Temporal and regional differences in the incidence of hospital-diagnosed endometriosis:a Danish population-based study

INTRODUCTION: Due to diagnostic challenges, normalization of symptoms and an overall lack of awareness among both patients and physicians, endometriosis is an underdiagnosed disease. This can result in delayed treatment and potentially worsening of the disease. Despite initiatives, such as patients' support organizations and specialized endometriosis referral centers, differences in awareness, socioeconomic factors and lifestyle, combined with varying distances to specialized referral centers, could result in regional differences in the degree of underdiagnosing. This study aims to explore temporal and regional variations in the incidence of endometriosis based on the Danish hospital discharge register, and shed light on the degree of underdiagnosing of endometriosis in Denmark. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This registry‐based cohort study included all women aged 15–55 living in Denmark from 1990–2017. Participants were identified through the Danish Civil Registration system and endometriosis diagnoses received at a hospital were obtained from the Danish National Patient Registry. Incidence rates of diagnosed endometriosis were calculated for each year of the study period and for each municipality in Denmark. A Cox regression analysis, stratified by calendar time and adjusted for ethnic origin, household composition, highest educational level and family socioeconomic status, was performed to estimate the association between residence and likelihood of receiving a hospital‐based diagnosis of endometriosis. RESULTS: The nationwide incidence rate of hospital‐diagnosed endometriosis was 7.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.80–7.99) per 10 000 person‐years and the prevalence in 2017 was 1.63%. The results showed an overall increase in the incidence of diagnosed endometriosis of 46.8% (95% CI 32.9–62.2) during the study period and also displayed significant regional differences. After adjustments, women living in northern Jutland had the highest probability of receiving a hospital‐based diagnosis of endometriosis (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% CI 1.09–1.18), whereas women living in northern Zealand had the lowest probability (hazard ratio 0.63, 95% CI 0.60–0.67) compared with eastern Jutland. These regional differences have become more evident over time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal significant regional differences in the incidence of hospital‐diagnosed endometriosis, suggesting that a significant number of women may be left behind without a diagnosis. Further studies are needed to assess the underlying reasons for the significant regional differences

Liposomi rivastigmina za isporuku u mozak intranazalnim putem

The present study is mainly aimed at delivering a drug into the brain via the intranasal route using a liposomal formulation. For this purpose, rivastigmine, which is used in the management of Alzheimer’s disease, was selectd as a model drug. Conventional liposomes were formulated by lipid layer hydration method using cholesterol and soya lecithin as lipid components. The concentration of rivastigmine in brain and plasma was studied in rat models after intranasal and oral administration of liposomes and free drug. A significantly higher level of drug was found in the brain with intranasal liposomes of rivastigmine compared to the intranasal free drug and the oral route. Intranasal liposomes had a longer half-life in the brain than intranasally or orally administered free drug. Delivering rivastigmine liposomes through the intranasal route for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease might be a new approach to the management of this condition.Glavni cilj rada je razvoj liposoma za intranazalnu primjenu za isporuku lijeka u mozak. U tu svrhu izabran je rivastigmin kao modelni lijek koji se upotrebljava u terapiji Alzheimerove bolesti. Liposomi su pripravljeni metodom hidratacije lipidnog sloja koristeći kolesterol i lecitin iz soje kao lipidne komponente. Praćena je koncentracija rivastigmina u mozgu i plazmi nakon intranazalne i peroralne primjene liposoma i slobodnog lijeka. S intranazalnim liposomima rivastigmina postignuta je značajno veća koncentracija lijeka u mozgu. Osim toga intranazalni liposomi imaju dulje vrijeme poluživota u mozgu. Intranazalna primjena liposoma rivastigmina mogla bi predstavljati novi pristup terapiji Alzheimerove bolesti

Collaborative Design Work in Technology Education

Peer reviewe

Nanoparticles for Local Drug Delivery to the Oral Mucosa: Proof of Principle Studies

Purpose To determine if solid lipid nanoparticles represent a viable strategy for local delivery of poorly water soluble and unstable chemopreventive compounds to human oral tissues. Methods Nanoparticle uptake and compound retention evaluations employed monolayer-cultured human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines and normal human oral mucosal explants. Feasibility of nanoparticle delivery was also evaluated with respect to the presence of phase-III efflux transporters in normal oral mucosal tissue and OSCC tissues. Results Functional uptake assays confirmed significantly greater internalization of nanoparticle-delivered fluorescent probe relative to free-fluorescent probe delivery, while concurrently demonstrating nanoparticle uptake rate differences among the OSCC cell lines and the phagocytic control human monocyte cell line. Mucosal explants exhibited nanoparticle penetration and internalization in the spinous and basal epithelial layer

The sperm factor: paternal impact beyond genes

The fact that sperm carry more than the paternal DNA has only been discovered just over a decade ago. With this discovery, the idea that the paternal condition may have direct implications for the fitness of the offspring had to be revisited. While this idea is still highly debated, empirical evidence for paternal effects is accumulating. Male condition not only affects male fertility but also offspring early development and performance later in life. Several factors have been identified as possible carriers of non-genetic information, but we still know little about their origin and function and even less about their causation. I consider four possible non-mutually exclusive adaptive and non-adaptive explanations for the existence of paternal effects in an evolutionary context. In addition, I provide a brief overview of the main non-genetic components found in sperm including DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, RNAs and proteins. I discuss their putative functions and present currently available examples for their role in transferring non-genetic information from the father to the offspring. Finally, I identify some of the most important open questions and present possible future research avenues