The Natural Course of Ulcerative Colitis : A European Population-Based Study

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects a large number of patients throughout life. This population-based European-Israeli follow-up study have been addressing the outcome of the first ten years of the disease in terms of clinical relapse, colectomy and survival. A total of 781 UC patients from six European countries and Israel, with UC diagnosed between 1991 and 1993 have been studied . Factors which could influence disease outcome have been analysed. The total cumulative survival rate in UC was equal to that of the background population. No excess mortality from UC or from malignant disease could be demonstrated. Deaths caused by UC were mostly related to complications to surgery. The all over cumulative colectomy rate was below 9%, and significantly higher in patients from Northern compared with Southern centres. Extensive colitis was found to be an independent risk factor for surgery. The cumulative rate of the first clinical relapse after diagnosis was 67% in ten years. The risk of relapse was related to age under 30 at diagnosis, female gender, higher level of education and smoking cessation. Patients who relapsed shortly after diagnosis had an increased risk of later recurrences. There seemed to be an association between the risk of relapse and a positive test for p-ANCA. However, the prevalence of this serologic marker was low in our cohort. For the first ten years most UC patients across Europe on a population basis seem to have a benign disease course evaluated by survival, colectomy and the risk of relapse. Aggressive medication from the time-point of diagnosis should be a subject of investigation, and careful evaluation of the need for surgery could be proposed to further improve the disease prognosis. Life insurance companies should re-evaluate their policy of restrictions for UC patients

Cholesterol lowering effects of soy protein, and how denatured protein may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease

Proteiner som kan øke risikoen for hjerte-karsykdom Lege og forsker Lars Henrik Høie og kollegaer på universitetssykehus i Norden og Tyskland har meget overraskende funnet at proteiner som er fremstilt med høy varme (ultra heat treatment, UHT) kan øke risikoen for hjerte-karsykdom. Forskningsresultatene kan være av stor betydning, fordi soya- og andre melkeprodukter som er UHT behandlet, brukes regelmessig av store konsumentgrupper. I sin avhandling har Lars Høie og medarbeidere vist at soyaprotein senker total- og LDL-kolesterol i blod, men at UHT-behandlet soyaprotein signifikant øker LDL- og total kolesterol med ca. 20% etter 8 ukers bruk. UHT-fremstilte melkeproteinbaserte produkter har gitt samme resultater. De overraskende funnene ble underbygget av en studie hvor et nytt soyaprotein ble utviklet som ikke var varmebehandlet, som signifikant reduserte risikofaktorene LDL- og total-kolesterol sammenlignet med andre soyaproteiner. Helsemyndighetene i USA og England har i h.h.v. 1999 og 2002 godtatt at man ved inntak av produkter som inneholder minst 25g soyaprotein per dag kan hevde at disse produktene kan redusere hjerte-karsykdom ved å senke kolesterol. Resultatene fra Høie og medarbeidere kan gjøre det ønskelig for helsemyndigheter å få dokumentasjon fra selskaper som produserer soyaproteiner, og fra produsenter av proteinbaserte drikkevarer og andre langtidsholdbare produkter, hvor proteinene fremstilles med høy varme. Studiene i denne avhandlingen er utført i samarbeid med forskere fra universitetssykehus i Berlin, Helsinki, København, Stockholm og Århus, og de proteinbaserte produktene er blitt fremstilt i England, Holland, Norge og Sverige

Political perfectionism : an analysis of John Rawls' neutrality and his notion of self-respect

This study looks at John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice (1971) and Political Liberalism (1993). These theories will, as Rawls intended, be seen as one giant theory. The main focus has been on his neutrality and his notion of self-respect. The tension between these elements is obvious. Neutrality emphasizes independence of substantial values, whereas self-respect is clearly a notion based on substantial values. Rawls’ neutrality is obscure since he justifies his theory by relying on substantial values seen as shared and political. In other words, he relies on a political conception of the good. Rawls’ theory is therefore neutral between people who share this thin theory of the good. If this means that his theory is justified by a superior political conception of the good, I have suggested that his theory could be called political perfectionism. To support this suggestion I have inspected Rawls’ objections to the principle of perfection and found them invalid against the modern versions of perfectionism, namely liberal perfectionism. Some theories of liberal perfectionism – Thomas Hurka’s Perfectionism (1993) and George Sher’s Beyond Neutrality (1997) – have been used to this purpose. These versions would undoubtedly promote the notion of self-respect to a large extent. Being concerned with the political sphere Rawls does not promote the whole notion of self-respect. He only promotes the political aspect of self-respect. I have used the analysis of how Rawls’ theory is neutral as a point of departure for analyzing whether the whole notion of self-respect should be promoted. It seems like he has not good reasons for only supporting the political aspect. If this is correct, the substantial values in the notion of self-respect can draw Rawls’ theory even further towards a perfectionist stand

Facies and sedimentary architectures in the Upper Silurian Ringerike Group, Eastern Norway

Masteroppgave i geovitenskapGEOV399MAMN-GEO

Effectiveness of psychotherapy for adults with depression: a systematic review of the best available evidence

AbstractThe present systematic review assessed the effectiveness of psychotherapy for adults with depression. Studies were considered in scope if they examined a recognized form of psychotherapy compared with no or minimal care, pharmacological treatment, treatment as usual, or other forms of psychotherapy. We included and summarised results from nine studies of high methodological quality. Findings from the best available evidence suggest that the depression experienced by adults of either sex can be affectively ameliorated by psychotherapeutic intervention, but no more so than by antidepressants, and no variant of psychological treatment appears to be superior to another. Additional research is warranted

One size doesn't fit all : A thematic analysis of interviews with people who have stopped participating in Narcotics Anonymous in Norway

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Revisiting the “The Breakfast Club”: Testing Different Theoretical Models of Belongingness and Acceptance (and Social Self-Representation)

The current work tests different theoretical models of belongingness and acceptance as fundamental needs for human motivation. In the current study, 372 participants were presented with 52 different items measuring five different theoretical models of belongingness (with a total of 32 items) and three different theoretical models of acceptance (with a total of 20 items). In a first step, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) failed to provide support for these eight theoretical models. In a second step, we therefore applied Exploratory Factor Analysis yielding three factors, which we interpreted as communicating: (1) Belongingness, (2) Emotion-Acceptance, and (3) Social Self-Representation. In a third step, these three factors were corroborated by a CFA. We discuss how these two factors of “belongingness,” “emotion-acceptance” respond to the literature on the need to belong and be accepted, and we reflect on how ‘social self-representation’ seems to be an alternative motivation for how we present ourselves to our social relations to fulfill our needs.publishedVersio

Usikret gjeld – omfang og kjennetegn ved låntakerne

Formålet med denne rapporten er å belyse hvordan usikret gjeld er fordelt i befolkningen og om det er grupper som er spesielt sårbare eller utsatt for slik gjeld

“It’s like being stuck on an unsafe and unpredictable rollercoaster” : experiencing substance use problems in a partner

publishedVersio