Startgjødsel til fôrmais i økologisk dyrking

Forsøk med tildeling av pelletert økologisk storfegjødsel (KV-gjødsel) som startgjødsel ble gjort i fôrmais. Dette er en vekst som ofte har behov for ekstra fosforgjødsel i tillegg til grunngjødsling. I 2020 ble forsøket gjennomført i en økologisk fôrmaisåker i nærheten av Fredrikstad. Ulike tildelinger av fosfor (P) fra KV-gjødsla og ØKO 8K-gjødsel ble sammenlignet. Forsøket ble utført med maissorten «Wizard», med tre gjentak. Avling ble registrert og planteprøver fra ett av gjentakene ble analysert for fôrverdi og mineralinnhold. Statistiske metoder ble brukt for å teste gjødseltypenes innvirkning på avlingsnivå og finne forskjeller i avling mellom behandlingene. Det var derfor flere andre faktorer enn startgjødsling med P som bidro til avlingsvariasjon, men våre undersøkelser har ikke avdekket hvilke faktorer dette var. Ingen av de undersøkte gjødseltypene og tildelingene av P skilte seg ut i forhold til avlingsmengde. Det var ikke forskjell i avlingsnivå om startgjødsla ble tildelt med KV-gjødsel eller ØKO 8K. Forsøksrutene som ikke fikk startgjødsel hadde ikke lavere avling enn de som fikk startgjødsel med P etter såing. På bakgrunn av forsøket i 2019 og 2020 er det ikke grunnlag for å hevde at startgjødsel med P etter såing fører til høyere fôrmaisavling enn om det ikke tilføres startgjødsel

Initiation and persistence with dual antiplatelet therapy after acute myocardial infarction:a Danish nationwide population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVES: The study investigated dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) patterns over time and patient characteristics associated with the various treatments in a myocardial infarction (MI) population. DESIGN: A registry-based observational cohort study was performed using antecedent data. SETTING: This study linked morbidity, mortality and medication data from Danish national registries. PARTICIPANTS: All 28 449 patients admitted to a Danish hospital with a first-time MI and alive at discharge from 2009 through 2012 were included. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was initiation of DAPT and secondary outcomes comprised persistence in DAPT treatment and switches between DAPT treatments. RESULTS: The overall proportion of patients prescribed DAPT increased from 68% (CL 95% 67–69%) to 73% (CL 95% 72–74%) from 2009 to 2012. For treatment of patients with and without percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the corresponding numbers were from 87% (CL 95% 86–88%) to 91% (CL 95% 90–92%) and from 49% (CL 95% 47–50%) to 52% (CL 95% 51–54%), respectively. Non-PCI patients had a higher cardiovascular risk compared with PCI patients. Among PCI patients, age>75 years, atrial fibrillation, diabetes and peripheral arterial disease were associated with a higher risk of treatment breaks for DAPT. Among patients without PCI, ticagrelor treatment was associated with an increased risk of treatment breaks during the first 12 months compared with clopidogrel treatment. CONCLUSIONS: From 2009 to 2012, there was an increase in the proportion of patients with MI receiving DAPT, and a longer duration of DAPT. Still, a large proportion of patients without PCI are discharged either without DAPT or with a short DAPT duration. These findings may indicate the need for more careful attention to DAPT for patients with MI not undergoing PCI in Denmark

Rapid screening for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and haemoglobin polymorphisms in Africa by a simple high-throughput SSOP-ELISA method

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the haemoglobin beta-globin (HbB) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) genes cause widespread human genetic disorders such as sickle cell diseases and G6PD deficiency. In sub-Saharan Africa, a few predominant polymorphic variants of each gene account for a majority of these deficiencies. Examining at a larger scale the clinical importance of these independent genetic disorders, their possible association with malaria pathogenesis and innate resistance, and their relevance for antimalarial drug treatment, would be easier if an accurate screening method with limited costs was available. METHODS: A simple and rapid technique was developed to detect the most prominent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HbB and G6PD genes. The method is able to detect the different haemoglobin polymorphisms A, S, C and E, as well as G6PD polymorphisms B, A and A- based on PCR-amplification followed by a hybridization step using sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes (SSOPs) specific for the SNP variants and quantified by ELISA. RESULTS: The SSOP-ELISA method was found to be specific, and compared well to the commonly used PCR-RFLP technique. Identical results were obtained in 98% (haemoglobin) and 95% (G6PD) of the tested 90 field samples from a high-transmission area in Tanzania, which were used to validate the new technique. CONCLUSION: The simplicity and accuracy of the new methodology makes it suitable for application in settings where resources are limited. It would serve as a valuable tool for research purposes by monitoring genotype frequencies in relation to disease epidemiology

Review of the Epidemiologic Literature on EMF and Health

Exposures to extremely low-frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMF) emanating from the generation, transmission, and use of electricity are a ubiquitous part of modern life. Concern about potential adverse health effects was initially brought to prominence by an epidemiologic report two decades ago from Denver on childhood cancer. We reviewed the now voluminous epidemiologic literature on EMF and risks of chronic disease and conclude the following: a) The quality of epidemiologic studies on this topic has improved over time and several of the recent studies on childhood leukemia and on cancer associated with occupational exposure are close to the limit of what can realistically be achieved in terms of size of study and methodological rigor. b) Exposure assessment is a particular difficulty of EMF epidemiology, in several respects: i) The exposure is imperceptible, ubiquitous, has multiple sources, and can vary greatly over time and short distances. ii) The exposure period of relevance is before the date at which measurements can realistically be obtained and of unknown duration and induction period. iii) The appropriate exposure metric is not known and there are no biological data from which to impute it. c) In the absence of experimental evidence and given the methodological uncertainties in the epidemiologic literature, there is no chronic disease for which an etiological relation to EMF can be regarded as established. d) There has been a large body of high quality data for childhood cancer, and also for adult leukemia and brain tumor in relation to occupational exposure. Among all the outcomes evaluated in epidemiologic studies of EMF, childhood leukemia in relation to postnatal exposures above 0.4 microT is the one for which there is most evidence of an association. The relative risk has been estimated at 2.0 (95% confidence limit: 1.27-3.13) in a large pooled analysis. This is unlikely to be due to chance but, may be, in part, due to bias. This is difficult to interpret in the absence of a known mechanism or reproducible experimental support. In the large pooled analysis only 0.8% of all children were exposed above 0.4 microT. Further studies need to be designed to test specific hypotheses such as aspects of selection bias or exposure. On the basis of epidemiologic findings, evidence shows an association of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with occupational EMF exposure although confounding is a potential explanation. Breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and suicide and depression remain unresolved

User experiences with editorial control in online newspaper comment fields

This article investigates user experiences with editorial control in online newspaper comment fields following the public backlash against online comments after the 2011 terror attacks in Norway. We analyze data from a survey of online news consumers focusing on experiences and attitudes towards editorial control set against a spectrum between “interventionist” and “noninterventionist” positions. Results indicate that interventionist respondents rate the quality of online comments as poor, whereas noninterventionist respondents have most often experienced being the target of editorial control measures and feel that editorial control has intensified after the terror attacks. We conclude that newspapers should pay attention to the different needs of participants when devising strategies for editorial control. Media professionals should also consider changes to increase the transparency of moderation practices