The weight of school children and its relationship to performance in studies and well-being

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjective: There has been significant weight gain among Western populations during the past few decades, including children and adolescents. The aim of this research was to investigate the possibility of discovering a correlation between the weight of primary school children and their well-being and performance in studies. There was also an interest in determining the weight development of children and adolescents during a period of thirty years and attempting to answer the question whether they were still putting on weight. Methods and materials: The target population of the research project comprised pupils in the 4th, 7th and 10th grades of primary schools within the service area of Akureyri Health Centre during the winter of 2000-2001. The above classes were chosen on the basis of the fact that they all sat the national coordinated examination. Data were collected to discover Body Mass Index (BMI, weight/height_, kg/m_), measure performance in studies (the results in nationally coordinated examinations in Icelandic and arithmetic) and assess well-being by means of a questionnaire (Youth Self Report, YSR), which was only presented to the 7th and 10th grade. Furthermore, BMI was determined for corresponding groups from the school years 1970-71, 1980-81 and 1990-91, using information obtained from school health reports for the pupils in question. Results: This group consisted of 819 pupils and information was available on 568 of those, or about 70%. The weight gain which turned out to have occurred between the years 1970 and 1990 did not occur in the final decade of the 20th century and this applies to all three year groups. No difference was between those living in urban and rural areas. This was found to be the case, both when comparing the average BMI of the year groups and the proportion of children who are above a certain threshold of criteria. Furthermore, it was found that excessive weight/obesity is related to slack study results and a poor state of well-being among pupils in the 10th grade of the primary school. Such a relationship, however, did not exist among students in the 7th grade. Heavier pupils in the 4th grade perform better in their studies than their lighter peers, although this difference is not statistically significant. Conclusions: The unfavourable trend towards weight gain that we have seen in the past may now be changing. Other research pointing in the same direction has not been found, however, and more results are needed before this can be stated as a fact. Weight has a stronger influence on the well-being of adolescents in their upper teens, or towards the end of primary school, than is the case with younger pupils. This research does not explain why, although it may be assumed that the social environment of older children and adolescents is a significant factor in this respect. As the children grow older, a correlation begins to appear between being overweight and having less performance in studies and none of the heavier pupils show excellent school performance.Tilgangur: Þyngdaraukning meðal vestrænna þjóða er veruleg síðustu áratugi og á það einnig við um börn og unglinga. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna hvort finna mætti tengsl á milli þyngdar grunnskólabarna og hvernig þeim liði og árangurs þeirra í námi. Ennfremur var áhugi á að sjá hver hefur verið þróun í þyngd barna og unglinga á þrjátíu ára tímabili og leita svara við spurningunni hvort þau væru enn að þyngjast. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsóknin náði til nemenda í 4., 7. og 10. bekk grunnskóla á starfssvæði Heilsugæslustöðvarinnar á Akureyri veturinn 2000-2001. Umræddir árgangar urðu fyrir valinu þar sem þeir þreyttu allir samræmd próf. Gögnum var safnað til að finna líkamsþyngdarstuðul, LÞS (Body Mass Index, BMI, þyngd/hæð_, kg/m_), mæla námsárangur (niðurstöður samræmdra prófa í íslensku og stærðfræði) og líðan með spurningalista (Youth Self Report, YSR) sem var eingöngu lagður fyrir 7. og 10. bekk. Ennfremur var fundið LÞS fyrir sambærilega hópa frá skólaárunum 1970-71, 1980-81 og 1990-91 og voru þær upplýsingar unnar úr heilsufarsskýrslum skóla fyrir þessa nemendur. Niðurstöður: Í þessum hópi voru alls 819 nemendur og fengust upplýsingar um 568 þeirra eða um 70%. Marktæk þyngdaraukning reyndist vera milli áranna 1970 og 1990 en var ekki til staðar á tíunda áratug 20. aldar og á það við alla árgangana þrjá. Á það bæði við þegar borið er saman meðaltal LÞS þessara árganga og hlutfall þeirra barna sem eru yfir ákveðnum viðmiðunarmörkum. Enginn munur var eftir búsetu í þéttbýli eða dreifbýli. Þá kom í ljós að ofþyngd/offita tengist slöku námsgengi og slakri líðan meðal nemenda í 10. bekk grunnskóla. Slík tengsl eru ekki til staðar meðal nemenda í 7. bekk. Þyngri nemendur í 4. bekk sýna betri námsárangur en þeir sem léttari eru en sá munur er þó ekki marktækur. Ályktanir: Hugsanlega er sú óhagstæða þróun í átt til þyngdaraukningar sem verið hefur að breytast. Þó hafa ekki fundist aðrar rannsóknir sem benda í sömu átt og þarf því frekari niðurstöður áður en hægt er að fullyrða að svo sé. Þyngd hefur meiri áhrif á líðan eldri unglinga eða undir lok grunnskóla en þeirra sem yngri eru. Þessi rannsókn svarar ekki hvers vegna en gera má ráð fyrir að hin auknu félagslegu áhrif sem börn og unglingar verða fyrir þegar þau eru eldri skipti hér verulegu máli. Eftir því sem börnin verða eldri þá fer að gæta sambands milli þess að vera of þungur og ganga lakar í námi og meðal þungra eru engir nemendur sem ná ágætum námsárangri

Hepatotoxicity associated with the use of Herbalife

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open)Objective: Many herbal products are known to be hepatotoxic. In a recent survey in Iceland concerning adverse reactions related to herbal medicines, Herbalife products were implicated in the majority of the reported cases of hepatotoxicity. Methods: The clinical presentations of five cases of Herbalife related liver injury during the period of 1999-2008 are analysed. Causality was assessed by using the WHO-UMC system for causality assessment and the RUCAM method. Results: Of the five cases there were four females and one male; median age was 46 years (range 29-78). Herbalife had been used for 1 to 7 months prior to presentation. Four patients presented with a hepatocellular and one with a cholestatic reaction. Median values were for bilirubin 190 mmol/L (range: 26-311; ref. < 20 mmol/L), ALP 407 U/L (range: 149-712; ref. 35-105 U/L) and ALT 24 87 U/L (range: 456-2637; ref. 70 and 45 U/L for males and females, respectively). Liver biopsy was performed in 2 patients and was consistent with toxic hepatitis in both cases. Other causes of hepatitis were excluded by appropriate serological testing and ultrasound. Causality assessment according to RUCAM was probable in three cases and possible in two. Using the WHO-UMC criteria causality was certain in one case, probable in two and possible in two cases. Conclusions: Hepatotoxicity is probably associated with the use of Herbalife products. Hepatotoxicity due to herbal remedies is an important differential diagnosis in the diagnostic work-up of liver injury.Tilgangur: Mörg náttúruefni eru þekkt að því að geta valdið lifrarskaða. Nýleg íslensk könnun á aukaverkunum náttúruefna sýndi að lifrarskaði var oftast tengdur notkun Herbalife. Aðferðir: Lýst er fimm tilfellum af eitrunarlifrarbólgu í tengslum við notkun á ýmsum Herbalifevörum á Íslandi á árunum 1999 til 2008. Orsakatengsl voru metin með skilmerkjum WHO-UMC en einnig með RUCAM aðferðinni. Niðurstöður: Af fimm sjúklingum voru fjórar konur og einn karl. Miðgildi aldurs var 46 ár (spönn 29-78 ár). Lengd Herbalifenotkunar var á bilinu 1-7 mánuðir. Fjórir sjúklinganna voru með klíníska mynd lifrarfrumuskaða en einn með gallstíflulifrarskaða. Miðgildi fyrir eftirfarandi voru: bílirúbín 190 µmol/L (spönn: 26-311; eðlilegt <20 µmol/L), ALP 407 U/L (spönn: 149-712; eðl. 35-105 U/L) og ALT 2487 U/L (spönn: 456-2637; eðl. 70 og 45 U/L fyrir karla og konur). Lifrarástunga var gerð í tveimur sjúklinganna og samrýmdust vefjabreytingar eitrunarlifrarbólgu. Aðrar orsakir lifrarbólgu voru útilokaðar með viðeigandi mótefnaprófum og ómskoðun. Orsakatengsl voru samkvæmt RUCAM-aðferðinni líkleg í þremur og möguleg í tveimur en samkvæmt skilmerkjum WHO örugg í einu tilfelli, líkleg í tveimur og möguleg í tveimur. Ályktanir: Telja verður líklegt að notkun á Herbalifevörum tengist eitrunarlifrarbólgu. Eitrunarlifrarbólga af völdum náttúruefna er mikilvæg mismunagreining hjá sjúklingum með lifrarskaða

Case of the month: cutaneous myiasis

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/Ope

New Directions in 3D Medical Modeling: 3D-Printing Anatomy and Functions in Neurosurgical Planning

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesThis paper illustrates the feasibility and utility of combining cranial anatomy and brain function on the same 3D-printed model, as evidenced by a neurosurgical planning case study of a 29-year-old female patient with a low-grade frontal-lobe glioma. We herein report the rapid prototyping methodology utilized in conjunction with surgical navigation to prepare and plan a complex neurosurgery. The method introduced here combines CT and MRI images with DTI tractography, while using various image segmentation protocols to 3D model the skull base, tumor, and five eloquent fiber tracts. This 3D model is rapid-prototyped and coregistered with patient images and a reported surgical navigation system, establishing a clear link between the printed model and surgical navigation. This methodology highlights the potential for advanced neurosurgical preparation, which can begin before the patient enters the operation theatre. Moreover, the work presented here demonstrates the workflow developed at the National University Hospital of Iceland, Landspitali, focusing on the processes of anatomy segmentation, fiber tract extrapolation, MRI/CT registration, and 3D printing. Furthermore, we present a qualitative and quantitative assessment for fiber tract generation in a case study where these processes are applied in the preparation of brain tumor resection surgery.Icelandic Innovation Fund RANNIS company Ossur University Hospital Landspital

QMM A Quarterly Macroeconomic Model of the Icelandic Economy

This paper documents and describes the new Quarterly Macroeconomi Model of the Central Bank of Iceland (qmm). qmm and the underlying quar terly database have been under construction since 2001 at the Research and Forecasting Division of the Economics Department at the Bank. qmm is used by the Bank for forecasting and various policy simulations and therefore play a key role as an organisational framework for viewing the medium-term futur when formulating monetary policy at the Bank. This paper is mainly focused on the short and medium-term properties of qmm. Analysis of the steady state properties of the model are currently under way and will be reported in a separate paper in the near future.

QMM. A Quarterly Macroeconomic Model of the Icelandic Economy

This paper documents and describes Version 2.0 of the Quarterly Macroeconomic Model of the Central Bank of Iceland (QMM). QMM and the underlying quarterly database have been under construction since 2001 at the Research and Forecasting Division of the Economics Department at the Bank and was first implemented in the forecasting round for the Monetary Bulletin 2006.1 in March 2006. QMM is used by the Bank for forecasting and various policy simulations and therefore plays a key role as an organisational framework for viewing the medium-term future when formulating monetary policy at the Bank. This paper is mainly focused on the short and medium-term properties of QMM. Steady state properties of the model are documented in a paper by Daníelsson (2009).

THE GREENLAND LEE-LOW AND A FORECAST ERROR OF THE 8 JANUARY 2005 DENMARK WINDSTORM

Forecasts of the 8 January Denmark Windstorm are compared. In a wrong forecast, the Greenland-lee low is far to shallow, there is less outflow of cold air from west of Greenland and consequently a poor development of the upper trough that fed the windstorm. The analysis of the forecasts and an ETKF analysis support that a correct analysis of the atmosphere in the region between Iceland and Greenland would have been of importance to get a correct forecast of the windstorm over Denmark 3 days later