Using the 5-Item Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) to Screen for Non-adherence to Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation After Bariatric Surgery

INTRODUCTION: Poor adherence to recommended vitamin and mineral supplementation after bariatric surgery is common and challenging for healthcare professionals to identify. There are several questionnaires for self-reporting of adherence to chronic medication, but none has so far been evaluated for assessment of adherence to vitamin and mineral supplementation after bariatric surgery. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the 5-item Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5) in measuring adherence to vitamin and mineral supplementation post bariatric surgery (gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy). METHOD: The psychometric properties of MARS-5 for vitamin and mineral supplementation were validated in two cohorts: one at 1 year post bariatric surgery (n = 120) and the other at 2 years post-surgery (n = 211). MARS-5 was compared to pharmacy refill data for vitamin B12 and combined calcium/vitamin D as reference. RESULTS: Correlation analyses demonstrated that the MARS-5 had acceptable validity compared to objectively measured adherence rates from pharmacy refill data (calculated as continuous, multiple-interval measures of medication availability/gaps-coefficient ranged from 0.49 to 0.54). Internal reliability (Cronbach's α) was high: 0.81 and 0.95, respectively. There was a clear ceiling effect where one out of three had a maximum score on MARS-5. CONCLUSION: MARS-5 demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties for assessment of adherence to vitamin and mineral supplementation post bariatric surgery

Cohort Profile: Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study

The Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study was established to assess the prevalence of chronic airflow obstruction, a key characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and its risk factors in adults (≥40 years) from general populations across the world. The baseline study was conducted between 2003 and 2016, in 41 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, the Caribbean and Oceania, and collected high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry from 28 828 participants. The follow-up study was conducted between 2019 and 2021, in 18 sites across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. At baseline, there were in these sites 12 502 participants with high-quality spirometry. A total of 6452 were followed up, with 5936 completing the study core questionnaire. Of these, 4044 also provided high-quality pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry. On both occasions, the core questionnaire covered information on respiratory symptoms, doctor diagnoses, health care use, medication use and ealth status, as well as potential risk factors. Information on occupation, environmental exposures and diet was also collected

“I Like When it´s Quiet” : Some Students’ Perspective on Being Taught in Remedial Classes

Vi vill med denna studie bidra till det specialpedagogiska forskningsfältet för att öka förståelsen kring elevers upplevelser av att undervisas i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur några elever upplever sin skolgång och sitt lärande i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Detta är en kvalitativ studie som utgår från ett barnperspektiv och en fenomenologisk forskningsansats. Vi har använt semistrukturerade frågor och intervjuat tio elever i två kommuners särskilda undervisningsgrupper.  Denna studie redogör för sociokulturellt och specialpedagogiska perspektiv. Genom dessa perspektiv tolkades det insamlade intervjumaterialet som först analyserades med den interpretativa fenomenologiska analysmetoden. De elever vi har intervjuat berättar om sina upplevelser av att undervisas i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Deras svar visar i stort att de är positiva till sin kunskapsutveckling. De uttrycker även att de känner en större arbetsro eftersom det är lugnare och tystare än i deras tidigare klasser. Den största framgångsfaktorn enligt eleverna är att den särskilda undervisningsgruppen är mycket mindre än en vanlig skolklass. De intervjuade eleverna återkommer i sina svar till betydelsen av den lilla gruppen och den lugnare arbetsmiljön

“I Like When it´s Quiet” : Some Students’ Perspective on Being Taught in Remedial Classes

Vi vill med denna studie bidra till det specialpedagogiska forskningsfältet för att öka förståelsen kring elevers upplevelser av att undervisas i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur några elever upplever sin skolgång och sitt lärande i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Detta är en kvalitativ studie som utgår från ett barnperspektiv och en fenomenologisk forskningsansats. Vi har använt semistrukturerade frågor och intervjuat tio elever i två kommuners särskilda undervisningsgrupper.  Denna studie redogör för sociokulturellt och specialpedagogiska perspektiv. Genom dessa perspektiv tolkades det insamlade intervjumaterialet som först analyserades med den interpretativa fenomenologiska analysmetoden. De elever vi har intervjuat berättar om sina upplevelser av att undervisas i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Deras svar visar i stort att de är positiva till sin kunskapsutveckling. De uttrycker även att de känner en större arbetsro eftersom det är lugnare och tystare än i deras tidigare klasser. Den största framgångsfaktorn enligt eleverna är att den särskilda undervisningsgruppen är mycket mindre än en vanlig skolklass. De intervjuade eleverna återkommer i sina svar till betydelsen av den lilla gruppen och den lugnare arbetsmiljön

“I Like When it´s Quiet” : Some Students’ Perspective on Being Taught in Remedial Classes

Vi vill med denna studie bidra till det specialpedagogiska forskningsfältet för att öka förståelsen kring elevers upplevelser av att undervisas i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur några elever upplever sin skolgång och sitt lärande i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Detta är en kvalitativ studie som utgår från ett barnperspektiv och en fenomenologisk forskningsansats. Vi har använt semistrukturerade frågor och intervjuat tio elever i två kommuners särskilda undervisningsgrupper.  Denna studie redogör för sociokulturellt och specialpedagogiska perspektiv. Genom dessa perspektiv tolkades det insamlade intervjumaterialet som först analyserades med den interpretativa fenomenologiska analysmetoden. De elever vi har intervjuat berättar om sina upplevelser av att undervisas i en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Deras svar visar i stort att de är positiva till sin kunskapsutveckling. De uttrycker även att de känner en större arbetsro eftersom det är lugnare och tystare än i deras tidigare klasser. Den största framgångsfaktorn enligt eleverna är att den särskilda undervisningsgruppen är mycket mindre än en vanlig skolklass. De intervjuade eleverna återkommer i sina svar till betydelsen av den lilla gruppen och den lugnare arbetsmiljön

Low Concentration of Fecal Valeric Acid at 1 Year of Age Is Linked with Eczema and Food Allergy at 13 Years of Age : Findings from a Swedish Birth Cohort

Background: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are abundant bacterial metabolites in the gut, with immunomodulatory properties. Hence, they may influence allergy development. Previous studies have linked fecal SCFA pattern during infancy with allergy. However, the association of SCFAs to allergic outcomes in adolescence is not well established. Here, we examined how the fecal SCFA pattern at 1 year of age related to allergy at 13 years of age. Methods: Levels of 8 SCFAs in fecal samples collected at 1 year of age from 110 children were quantified using gas chromatography. The same individuals were evaluated at 13 years of age for allergic symptoms, allergy diagnosis and allergy medication by questionnaire, and for sensitization using skin prick test against egg, milk, fish, wheat and soy, cat, dog, horse, birch, and timothy grass. Results: The concentration of fecal valeric acid at 1 year of age was inversely associated with eczema at 13 years of age (OR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-1.0, p = 0.049) and showed a trend for inverse association with food allergy at 13 years of age (OR 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-1.0, p = 0.057). In a sub-group analysis of children with eczema at 1 year of age, a higher concentration of fecal valeric acid was linked with reduced risk of their eczema remaining at 13 years of age (OR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.0-1.5), although this latter analysis did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.12). Conclusions: Our findings lend further support to the notion of early childhood as a critical period when allergy may be programmed via the gut microbiota. Higher levels of fecal valeric acid may be characteristic of a protective gut microbiota and/or actively contribute to protection from eczema and food allergy

Late Age- and Dose-Related Effects on the Proteome of Thyroid Tissue in Rats after ¹³¹I Exposure

The physiological process of iodine uptake in the thyroid is used for 131I treatment of thyroid diseases. Children are more sensitive to radiation compared to adults and may react differently to 131I exposure. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects on thyroid protein expression in young and adult rats one year after 131I injection and identify potential biomarkers related to 131I exposure, absorbed dose, and age. Twelve Sprague Dawley rats (young and adults) were i.v. injected with 50 kBq or 500 kBq 131I and killed twelve months later. Twelve untreated rats were used as age-matched controls. Quantitative proteomics, statistical analysis, and evaluation of biological effects were performed. The effects of irradiation were most prominent in young rats. Protein biomarker candidates were proposed related to age, absorbed dose, thyroid function, and cancer, and a panel was proposed for 131I exposure. In conclusion, the proteome of rat thyroid was differentially regulated twelve months after low-intermediate dose exposure to 131I in both young and adult rats. Several biomarker candidates are proposed for 131I exposure, age, and many of them are known to be related to thyroid function or thyroid cancer. Further research on human samples is needed for validation. Data are avaiable via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD024786

Amelioration of Compound 48/80-Mediated Itch and LL-37-Induced Inflammation by a Single-Stranded Oligonucleotide

Numerous inflammatory skin disorders display a high prevalence of itch. The Mas-related G protein coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) has been shown to modulate itch by inducing non-IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation and the release of endogenous inducers of pruritus. Various substances collectively known as basic secretagogues, which include inflammatory peptides and certain drugs, can trigger MRGPRX2 and thereby induce pseudo-allergic reactions characterized by histamine and protease release as well as inflammation. Here, we investigated the capacity of an immunomodulatory single-stranded oligonucleotide (ssON) to modulate IgE-independent mast cell degranulation and, more specifically, its ability to inhibit the basic secretagogues compound 48/80 (C48/80)-and LL-37in vitroandin vivo. We examined the effect of ssON on MRGPRX2 activationin vitroby measuring degranulation in a human mast cell line (LAD2) and calcium influx in MRGPRX2-transfected HEK293 cells. To determine the effect of ssON on itch, we performed behavioral studies in established mouse models and collected skin biopsies for histological analysis. Additionally, with the use of a rosacea mouse model and RT-qPCR, we investigated the effect on ssON on LL-37-induced inflammation. We reveal that both mast cell degranulation and calcium influx in MRGPRX2 transfected HEK293 cells, induced by the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and the basic secretagogue C48/80, are effectively inhibited by ssON in a dose-dependent manner. Further, ssON demonstrates a capability to inhibit LL-37 and C48/80 activationin vivoin two mouse models. We show that intradermal injection of ssON in mice is able to block itch induced via C48/80 in a dose-dependent manner. Histological staining revealed that ssON inhibits acute mast cell degranulation in murine skin treated with C48/80. Lastly, we show that ssON treatment ameliorates LL-37-induced inflammation in a rosacea mouse model. Since there is a need for new therapeutics targeting non-IgE-mediated activation of mast cells, ssON could be used as a prospective drug candidate to resolve itch and inflammation in certain dermatoses