Comparison of birth weight between school health records and medical birth records in Denmark:determinants of discrepancies

OBJECTIVE: To compare reported birth weight (BW) information in school health records with BW from medical birth records, and to investigate if maternal and offspring characteristics were associated with any discrepancies. DESIGN: Register-based cohort study. SETTING: Denmark, 1973–1991. PARTICIPANTS: The study was based on BW recorded in the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (CSHRR) and in The Medical Birth Register (MBR). The registers were linked via the Danish personal identification number. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Statistical comparisons of BW in the registers were performed using t tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman plots and κ coefficients. Odds of BW discrepancies >100 g were examined by logistic regressions. RESULTS: The study population included 47 534 children. From 1973 to 1979 when BW was grouped in 500 g intervals in the MBR, mean BW differed significantly between the registers. During 1979–1991 when BW was recorded in 10 and 1 g intervals, mean BW did not significantly differ between the two registers. BW from both registers was highly correlated (0.93–0.97). Odds of a BW discrepancy significantly increased with parity, the child's age at recall and by marital status (children of married women had the highest odds). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, BW information in school health records agreed very well with BW from medical birth records, suggesting that reports of BWs in school health records in Copenhagen, Denmark generally are valid

Development and Validation of a Vitamin D Status Prediction Model in Danish Pregnant Women: A Study of the Danish National Birth Cohort

Vitamin D has been hypothesized to reduce risk of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, and preterm delivery. However, many of these outcomes are rare and require a large sample size to study, representing a challenge for cohorts with a limited number of preserved samples. The aims of this study were to (1) identify predictors of serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) among pregnant women in a subsample (N = 1494) of the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) and (2) develop and validate a score predicting 25(OH)D-status in order to explore associations between vitamin D and maternal and offspring health outcomes in the DNBC. In our study sample, 42.3% of the population had deficient levels of vitamin D (<50 nmol/L 25(OH)D) and average levels of 25(OH)D-status were 56.7(s.d. 24.6) nmol/L. A prediction model consisting of intake of vitamin D from diet and supplements, outdoor physical activity, tanning bed use, smoking, and month of blood draw explained 40.1% of the variance in 25(OH)D and mean measured 25(OH)D-level increased linearly by decile of predicted 25(OH)D-score. In total 32.2% of the women were placed in the same quintile by both measured and predicted 25(OH)D-values and 69.9% were placed in the same or adjacent quintile by both methods. Cohen's weighted kappa coefficient (Κ = 0.3) reflected fair agreement between measured 25(OH)D-levels and predicted 25(OH)D-score. These results are comparable to other settings in which vitamin D scores have shown similar associations with disease outcomes as measured 25(OH)D-levels. Our findings suggest that predicted 25(OH)D-scores may be a useful alternative to measured 25(OH)D for examining associations between vitamin D and disease outcomes in the DNBC cohort, but cannot substitute for measured 25(OH)D-levels for estimates of prevalence

Københavns Universitet Didactical contract: An analytical concept to facilitate successful implementation of open-ended physics labs DIDACTICAL CONTRACT: AN ANALYTICAL CONCEPT TO FACILITATE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF OPEN- ENDED PHYSICS LABS* )

BACKGROUND, FRAMEWORK AND PURPOS

Image rejects in general direct digital radiography

Background: The number of rejected images is an indicator of image quality and unnecessary imaging at a radiology department. Image reject analysis was frequent in the film era, but comparably few and small studies have been published after converting to digital radiography. One reason may be a belief that rejects have been eliminated with digitalization. Purpose: To measure the extension of deleted images in direct digital radiography (DR), in order to assess the rates of rejects and unnecessary imaging and to analyze reasons for deletions, in order to improve the radiological services. Material and Methods: All exposed images at two direct digital laboratories at a hospital in Norway were reviewed in January 2014. Type of examination, number of exposed images, and number of deleted images were registered. Each deleted image was analyzed separately and the reason for deleting the image was recorded. Results: Out of 5417 exposed images, 596 were deleted, giving a deletion rate of 11%. A total of 51.3% were deleted due to positioning errors and 31.0% due to error in centering. The examinations with the highest percentage of deleted images were the knee, hip, and ankle, 20.6%, 18.5%, and 13.8% respectively. Conclusion: The reject rate is at least as high as the deletion rate and is comparable with previous film-based imaging systems. The reasons for rejection are quite different in digital systems. This falsifies the hypothesis that digitalization would eliminates rejects. A deleted image does not contribute to diagnostics, and therefore is an unnecessary image. Hence, the high rates of deleted images have implications for management, training, education, as well as for quality

Image rejects in general direct digital radiography

Background: The number of rejected images is an indicator of image quality and unnecessary imaging at a radiology department. Image reject analysis was frequent in the film era, but comparably few and small studies have been published after converting to digital radiography. One reason may be a belief that rejects have been eliminated with digitalization. Purpose: To measure the extension of deleted images in direct digital radiography (DR), in order to assess the rates of rejects and unnecessary imaging and to analyze reasons for deletions, in order to improve the radiological services. Material and Methods: All exposed images at two direct digital laboratories at a hospital in Norway were reviewed in January 2014. Type of examination, number of exposed images, and number of deleted images were registered. Each deleted image was analyzed separately and the reason for deleting the image was recorded. Results: Out of 5417 exposed images, 596 were deleted, giving a deletion rate of 11%. A total of 51.3% were deleted due to positioning errors and 31.0% due to error in centering. The examinations with the highest percentage of deleted images were the knee, hip, and ankle, 20.6%, 18.5%, and 13.8% respectively. Conclusion: The reject rate is at least as high as the deletion rate and is comparable with previous film-based imaging systems. The reasons for rejection are quite different in digital systems. This falsifies the hypothesis that digitalization would eliminates rejects. A deleted image does not contribute to diagnostics, and therefore is an unnecessary image. Hence, the high rates of deleted images have implications for management, training, education, as well as for quality

FeNO-based asthma management results in faster improvement of airway hyperresponsiveness

Asthma is characterised by inflammation and respiratory symptoms. Current asthma treatment is based on severity of asthma symptoms only. Exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO) is not recommended by the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. The aim was to compare the usefulness of a FeNO guided versus symptom-based treatment in achieving improved asthma control assessed by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). 80 asthmatic patients were included in a double-blinded, parallel, randomised controlled trial with follow-up visits after 8, 24 and 36 weeks. Treatment was tailored using either a FeNO or Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) based algorithm. Inclusion criteria were asthma symptoms and a provocative dose causing a 15% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s 0.05). When using FeNO as a treatment management tool, lowering of airway responsiveness occurred earlier than using ACQ. However, airway responsiveness and asthma control after 9 months were similar

High Throughput Sequencing for Detection of Foodborne Pathogens

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is becoming the state-of-the-art technology for typing of microbial isolates, especially in clinical samples. Yet, its application is still in its infancy for monitoring and outbreak investigations of foods. Here we review the published literature, covering not only bacterial but also viral and Eukaryote food pathogens, to assess the status and potential of HTS implementation to inform stakeholders, improve food safety and reduce outbreak impacts. The developments in sequencing technology and bioinformatics have outpaced the capacity to analyze and interpret the sequence data. The influence of sample processing, nucleic acid extraction and purification, harmonized protocols for generation and interpretation of data, and properly annotated and curated reference databases including non-pathogenic “natural” strains are other major obstacles to the realization of the full potential of HTS in analytical food surveillance, epidemiological and outbreak investigations, and in complementing preventive approaches for the control and management of foodborne pathogens. Despite significant obstacles, the achieved progress in capacity and broadening of the application range over the last decade is impressive and unprecedented, as illustrated with the chosen examples from the literature. Large consortia, often with broad international participation, are making coordinated efforts to cope with many of the mentioned obstacles. Further rapid progress can therefore be prospected for the next decade