Acute poisonings treated in hospitals in Oslo: a one-year prospective study (I): pattern of poisoning.

OBJECTIVES: Prospective design is mandatory to study pattern of poisoning and suicidal intention of patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective cross-sectional multi-center study of all patients contacting health care services because of acute poisoning during one year in Oslo, irrespective of intention. Data on the adult hospitalized patients (> or = 16 years) are presented here. RESULTS: Of a total of 3,775 such adult contacts (3,025 episodes), there were 947 (31 %) hospitalizations; annual incidence 1.9 (per 1,000) in males and 2.1 in females. Median age was 36 years (range 16-89); 54% females. Benzodiazepines (18%), ethanol (17%), paracetamol (12%), opioids (7%), and gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) (7%) were most frequently taken. Patients stated suicidal intention in 29% of the admissions; physicians in 10%. CONCLUSION: Benzodiazepines and ethanol were the most common agents, but newer illicit drugs were frequent, especially GHB. Males often took ethanol and drugs of abuse; females often used prescription drugs with suicidal intention.

Associations among behavior, personality, and traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease: a study at a primary health care center in mid-Norway.

The continuing presence of different negative emotions has been suggested as an important factor in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). The present study was carried out at a medical center to investigate the presence of negative emotions and Type A behavior in a group of 40-yr.-old men and women. The National Institute of Public Health in Norway carried out the data-collection as a part of their CHD risk factor screenings. The correlation between hostility and total cholesterol is negative as is that between systolic blood pressures and the feeling of guilt for women. There was no further support for earlier findings of relationships between either Type A behavior pattern and negative emotions or Type A and elevated cholesterol values. A number of possible explanations are offered. In the study, assessment of hostility was questioned; there was possible support for poor assessment of hostility on the Karolinska Scales of Personality employed in the study.

[Dimensions of health services for big sport events. Are preventive measures effective?]. / Dimensjonering av helsetjenester ved store idrettsarrangementer. Har forebyggende tiltak effekt?

Many small municipalities are involved in big sport events from time to time. This article describes the planning and organisation of health services in connection with the annual National Rifle Shooting Championship in 1993 in Oppdal, Norway. The health services of this municipality are dimensioned for 6,200 inhabitants. The shooting championship involved over 7,000 participants and 20,000 companions for ten days. During the event, all contacts with the health services were recorded. Analyses of this material and comparisons with other similar events provided strong support for the hypothesis that good planning and organisation of the preventive health services can reduce the need for curative and acute medicine. Emphasis must be placed on prevention of infectious diseases, fire, and accidents. The number of participants, age of companions, and the type of sport must also be taken into consideration. It is essential for the quality of the preventive health service that the Public Health Officer is involved and takes the right initiatives during the planning process. It is also vital to collaborate with personnel responsible for other sectors than the health sector, but of major importance for prevention of illness and disease.

Polymer surface science.

Molecular level studies of the structure and mechanical properties of polymer surfaces have been carried out by sum frequency generation (SFG) surface vibrational spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surfaces of different grades of polyethylene and polypropylene have been characterized-including during the glass transition and when mechanically stretched. Copolymers that have hard and soft segments with different glass transition temperatures show phase separation, an effect of hydrogen bonding between the hard and soft segments, that influences their adhesive and friction properties. AFM and SFG show that low surface energy additives migrate to the surface and alter the surface mechanical properties. Polymers, where the chemical nature of the end groups is different from the backbone, show surface segregation of the hydrophobic part of the chain in air and the hydrophilic part in water. Likewise, in miscible polymer blends, surface segregation of the more hydrophobic component in air and the more hydrophilic component in water is observed. This area of surface science requires increased attention because of the predominance of polymers as structural materials and as biomaterials.