Video and social rehabilitation of persons with mental illness helps to structure everyday life:a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Living with a mental disorder has a significant impact on everyday life. In 2018, one out of every six adults, equivalent to 17.3% of the adult population of the European Union, had symptoms of mental disorders. This paper focus on social rehabilitation of patients with mental illness who have been discharged from hospital and who use video communication technologies in their rehabilitation in collaboration with their social worker. The aim of this study has been to explore the experiences of persons with mental illnesses who participated in a long-term video-based tele-social rehabilitation program, the Video Assist. METHODS: The overall research strategy is the case study method. Data collection techniques are based on triangulation. Document analysis has been performed. Participant observation in homes of persons with mental using video with social workers (168 hours). Semi structured qualitative interviews with persons with mental illness (n=13) has been conducted lasting between 30 and 60 minutes. Data were analyzed using NVivo 10.0. RESULTS: Experiences of persons with mental illness participating in the tele-social rehabilitation program are in themes: user friendly video technology, video created a new means of communication between citizen and social worker, feeling of surveillance by having the technology in the home, development of new coping strategies in everyday life and need for psychosocial support and training via the video technology. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with mental illness who are in a recovery process find that participating in a tele-social-rehabilitation program gives them a sense of mobility, security, surveillance but the ability to develop new coping strategies in their everyday lives. Future research is needed on long-term effects of tele-social rehabilitation for persons with mental illness

A combined computational and structural model of the full-length human prolactin receptor

The prolactin receptor is an archetype member of the class I cytokine receptor family, comprising receptors with fundamental functions in biology as well as key drug targets. Structurally, each of these receptors represent an intriguing diversity, providing an exceptionally challenging target for structural biology. Here, we access the molecular architecture of the monomeric human prolactin receptor by combining experimental and computational efforts. We solve the NMR structure of its transmembrane domain in micelles and collect structural data on overlapping fragments of the receptor with small-angle X-ray scattering, native mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Along with previously published data, these are integrated by molecular modelling to generate a full receptor structure. The result provides the first full view of a class I cytokine receptor, exemplifying the architecture of more than 40 different receptor chains, and reveals that the extracellular domain is merely the tip of a molecular iceberg

Enabling Passive Immunization as an Alternative to Antibiotics for Controlling Enteric Infections in Production Animals

Enteric infections cause major problems in most intensive animal production sectors, including poultry, pigs and cattle, leading to disease, reduced production and compromised welfare. In addition some of these infections are zoonotic, and they are to a large extent responsible for the continued massive use of antibiotics in food animals. Thus there is a pressing need for economically feasible, efficient, non-antibiotics based means for controlling the problem. Passive immunization has been known for decades as an efficient way of endowing humans or animals with short-term (weeks) immunity. To control enteric infections by passive immunization a bolus of immunoglobulin may simply be administered orally. For this to work, large amounts of active immunoglobulins are needed. To be a real alternative to antibiotics the price of the immunoglobulin product needs to be low. We combined an efficient and mild high-capacity method for extracting immunoglobulins directly from raw materials like milk, whey and blood plasma with a novel method for stabilizing activity. In a first experiment a total of 15 kg unstabilized bovine immunoglobulin was purified from whey (35.000 liters) and administered to colostrum-deprived calves (225-300 g pr calf during the first 24 hours after birth). No difference in resulting immunoglobulin serum concentration, weight gain or disease frequency were seen in this group of calves compared to a control group given full access to high-quality colostrum. The effect of orally administered bovine immunoglobulin is currently being tested in a calf herd with persistent diarrhea problems. Furthermore, it was shown in a Campylobacter challenge model in chickens that caecal and faecal counts of Campylobacter were between 0.5 and 1.0 logs lower in birds when given 200 mg avian immunoglobulins orally together with the challenge (at day 21 of age) compared to a placebo group receiving immunoglobulin with no reactivity against Campylobacter. While clearly preliminary, these results show that immunoglobulin can be produced from renewable sources at a price enabling passive immunization as a viable strategy for control of infectious diseases in the intensive animal production, with the potential to significantly reduce antibiotics consumption

Serum HER-2 concentrations for monitoring women with breast cancer in a routine oncology setting

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of positive serum human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) for monitoring women with breast cancer following diagnosis and treatment in a routine clinical setting. Methods: Serum HER-2 was measured in 1348 patients with breast cancer: 837 during routine oncology clinic visits and 511 following new diagnosis. All patients with positive serum HER-2, 1/5 of negative patients from the oncology clinic, and all the newly diagnosed were followed; a total of 862 patients. Serum HER-2 was measured using the Bayer ADVIA Centaur assay. Tissue HER-2 was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). IHC +3 or IHC +2 and FISH>2.0 were positive. Patients were considered to have positive serum HER-2 when at least two values were >15 ng/mL. Recurrence, progression and regression were diagnosed according to usual clinical practice. Serum HER-2 concentrations did not contribute to diagnostic decision-making or selection of treatment. Results: From January 2004 to January 2009, 149 patients were found to have positive serum HER-2. Of these, 35 were tissue HER-2 positive at surgery, 69 tissue-negative and 45 were not determined. Fifty-five of 149 that were serum HER-2 positive (37%, 95% CI: 29–45) had metastases. Among the 35 tissue-positive patients, 25 had recurrence in the form of metastases and there was good correlation between recurrence/progression and increase in serum HER-2 (p<0.0003). There was also a high correlation between effect of treatment and decline in serum HER-2 (p<0.0003). Of the 69 tissue-negative patients, 29 had recurrence in the form of metastases, and there was good correlation with serum HER-2 levels (p<0.000004). In this routine application of serum HER-2, the PPV for metastases recurrence detection in both tissue-positive and tissue-negative was 54 of 104 (52%, 95% CI: 42%–62%), in tissue-positive 25 of 35 (71%, 95% CI: 54%–85%), in tissue-negative 29 of 69 (42%, 95% CI: 30%–54%). The lead time of increases in serum HER-2 before recurrence could be determined in ten tissue-positive patients was 3–24 months (mean 11.3 months), when compared to standard clinical imaging methods. Conclusions: Serum HER-2 is a useful marker for the detection of recurrence of breast cancer and for monitoring the effect of treatment, especially in tissue HER-2 positive patients. Clin Chem Lab Med 2009;47:1117–23.Peer Reviewe

Grønlandssaken. Diplomaten Frederik Hartvig Herman Wedel Jarlsbergs rolle i forliksforsøkene i Grønlandssaken 1931–1932.

Denne oppgaven tar for seg rollen til diplomaten Frederik Hartvig Herman Wedel Jarlsberg i hans forsøk på å oppnå et forlik mellom Norge og Danmark i den såkalte Grønlandssaken i tidsrommet 1931–1932. Grønlandssaken var et kort kapittel i norsk mellomkrigstids historie, som omhandlet suverenitetsspørsmålet over Grønland og forsøkene fra norsk hold til å få rett til deler av øya. Saken nådde sitt klimaks da norske aktører okkuperte deler av Grønland i tidsrommet 1931 – 1932. Saken ble avgjort ved domstolen i Haag 1933. For å belyse denne episoden i norsk historie, er det relevant å sette saken inn en historisk norsk kontekst, hvor saken blir belyst på et generelt grunnlag, hvilke aktører som sto bak og hvilke krefter som drev saken fram. Det er også relevant å belyse bakgrunnen til personen Wedel Jarlsberg, hans liv og virke og hans beveggrunner for å involvere seg i forliksforsøkene. Oppgavens hoveddel tar for seg det kronologiske hendelsesforløpet fra da Wedel Jarlsbergs første gang tar kontakt med statsminister Kolstad i 1931, hans andre forsøk gjennom statsminister Hundseid 1932, og til han innser at forsøkene ikke fører fram høsten 1932. Oppgaven tar også for seg etterspillet i Grønlandssaken, etter dommen i Haag 1933, hvor det ble foretatt en undersøkelse av Stortingets utenriks- og kontrollkomite av hele Grønlandssaken. Høringene og undersøkelsene munnet ut i en innstilling til Stortinget. Oppgaven vil vise at Wedel Jarlsbergs diplomatiske metode for å oppnå et forlik var basert på hemmelighold, raskhet og nettverk. Da oppdraget kom fram for offentligheten ble hele oppdraget avblåst. Oppgaven vil også vise at Wedel Jarlsbergs rolle ikke var begrenset til kun å agere som en privatmann, men var et virkemiddel for å oppnå kontakt med danskene. Det vil bli belyst med korrespondanse, at Wedel Jarlsberg fikk fullmakter som han ikke kunne oppfatte på annen måte enn at statsminister og regjering sto bak. Det vil bli sannsynliggjort at også andre i den norske politiske krets sto bak ham. Oppgaven vil også vise at statsminister Hundseid benyttet sin tittel og ga fullmakter, uten å ha dekning fra sin regjering