to set limits to the tasks with which they are faced. Many of the statements the teachers made can be considered to represent strategies for defining their profession, directing criticism at the family being one way of dealing with the challenges involved and of defining their task. Strong protests against being confronted with tasks of a more social character, involving the need of giving the individual children particular support and understanding, can be noted. Criticism of this sort was particularly strong on the part of the elementary school teachers, who considered the changes involved to constitute a lowering of their professional status. A sense of security was a central concept we noted in the material, a concept clearly integrated into the institutional and professional ideology of both the preschool and the elementary school teachers, who obviously considered that providing children with it was a major goal of their work. The tendency to think in these terms could be examined in relation to gender, to class or to ethnicity. Both those involved in teaching and those preparing for it are predominately women, who are given a social, collective and normative task. Providing a sense of security can be regarded as an antidote to a sense of disorder and to the development of an increasingly pluralistic society caught up in a process of rapid change. Endeavoring to achieve a sense of security can also be viewed as a typical Swedish or Nordic cultural trait, one that is strongly emphasized by both teachers and parents (Gullestad 1997, Iwarsson Jansson 2001, Kvalbein 1998, Nikolova 2001). One can note, finally, that discussions of problems in a personal and thoroughgoing way with both children and their parents, as well as considering the most important goal of education to be that of providing children a sense of security through use of educational methods that are very much individually oriented, represent a sociopedagogical approach that is partly new. It is one that requires a considerable degree of rethinking on the part of many educators.

PURPOSE: This study compared the long-term effects of treatment with a stabilization appliance and treatment with a control appliance in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a controlled trial, 60 TMD patients with tem-poromandibular joint (TMJ) pain were evaluated after 10 weeks of treatment with either a stabilization appliance or a control appliance. At the 10-week follow-up, the 60 patients were assigned to one of three groups according to their demand for treatment. Group T, the treatment group, comprised 30 patients treated with a stabilization appliance; group C, the control group, comprised nine patients treated with a control appliance; and group M, the mixed treatment group, comprised 21 patients treated with first a control appliance and then a stabilization appliance. Signs and symptoms were evaluated in all three groups at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: At the 6- and 12-month follow-ups, a significant reduction in TMJ pain as measured on a visual analogue scale was found in all three groups, and a significant decrease in signs and symptoms was found in groups T and M. CONCLUSION: After 6 and 12 months of use, the stabilization appli-ance was found to still be effective in the alleviation of signs and symptoms in patients with TMD. Many patients in group C changed to a stabilization appliance at the 1 0-week follow-up, which significantly reduced the number of patients in this group. Most patients reported positive change in overall subjective symptoms in this trial. The stabilization appliance can therefore be recommended for patients with TMD.

Goblet cells produce mainly MUC5AC, but also MUC5B and some MUC2 in apparently ‘irritated’ airways. MUC5B dominates in the submucosal glands although a little MUC5AC and MUC7 are usually present. MUC4 originates from the ciliated cells. After separation into a gel and a sol phase, lysozyme and lactoferrin are enriched in the salivary gel phase suggesting that mucus may act as a matrix for ‘protective’ proteins on the mucosal surface. A salivary MUC5B N-terminal fragment consistent with a cleavage event in the D’ domain was de-tected with antibodies against various N-terminal peptide sequences suggesting that assembly of MUC5B occurs through a mechanism similar to that of the von Willebrand factor. Identification of additional cleavage sites C-terminal to the D’ domain suggests that most of the N-terminal low-glycosylated part of MUC5B may be removed without affecting the oligomeric nature of the mucin. Possibly, the generation of mucins with different macromolecular properties through proteolytic ‘processing’ is one way of adapting the mucus polymer matrix to meet local physiological demands. Monomeric mucins that appear to turn over rapidly in the airway epithelium have been identified using radiolabelled mucin precursors. ‘Shedding’ of such mucins after microbe attachment may prevent colonization of epithelial surfaces.

Given electronic wave functions generated by the MCHF_CI program (LSJ format), this program calculates diagonal Landé g factors that determine separations of magnetic sublevels in weak external magnetic fields. In addition the program computes off-diagonal Landé g factors and constructs the total interaction matrix for an atom in a magnetic field. By diagonalizing the interaction matrix and plotting the eigenvalues as functions of the magnetic field, Zeeman structures beyond the weak field limit are obtained.

The 'Cariogram' is an interactive PC program for caries risk evaluation. It takes into account the interactions between caries-related factors and expresses a graphic assessment of the risk. The aim of this study was to assess the caries risk in schoolchildren using the Cariogram and to evaluate the program by comparing the caries risk assessments with the actual change in DMF. A 2-year prospective study on 446 schoolchildren, 10-11 years old, was conducted. At baseline, data on general health, diet, oral hygiene and use of fluoride were obtained. Saliva analyses included mutans streptococci and lactobacilli counts, buffer capacity and secretion rate. DMFT and DMFS were calculated from records and bitewing radiographs. Scores were entered and caries risk was assessed. Re-examination for caries was done after 2 years. The children were divided into 5 groups according to the assessed caries risk at baseline. Where the Cariogram predicted a 0-20% (high risk), 21-40%, 41-60%, 61-80% and 81-100% (low risk) chance of avoiding new lesions, 8, 35, 42, 73 and 83%, respectively, had no new lesions 2 years later. Logistic regression analyses were carried out. When the Cariogram was included, only two factors, the Cariogram (p < 0.001) and the DMFS at baseline, i.e. past caries experience (p = 0.001), turned out to be significantly associated with caries increment. The Cariogram was the most powerful explanatory variable. When the Cariogram was excluded, lactobacillus count, mutans streptococci, diet intake frequency and DMFS at baseline were significantly associated with caries increment. The Cariogram predicted caries increment more accurately than any included single-factor model. How this finding can be translated into daily practice in the best and most practical way is a matter for future research.

The aim of this study was to evaluate headaches before and after treatment with a stabilisation appliance and a control appliance in a randomised controlled trial in patients having temporomandibular disorders (TMD) of mainly arthrogenous origin. The effect of treatment was evaluated both in a short and in long-term perspective. 60 patients (mean age 30 years) with TMD of mainly arthrogenous origin were studied. The patients were selected from patients referred for treatment of TMD during a 3-year period to the Department of Stomathognathic Physiology, Faculty of Odontology, Malmo University. The 60 patients included in the study were randomly assigned to a treatment (T) or a control (C) group. The study was performed as a randomised controlled trial including evaluation of treatment effect on tension-type headache after 10 weeks, 6 and 12 months. At the 10 weeks follow-up, the patients who reported a negative treatment outcome and/or discomfort associated with the use of the appliances had their appliances readjusted. Patients who demanded further treatment received a stabilisation appliance (21 patients from the C-group), creating a new mixed (M) group. All the 60 patients reported frequency of headache from rarely up to daily at the start of the study. In the T-group 76% and in the C-group 83% of the patients reported headache at least once a week or more before treatment. At the 10 weeks follow-up, a statistically significant difference was found regarding headache several times a week or more between the T- and C-groups and within the T-group. At the 6 months follow-up, a statistically significant reduction was found in headache several times a week or more in the T- and M-groups. The number of patients with headache once a week or more decreased significantly in the T- and M-groups at the 12 months follow-up. We conclude that the stabilisation appliance seems to have an effect on the frequency of tension-type headache both in a short and in a long-term perspective in patients with TMD of mainly arthrogenous origin.

Gastric MUC5AC and MUC6 mucins were studied using polyclonal antibodies. Immunohistochemistry showed MUC5AC to originate from the surface epithelium, whereas MUC6 was produced by the glands. Mucins from the surface epithelium or glands of corpus and antrum were purified using CsCl/4M guanidinium chloride density-gradient centrifugation. MUC5AC appeared as two distinct populations at 1.4 and 1.3 g/ml, whereas MUC6, which was enriched in the gland tissue, appeared at 1.45 g/ml. Reactivity with antibodies against the Le(b) structure (where Le represents the Lewis antigen) followed the MUC5AC distribution, whereas antibodies against the Le(y) structure and reactivity with the GlcNAc-selective Solanum tuberosum lectin coincided with MUC6, suggesting that the two mucins are glycosylated differently. Rate-zonal centrifugation of whole mucins and reduced subunits showed that both gastric MUC5AC and MUC6 are oligomeric glycoproteins composed of disulphide-bond linked subunits and that oligomeric MUC5AC was apparently smaller than MUC6. A heterogeneous population of 'low-density' MUC5AC mucins, which were smaller than the 'high-density' ones both before and after reduction, reacted with an antibody against a variable number tandem repeat sequence within MUC5AC, suggesting that they represent precursor forms of this mucin. Following ion-exchange HPLC, both MUC5AC and MUC6 appeared as several distinct populations, probably corresponding to 'glycoforms' of the mucins, the most highly charged of which were found in the gland tissue.

Hvilke nye og gamle typer af spørgsmål har svenske politikkere defineret i forhold til den nye informationsteknologi? Kræver nye typer af sammenlignelige problemer og løsninger nye institutionelle former for politisk styring og styringsmidler? I artiklen beskrives den grundlæggende diskurs som denne fremtidsstyring formuleres indenfor. Desuden følger en kortlægning af, hvordan denne diskurs har resulteret i nye institutionelle former for politisk styring og i hvilke "netværk" den har kommet til at spille en stor rolle. Artiklen viser, at diskursen om IT har haft en konkret betydning for organisering af policyområdet IT. Med en mere traditionel måde at se på styring kan man samtidig spørge om denne organisering har været særlig effektiv.

Atherosclerosis develops as a result of a chronic arterial inflammation and intimal fibrosis. The disease represents in many respects a vascular repair process activated in response to injury caused by toxic breakdown products of aggregated and oxidized lipoproteins. The initial response of the artery involves expression of adhesion molecules and recruitment of leukocytes. Degenerated lipoproteins are removed from the extracellular space by macrophages. If lipoproteins continue to accumulate, the inflammatory process becomes chronic and cytokines stimulate smooth muscle to migrate into the intima. These cells proliferate and form an atherosclerotic plaque. Plaque cell death and inflammation in response to oxidized lipids and other toxic factors may cause plaques to rupture.

Background Stigma affects not only people with mental illnesses, but their families as well. Understanding how stigma affects family members in terms of both their psychological response to the ill person and their contacts with psychiatric services will improve interactions with the family. Aims To investigate factors of psychological significance related to stigma of the relatives. Method In a Swedish multi-centre study, 162 relatives of patients in acute psychiatric wards following both voluntary and compulsory admissions were interviewed concerning psychological factors related to stigma. Results A majority of relatives experienced psychological factors of stigma by association. Eighteen per cent of the relatives had at times thought that the patient would be better off dead, and 10% had experienced suicidal thoughts. Stigma by association was greater in relatives experiencing mental health problems of their own, and was unaffected by patient background characteristics. Conclusions Interventions are needed to reduce the negative effects of psychological factors related to stigma by association in relatives of people with mental illness.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the adsorption of PRP-1, PRP-3 and statherin to solid surfaces in terms of dependence on concentration, the presence of electrolyte and surface wettability. Time resolved in situ ellipsometry was used to determine the adsorbed amounts and adsorption rates of pure PRP-1, PRP-3 and statherin onto pure (hydrophilic) and methylated (hydrophobized) silica surfaces. The initial film build-up was fast and plateaus were reached within 10 min at all concentrations for both types of surfaces and all proteins. The observed adsorption and calculated diffusion rates of PRP-1, PRP-3 and statherin, respectively, indicated that the initial adsorption was mass transport controlled at low concentrations. At hydrophobic surfaces, isotherm shapes and adsorbed amounts were similar for PRP-1 and PRP-3, while statherin adsorbed to a higher extent. At hydrophilic surfaces only PRP-1 adsorbed substantially, while for PRP-3 and statherin adsorbed amounts were low. The presence of Ca 2+ ions in the phosphate buffer solution increased the adsorption of statherin and PRP-3 on hydrophobic surfaces, while PRP-1 was unaffected. On hydrophilic surfaces, all three proteins adsorbed in higher amounts in NaCl, compared to CaCl 2 at similar ionic strength. It is concluded that acidic PRPs (PRP-1 and PRP-3) and statherin readily form films on a variety of materials and solution conditions, showing that their functions may be fulfilled under a wide range of conditions.

The in vivo study aimed to examine whether muscarinic receptor subtypes other than muscarinic M3 receptors exert exocrine functional roles in the rat salivary glands. The effects of pirenzepine, methoctramine and 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4-DAMP) were examined on secretion from the major salivary glands evoked by acetylcholine (0.001-10 micromol kg(-1) i.v.) in pentobarbitone-anaesthetized rats. Observations were occasionally made on glandular blood flow. 4-DAMP (0.1-100 nmol kg(-1) i.v.) markedly and equipotently inhibited the acetylcholine-evoked fluid responses in all glands. Pirenzepine (0.1 micromol kg(-1) i.v.-10 mmol kg(-1) i.v.) showed significantly lower inhibitory potency than 4-DAMP, most conspicuously in the parotid, while methoctramine (0.1 micromol kg(-1) i.v.-10 mmol kg(-1) i.v.) exerted an even lesser inhibitory effect. Also against acetylcholine-evoked blood flow increases, 4-DAMP showed a conspicuous potency. At 1 and 10 micromol kg(-1) i.v. of pirenzepine, the antagonist reduced the protein concentration in the submandibular saliva, but not in the parotid saliva. While 4-DAMP (1 and 10 nmol kg(-1) i.v.) significantly inhibited acetylcholine-evoked protein secretory responses in the submandibular glands, methoctramine (below 10 micromol kg(-1) i.v.) affected the responses in neither gland. The reduction of the protein concentration in submandibular saliva caused by 4-DAMP and pirenzepine was inhibited by N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 30 mg kg(-1) i.p.), while L-NAME had no or only minute effects on the parotid protein secretion. Thus, in addition to muscarinic M3 receptors, other muscarinic receptors contribute to in vivo functional responses in rat submandibular and sublingual glands. While these other receptors are muscarinic M1 receptors in the sublingual gland, they may be a different subtype, possibly muscarinic M5 receptors, in the submandibular gland. However, muscarinic M1 receptors may induce indirect effects via nitric oxide in the submandibular gland.

A long-term (12 years) follow-up of treatment with intra-articular in-jections into the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of steroid or non-steroid agents was performed in 21 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and symptomatic TMJs. The aim of the study was to compare symptoms, signs and radiological appearance of the TMJ initially and at the follow-up in this group of patients. Eleven patients were as-signed to a steroid group and 10 patients to a non-steroid group. Ini-tial and follow-up clinical and radiological examination procedures were the same. The radiological evaluation was based on a grading system using standard reference films. At follow-up, 14 patients re-ported no pain from the TMJ and positive changes in most clinical variables were found in both groups. Radiographic follow-up exami-nation was performed on 12 patients. Initially, all but 4 of the 24 joints had structural bone changes. At follow-up, 2 joints had lower, 11 joints had unchanged and 11 joints had higher radiological grades. Two out of 5 and 3 out of 10 joints in the steroid and non-steroid group, respectively, showed progression of structural bone changes. Among 9 untreated joints, 6 had higher radiological grades and 3 were unchanged. In the 11 TMJs with higher radiological grades at follow-up, there was in most cases moderate progression of erosive changes. The results suggest that the long-term development of symptoms and signs from the TMJ in patients previously treated was good and the long-term progression of joint destruction was low for both steroid and non-steroid agents in this patient group with RA.

This study compared respondents who completed an Internet sexuality questionnaire and those who dropped out before completion. The study was in Swedish and comprised 3,614 respondents over a 2-week period (53% males, 47% females). There were significant differences between males, of whom 51% dropped out before completion of the 175-item questionnaire, and females, of whom 43% dropped out. Dropout in both genders followed a curve of negative acceleration. The data suggest that dropout is likely to be significant and gender and demographically biased, and to occur significantly earlier for men than for women. Geography, education, sexual orientation, age, relationship status, living arrangements, and Internet connection speed were related to dropout for men, while only relationship status and living arrangements, which were in the opposite direction from men, were related to dropout in women.

This article attempts to describe and analyze whether or not Swedish nursing research development belongs in a human science perspective. Traditionally, nursing in Sweden has been taught and practiced as a medical science, however another worldview seems to characterize Swedish nursing research today. This trend was identified through a study of the latest Swedish theoretical developments, in comparison with different international standpoints and views on the human science perspective. The conclusion is that Swedish nursing research is developing toward, and perhaps belongs in, a human science nursing perspective.

Salivary mucins are known to play important roles in the formation of oral salivary films. The aims of the present study were to investigate the behaviour of salivary mucins at solid surfaces with different wettabilities, as well as the influence of electrolyte on the adsorption behaviour. A pure preparation of human salivary MUC5B was used together with a commercial one of bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM). Amounts adsorbed from freshly prepared solutions onto hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces versus time were measured in situ by ellipsometry. At low concentrations, larger amounts were adsorbed onto hydrophobic than onto hydrophilic silica indicating a higher affinity for the former surfaces. Furthermore, on hydrophilic surfaces adsorbed amounts of MUC5B and BSM show good agreement at low concentrations (<0.10 mgml^-^1). However, at higher concentrations MUC5B adsorbed to a lower extent than BSM. At hydrophobic surfaces, isotherm shapes were similar for the two preparations, but the amounts were shifted to higher values for MUC5B. Finally, the presence of electrolyte increased adsorption and the increase was more pronounced on hydrophilic surfaces. The increased adsorption at a higher ionic strength indicates a more compact structure of the mucin due to electrostatic screening and the fact that the effect was more pronounced on the hydrophilic surfaces points to a higher relative importance of electrostatic interactions in this case. We conclude that the two mucins investigated behave in a qualitatively similar manner and show the highest affinity for hydrophobic surfaces.

Artikeln handlar om vilken typ av kunskap som ska förhandlas som kan konstrueras i en undervisningssituation

The aim of the study was to explore patterns of communication between 22 children with cochlear implants (CI) and their parents, teachers and peers in natural interactions over a 2-year period. The children,between 2 and 5 years old when implanted, had used the implant between 1 and 3.5 years at the end of the study. Analyses of videorecorded interactions showed that meaningful oral communication was more easily obtained in the home setting than in the preschool setting.Patterns of communication between parent–child, content and complexity of dialogues, quality of peer interactions, communicative styles of adults, and the use of sign language in communication turned out to be important factors when explaining the result of the CI on the individual child’s development.The children with the best oral skills were also good signers.

Forskningsprojektet "De avgörande åren'" studerar idrotten som uppfostringsmiljö. Utgångspunkten är föreningsidrottens utformning och innehåll, samt konsekvenserna härav för att uppnå idrottsrörelsens programmatiska målsättningar samt samhällets mål med stödet till idrotten. Jag skall presentera några resultat från studien, som behandlar selektions- och rangordningsmekanismer.

Den svenska idrottsmodellen är i internationell jämförelse unik i sin tillgänglighet, vilket framstår som avgörande för om idrottsrörelsen är till för alla eller bara för vissa .

Intervju med Douglas Coupland.

Abstract. A directional crack growth prediction in a compressed homogenous elastic isotropic material under plane strain conditions is considered. The conditions at the parent crack tip are evaluated for a straight stationary crack. Remote load is a combined biaxial compressive normal stress and pure shear. Crack surfaces are assumed to be frictionless and to remain closed during the kink formation wherefore the mode I stress intensity factor KI is vanishing. Hence the mode II stress intensity factor KII remains as the single stress intensity variable for the kinked crack. An expression for the local mode II stress intensity factor k2 at the tip of a straight kink has been calculated numerically with an integral equation using the solution scheme proposed by Lo (1978) and refined by He and Hutchinson (1989). The confidence of the solution is strengthened by verifications with a boundary element method and by particular analytical solutions. The expression has been found as a function of the mode II stress intensity factor KII of the parent crack, the direction and length of the kink, and the difference between the remote compressive normal stresses perpendicular to, and parallel with, the plane of the parent crack. Based on the expression, initial crack growth directions have been suggested. At a sufficiently high non-isotropic compressive normal stress, so that the crack remains closed, the crack is predicted to extend along a curved path that maximizes the mode II stress intensity factor k2. Only at an isotropic remote compressive normal stress the crack will continue straight ahead without change of the direction. Further, an analysis of the shape of the crack path has revealed that the propagation path is, according the model, required to be described by a function y = cxγ , where the exponent γ is equal to 3/2. In that case, when γ = 3/2, predicts the analytical model a propagation path that is selfsimilar (i.e. the curvature c is independent of any length of a crack extension), and which can be described by a function of only the mode II stress intensity factor KII at the parent crack tip and the difference between the remote compressive normal stress perpendicular to, and parallel with, the parent crack plane. Comparisons with curved shear cracks in brittle materials reported in literature provide limited support for the model discussed.