C-reactive protein:quantitative marker of surgical trauma and post-surgical complications in dogs: a systematic review

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute phase protein showing increasing serum concentrations in dogs with systemic inflammation following e.g., surgery, trauma, infections, or neoplasia. CRP is a useful diagnostic marker of systemic inflammation in dogs and automated assays have been validated for reliable measurements for routine diagnostic purposes. In the present study available evidence for the use of CRP as a marker of surgery related systemic inflammation in dogs was reviewed and assessed. Two main themes were in focus: (1) canine CRP as a potential marker of postsurgical infectious complications and (2) canine CRP as a marker of the degree of surgical trauma. As outlined in the review several studies suggest that CRP is a useful marker for both purposes. However, the evidence level is limited and studies in the field are all affected by considerable risks of bias. Thus, further studies are needed in order to confirm the assumptions from previous studies and increase the level of evidence for CRP as a useful marker for detecting inflammation after surgery in dogs

sparta: Sparse Tables and their Algebra with a View Towards High Dimensional Graphical Models

A graphical model is a multivariate (potentially very high dimensional) probabilistic model, which is formed by combining lower dimensional components. Inference (computation of conditional probabilities) is based on message passing algorithms that utilize conditional independence structures. In graphical models for discrete variables with finite state spaces, there is a fundamental problem in high dimensions: A discrete distribution is represented by a table of values, and in high dimensions such tables can become prohibitively large. In inference, such tables must be multiplied which can lead to even larger tables. The sparta package meets this challenge by implementing methods that efficiently handles multiplication and marginalization of sparse tables. The package was written in the R programming language and is freely available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN). The companion package jti, also on CRAN, was developed to showcase the potential of sparta in connection to the Junction Tree Algorithm. We show, that jti is able to handle highly complex graphical models which are otherwise infeasible due to lack of computer memory, using sparta as a backend for table operations

IQ as a moderator of outcome in severity of children's mental health status after treatment in outpatient clinics

Psychotherapy is an effective treatment for mental health disorders, but even with the most efficacious treatment, many patients do not experience improvement. Moderator analysis can identify the conditions under which treatment is effective or whether there are factors that can attenuate the effects of treatment. In this study, linear mixed model analysis was used to examine whether the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ) and Verbal IQ (VIQ) on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Third Edition, moderated outcomes in general functioning and symptom load. A total of 132 patients treated at three outpatient child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) were assessed at three different time points. The Children’s Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) and the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) were used to measure the severity of impairments in general functioning and symptom load. IQ was assessed at the start of treatment. Moderator analysis revealed that the FSIQ × time interaction predicted changes in CGAS scores (p < .01), and that the PIQ × time interaction predicted changes in HoNOSCA scores (p < .05). The slopes and intercepts in HoNOSCA scores covaried negatively and significantly (p < .05). The same pattern was not detected for the CGAS scores (p = .08). FISQ and PIQ moderated change in general functioning and symptom load, respectively. This implies that patients with higher IQ scores had a steeper improvement slope than those with lower scores. The patients with the highest initial symptom loads showed the greatest improvement, this pattern was not found in the improvement of general functioning

Matprogram med næringsverdi. Evaluering av bedriftsrettede prosjekter i Verdiskapingsprogrammet for matproduksjon og Nettverksprogrammet

Verdiskapingsprogrammet for mat ble igangsatt for å øke verdiskapingen basert på norske matressurser. Etter hvert har programmet fått hele leveringskjeden fra jord til butikk som virkeområde, men siktemålet er stadig å skape positive lønnsomhetseffekter for primærprodusentene. Våre resultater sannsynliggjør at det er positive lønnsomhetseffekter av tiltaket, og at bøndene er relativt mer fornøyd med lønnsomhetseffektene enn andre støttemottagere. Innenfor programmet foregår det et eget nettverksprogram som skal styrke kompetansen i matsektoren. Også dette virkemidlet får klart positiv vurdering fra deltagerne, men tiltaket er for lite til å kunne identifisere målbare lønnsomhetseffekter. Det er viktig for måloppnåelsen ved utviklingsprosjekter at primærprodusentene er med i prosjektene. Resultatene tilsier bl.a. sterkere vektlegging av primærprodusenter og samarbeid med primærleddet i prosjektvurderingen.publishedVersio