Regional myocardial function after intracoronary bone marrow cell injection in reperfused anterior wall infarction - a cardiovascular magnetic resonance tagging study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Trials have brought diverse results of bone marrow stem cell treatment in necrotic myocardium. This substudy from the Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Acute Myocardial Infarction trial (ASTAMI) explored global and regional myocardial function after intracoronary injection of autologous mononuclear bone marrow cells (mBMC) in acute anterior wall myocardial infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) tagging was performed 2-3 weeks and 6 months after revascularization in 15 patients treated with intracoronary stem cell injection (mBMC group) and in 13 controls without sham injection. Global and regional left ventricular (LV) strain and LV twist were correlated to cine CMR and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the control group myocardial function as measured by strain improved for the global LV (6 months: -13.1 ± 2.4 versus 2-3 weeks: -11.9 ± 3.4%, p = 0.014) and for the infarct zone (-11.8 ± 3.0 versus -9.3 ± 4.1%, p = 0.001), and significantly more than in the mBMC group (inter-group p = 0.027 for global strain, respectively p = 0.009 for infarct zone strain). LV infarct mass decreased (35.7 ± 20.4 versus 45.7 ± 29.5 g, p = 0.024), also significantly more pronounced than the mBMC group (inter-group p = 0.034). LV twist was initially low and remained unchanged irrespective of therapy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>LGE and strain findings quite similarly demonstrate subtle differences between the mBMC and control groups. Intracoronary injection of autologous mBMC did not strengthen regional or global myocardial function in this substudy.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00199823">NCT00199823</a></p

Legitimacy and Force in International Security : A Regionalist Approach on Multilateralism and the Role of Legitimacy in the Modern World

This thesis will address the issue of legitimacy within international security, with a focus on the use of force by states. Using military force against other actors in the international system will initiate a debate on its perceived legitimacy by several different audiences. This investigation uses the Regional Security Complex Theory of Buzan and Wæver and the assumptions of Idealism to instigate the analytical framework on legitimacy. This thesis will analyse the role and importance of legitimacy and its potential influence it, as a concept, can have on the political agenda of states and organisations. It will also identify the multitude of factors which affect the perception of legitimacy. Moreover, it will analyse how multilateralism can address the different audiences demand for legitimacy as a doctrine in the modern world. The investigation will also show how the shortcomings of the international system limit the successful regulation of state actions in regards to the use of force

Kombinert summativ og formativ vurdering i matematikk

Artikkelen framlegger resultater fra et undervisningsopplegg i matematikk for 1. års ingeniørstudenter ved HiST høsten 2013, hvor korte, digitale flervalgstester inngikk som en del av den summative vurderingen i matematikkfaget. Testene ble gjennomført på de ordinære forelesningene, hvor studentene brukte det HiST-utviklede testverktøyet Peer Learning Assessment System (PeLe) til å besvare testene med sine egne mobile enheter. Undervisningsopplegget foregikk over 2 x 45 minutter, og i den første, summative halvdelen besvarte studentene den digitale testen individuelt. Testverktøyet gjorde resultatene umiddelbart tilgjengelig for læreren, som kunne bruke svarfordelingene som utgangspunkt for læringsaktiviteter i oppleggets andre, formative del. Læringsaktivitetene la vekt på samarbeid mellom studentene og ga studentene muligheten til å vise at de hadde lært av egne, og hverandres, feil. Læringseffekten av undervisningsopplegget ble målt i form av resultater på en ordinær, skriftlig matematikkeksamen, hvor kontrollgruppa besto av studenter som fulgte et identisk matematikkpensum, men som ikke gjennomførte digitale underveistester. Testgruppa fikk signifikant bedre resultater enn kontrollgruppa på en tradisjonell skriftlig matematikkeksamen etter å ha gjennomført undervisningsopplegget med kombinerte summative og formative tester. Nøkkelord: formativ vurdering, summativ vurdering, mobillæring, IKT-støttet læring, læringseffekt

Kombinert summativ og formativ vurdering i matematikk

Artikkelen framlegger resultater fra et undervisningsopplegg i matematikk for 1. års ingeniørstudenter ved HiST høsten 2013, hvor korte, digitale flervalgstester inngikk som en del av den summative vurderingen i matematikkfaget. Testene ble gjennomført på de ordinære forelesningene, hvor studentene brukte det HiST-utviklede testverktøyet Peer Learning Assessment System (PeLe) til å besvare testene med sine egne mobile enheter. Undervisningsopplegget foregikk over 2 x 45 minutter, og i den første, summative halvdelen besvarte studentene den digitale testen individuelt. Testverktøyet gjorde resultatene umiddelbart tilgjengelig for læreren, som kunne bruke svarfordelingene som utgangspunkt for læringsaktiviteter i oppleggets andre, formative del. Læringsaktivitetene la vekt på samarbeid mellom studentene og ga studentene muligheten til å vise at de hadde lært av egne, og hverandres, feil. Læringseffekten av undervisningsopplegget ble målt i form av resultater på en ordinær, skriftlig matematikkeksamen, hvor kontrollgruppa besto av studenter som fulgte et identisk matematikkpensum, men som ikke gjennomførte digitale underveistester. Testgruppa fikk signifikant bedre resultater enn kontrollgruppa på en tradisjonell skriftlig matematikkeksamen etter å ha gjennomført undervisningsopplegget med kombinerte summative og formative tester

The Priest, the Sex Worker, and the CEO: Measuring Motivation by Job Type

This study uses latent semantic analysis (LSA) to explore how prevalent measures of motivation are interpreted across very diverse job types. Building on the Semantic Theory of Survey Response (STSR), we calculate “semantic compliance” as the degree to which an individual’s responses follow a semantically predictable pattern. This allows us to examine how context, in the form of job type, influences respondent interpretations of items. In total, 399 respondents from 18 widely different job types (from CEOs through lawyers, priests and artists to sex workers and professional soldiers) self-rated their work motivation on eight commonly applied scales from research on motivation. A second sample served as an external evaluation panel (n = 30) and rated the 18 job types across eight job characteristics. Independent measures of the job types’ salary levels were obtained from national statistics. The findings indicate that while job type predicts motivational score levels significantly, semantic compliance as moderated by job type job also predicts motivational score levels usually at a lesser but significant magnitude. Combined, semantic compliance and job type explained up to 41% of the differences in motional score levels. The variation in semantic compliance was also significantly related to job characteristics as rated by an external panel, and to national income levels. Our findings indicate that people in different contexts interpret items differently to a degree that substantially affects their score levels. We discuss how future measurements of motivation may improve by taking semantic compliance and the STSR perspective into consideration

The Influence of Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation on Matrix Metalloproteinases in Patients Treated for Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), regulated by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-9 (TIMP-1) and the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN), contributes to plaque instability. Autologous stem cells from bone marrow (mBMC) treatment are suggested to reduce myocardial damage; however, limited data exists on the influence of mBMC on MMPs. Aim. We investigated the influence of mBMC on circulating levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1, and EMMPRIN at different time points in patients included in the randomized Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation in Acute Myocardial Infarction (ASTAMI) trial (n=100). Gene expression analyses were additionally performed. Results. After 2-3 weeks we observed a more pronounced increase in MMP-9 levels in the mBMC group, compared to controls (P=0.030), whereas EMMPRIN levels were reduced from baseline to 2-3 weeks and 3 months in both groups (P<0.0001). Gene expression of both MMP-9 and EMMPRIN was reduced from baseline to 3 months. MMP-9 and EMMPRIN were significantly correlated to myocardial injury (CK: P=0.005 and P<0.001, resp.) and infarct size (SPECT: P=0.018 and P=0.008, resp.). Conclusion. The results indicate that the regulation of metalloproteinases is important during AMI, however, limited influenced by mBMC