We reconstructed forest development and disturbance events (fire and logging) during the last 1000 yr with tree-ring data, pollen and charcoal analysis from a semi-natural Fagus sylvatica-Picea abies forest (ca. I km(2)) in the hemiboreal zone. According to pollen analysis, Quercus robur together with Pinus sylvestris was abundant in the forest until the turn of the 18th/19th centuries when these

Timing of cirque formation and the climate necessary to initiate glaciation are fundamental to the understanding of the landscape of the northern Scandinavian mountains. Empty cirques in the Rassepautasjtjakka massif are located near a glaciated area and thus appear near the glaciation limit. In order to investigate the climate conditions necessary for glacier formation in the cirques, we applied

During the last 10-15 years, the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has become an important mode of treatment for patients suffering from grave ventricular arrhythmias, but ICD implantation involves psychosocial adjustments for both patients and relatives. The aim of this pilot study was to design a plan of education and to follow a selected group of patients with interviews, observation

Objectives. To investigate the association between means of transportation to work and overweight+obesity and obesity. Methods. The 2004 public health survey in Sk (a) over circle ne is a cross-sectional postal questionnaire study of the population aged 18-80 with a 59% response rate including 16,705 employed participants. Results. Forty-six percent of men and 26.6% of women were overweight (BMI

This study reports the outcome of active surveillance in men with PSA screening-detected prostate cancer (PC), and PSA doubling time (PSADT) was evaluated as a predictor of selecting patients to active treatment or surveillance. On December 31, 1994, 10,000 men were randomized to biennial PSA testing. Through to December 2004, a total of 660 men were diagnosed with PC, of whom 270 managed with ini

Background: Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection causes increased morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). This study aimed to answer the following questions: Does the prevalence of chronic infection with PA differ between the CF centres in Scandinavia? Which differences exist concerning segregation and treatment of PA? Methods: 989 patients (86%) from all eight CF-centres in Scan

Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines that orchestrate leukocyte trafficking in tissues, thus, playing an important role in regulation of immunological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer with two DNA polymorphisms of the chemokine receptors CCR5-Delta 32 and CCR2-64L The study material consisted of 50 cervi

ln this article, we analyze fertility control in a rural population characterized by natural fertility, using survival analysis on a longitudinal data set at the individual level combined with food prices. Landless and semilandless families responded strongly to short-term economic stress stemming from changes in prices. The fertility response, both to moderate and large changes in food prices, wa

Physical activity is regarded as an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Several social and environmental factors have systematically emerged as barriers to low leisure time physical activity (LTPA), for example, lack of money, low social support due to lack of supportive family or friends, and living in high crime rate areas. Low LTPA has been found to be strongly associated with low socio