International forum. an investigation of iron status in blood donors

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Akupunktur og insomnia

Denne oppgaven omhandler temaet akupunktur og insomnia. Insomnia har i de senere årene blitt et stadig større problem i befolkningen (2,3). Ferske tall fra Norge viser at forekomsten av insomnia blant voksne økte fra 11,9 prosent til 15,5 prosent i perioden 2000 til 2010 (3).Vi ønsker å belyse om Tradisjonell Kinesisk Medisin (TKM) kan tilby en virkningsfull behandling som kan være et supplement til konvensjonell behandling. Problemstillingen i vår oppgave er: ”Hvordan beskrives insomnia i TKM, og samsvarer dette med nyere forskning og klinisk praksis?” Vi har valgt å gjøre denne oppgaven til et kvalitativt dybdeintervju og en litteraturstudie. Formålet er å få oversikt over kunnskap som finnes om temaet insomnia innen litteratur, forskning og klinisk praksis. Vi vil presentere fire litteraturforfattere, tre RCT-studier, to reviews og erfaringer fra to informanter (2,4–13). Oppgaven belyser hvordan de beskriver etiologi, syndromer, ubalanser, og behandling i forhold til insomnia. Resultatene av studiene og den kliniske praksisen viser til positive effekter av akupunktur ved insomnia. Informantene fra klinisk praksis forteller om god effekt med sine behandlinger, og forskningen ser ut til å underbygge dette. Ut fra det materiale vi har benyttet kan vi konkludere med at akupunktur har god effekt. Beskrivelsen av insomnia i TKM synes i stor grad å samsvare med nyere forskning og klinisk praksis. Da vårt materiale har vært begrenset, kan det ikke konkluderes generelt for virkningen av akupunktur mot insomnia. Dersom vi hadde benyttet andre kilder kunne vi fått et annet resultat. Noen av studiene viser mangler ved utførelse, dokumentasjon og rapportering i forhold til STRICTA. Vi ser det hensiktsmessig at flere og bedre kvalitetsstudier omkring temaet blir utført. De positive resultatene som er blitt belyst i oppgaven bør undersøkes videre med nye og bedre kvalitetsstudier. Dette kan muliggjøre en konklusjon på akupunkturens virkning på insomnia

The effect of donation frequency on donor health in blood donors donating plasma by plasmapheresis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: The demand for plasma products is growing, necessitating an increase in plasma collection by plasmapheresis. While the 20th edition of the European Guidelines permits plasma donors in Europe to donate with 96-h donation intervals, the potential short- and long-term consequences of high-frequency plasma donations on donor health remain unknown. This study aims to measure the effect of plasma donation frequency on plasma protein composition, including total serum protein (TSP) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), in Norwegian male blood donors. Methods: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) included 120 male blood donors who were randomized into two intervention groups and one control group: high-frequency plasma donors (HFPDs) who donated 650 mL of plasma 3 times every 2 weeks, whereas regular-frequency plasma donors (RFPDs) who donated 650 mL of plasma 1 time every 2 weeks. The control group consisted of whole blood donors. The primary outcomes are the concentrations of TSP and IgG. Discussion: The findings from this study may have implications for recommendations related to donor health and plasma donation frequencies and may contribute to supporting the strategic independence of plasma products in Norway and Europe without compromising donor health.publishedVersio

Safe Blood Donation from Donors Using Antihypertensive Medication. A Multi-Center Retrospective Quality Study from South-East Norway

Purpose: In Norway, blood donors using antihypertensive medication were deferred until 2015. Following revision of the national directive, these donors could be allowed, providing stable dose for at least 3 months, adequate blood pressure control and no adverse effects caused by the therapy. The new practice was evaluated by a quality study where the major aim was to establish whether donations from blood donors on antihypertensive medication pose a risk to the donor. The risk was assessed by counting the number and categorizing the adverse events related to blood donation. In addition, the quantitative effect of including these donors was calculated. Subjects and methods: In this retrospective quality study, blood donors on antihypertensive therapy were recruited from four different blood centers to fill out a questionnaire. A total of 265 donors answered questions regarding their health status, type of medication used, and adverse events connected to blood donation both before and after starting the therapy. Results: No severe adverse events were observed in donors on antihypertensive medications. The amount of mild adverse events, as exhibited by only 7 persons (0.46%) in this donor population, was the same as for donors without hypertensive treatment. Conclusion: Blood donation from persons on antihypertensive therapy poses no extra risk of severe adverse events, given the use of screening criteria to identify and bleed only low-risk donors.publishedVersio

Indikatorer for kulturarvens samfunnsnytte

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Basic Body Awareness Therapy versus standard care in hip osteoarthritis. A randomized controlled trial

Background Compensational movement patterns in hip osteoarthritis (HOA) are associated with hip dysfunction. Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) promotes functional movement quality and might, accordingly, be beneficial in HOA. Objective To examine the outcomes of BBAT compared to standard care in people with HOA after first receiving patient education (PE). Study Design A prospective, assessor-blinded, and block-randomized controlled trial. Methods Community-living adults with HOA participating in PE were randomly allocated to an intervention group receiving BBAT in groups (12 sessions offered once a week), or a comparison group. Data at baseline (pretest) and at 6 months (posttest) were analyzed. Primary outcomes were pain during walking assessed by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and function by the Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, subscale ADL (HOOS A). Secondary outcomes addressed physical capacity, movement quality, and self-reported aspects of function and health. Results At pretest, there were no significant differences in demographic and test data between the intervention (n = 51) and the comparison (n = 50) group. Forty-one intervention and 45 comparison participants completed the posttest. At posttest, no significant differences in change between groups were found on NRS (p = 0.694, effect size (ES) = 0.02) or HOOS A (p = 0.783, ES = 0.07). Among secondary outcomes, movement quality improved significantly more (p < 0.001, ES = 0.84) in the intervention group. Compliance with BBAT varied substantially. Per-protocol analysis showed changes in favor of the intervention group for self-efficacy (p = 0.049, ES = 0.36), health (p = 0.037, ES = 0.44), and function (p = 0.029, ES = 0.53) when only intervention participants who completed at least 10 sessions of BBAT were included. Conclusions BBAT was not found to be a more effective treatment modality than self-initiated standard care to reduce pain during walking and improve daily functioning in people with HOA. Movement quality was significantly more improved in participants receiving BBAT, and improvement in other health aspects was associated with sufficient therapy compliance.publishedVersio

Multidisciplinary discovery of ancient restoration using a rare mud carapace on a mummified individual from late New Kingdom Egypt.

Funder: Rundle Foundation for Egyptian ArchaeologyCT scans of an unnamed mummified adult from Egypt, now in the Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney (NMR.27.3), reveal it to be fully sheathed in a mud shell or carapace, exposing a mortuary treatment not previously documented in the Egyptian archaeological record. The carapace was placed between layers of linen wrappings thus it was not externally visible. Radiocarbon dating of textile samples provide a range of c.1370-1113 cal BC (95.4% probability), with a median date of 1207 cal BC. When assessed against mummification techniques of the era, the individual is placed in the late 19th-20th Dynasty, at the later end of this date range. Multi-proxy analysis including μ-XRF and Raman spectroscopy of carapace fragments from the head area revealed it to consist of three layers, comprising a thin base layer of mud, coated with a white calcite-based pigment and a red-painted surface of mixed composition. Whether the whole surface of the carapace was painted red is unknown. The carapace was a form of ancient conservation applied subsequent to post-mortem damage to the body, intended to reconfigure the body and enable continued existence of the deceased in the afterlife. The carapace can also be interpreted as a form of elite emulation imitating resin shells found within the wrappings of royal bodies from this period

Verdien av kulturarv. En samfunnsøkonomisk analyse med utgangspunkt i kulturminner og kulturmiljøer. Rapport

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Structural Brain Changes in Patients With COPD

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) suffer from chronic dyspnea, which is commonly perceived as highly aversive and threatening. Moreover, COPD is often accompanied by disease-specific fears and avoidance of physical activity. However, little is known about structural brain changes in COPD patients and respective relations with disease duration and disease-specific fears.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Structural Brain Changes in Patients With COPD journaltitle: Chest articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1378/chest.15-0027 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2016 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.status: publishe

Epidemiology of taeniosis/cysticercosis in Europe, a systematic review : Western Europe

Background: Taenia solium and Taenia saginata are zoonotic parasites of public health importance. Data on their occurrence in humans and animals in western Europe are incomplete and fragmented. In this study, we aimed to update the current knowledge on the epidemiology of these parasites in this region. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of scientific and grey literature published from 1990 to 2015 on the epidemiology of T. saginata and T. solium in humans and animals. Additionally, data about disease occurrence were actively sought by contacting local experts in the different countries. Results: Taeniosis cases were found in twelve out of eighteen countries in western Europe. No cases were identified in Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. For Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and the UK, annual taeniosis cases were reported and the number of detected cases per year ranged between 1 and 114. Detected prevalences ranged from 0.05 to 0.27%, whereas estimated prevalences ranged from 0.02 to 0.67%. Most taeniosis cases were reported as Taenia spp. or T. saginata, although T. solium was reported in Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Portugal and the UK. Human cysticercosis cases were reported in all western European countries except for Iceland, with the highest number originating from Portugal and Spain. Most human cysticercosis cases were suspected to have acquired the infection outside western Europe. Cases of T. solium in pigs were found in Austria and Portugal, but only the two cases from Portugal were confirmed with molecular methods. Germany, Spain and Slovenia reported porcine cysticercosis, but made no Taenia species distinction. Bovine cysticercosis was detected in all countries except for Iceland, with a prevalence based on meat inspection of 0.0002-7.82%. Conclusions: Detection and reporting of taeniosis in western Europe should be improved. The existence of T. solium tapeworm carriers, of suspected autochthonous cases of human cysticercosis and the lack of confirmation of porcine cysticercosis cases deserve further attention. Suspected cases of T. solium in pigs should be confirmed by molecular methods. Both taeniosis and human cysticercosis should be notifiable and surveillance in animals should be improved.Peer reviewe