Coagulation Inhibitor Potential: : a global assay for the detection of thrombophilia

Thrombophilia can be defined as an increased, persistent tendency to venous thrombosis. It can be acquired or inherited. The annual incidence of venous thrombosis is about 1 per 1000 in the adult population. Inherited thrombophilia may be caused by several genetic defects that mostly result in deficient inhibition of coagulation in the blood. Deficiencies of the natural coagulation inhibitors antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC) and protein S are rare and can be found in less than 1 % of the general population. Factor V (FV) Leiden and prothrombin gene mutation are clinically less severe causes of inherited thrombophilia. In northern Europe the prevalence of FV Leiden is about 5-10 %. Among acquired risk factors for venous thrombosis are use of oral contraceptives and postmenopausal hormone therapy. The main aim of this study was to develop a global assay that could be used to detect a thrombophilic condition in blood samples. This could limit the need for multiple blood tests. In the Coagulation Inhibitor Potential (CIP) assay coagulation in blood plasma is activated by tissue factor and fibrin polymerisation is monitored. In a parallel sample the inhibition of activation is potentiated by pentasaccharide and the snake venom Protac, which activate AT and PC in the blood. The effect of potentiated inhibition of coagulation is calculated. Plasma samples from persons with inherited thrombophilia had deficient inhibition of coagulation. Women who received hormone therapy to prevent ill effects of the menopause had in many cases a similar reaction pattern. This may relate to the increased risk of venous thrombosis. A cooperation with foreign scientists verified earlier results. The CIP assay proved superior to two other global assays as to their ability to detect inherited thrombophilia. The CIP method can be used to detect thrombophilia with high sensitivity and specificity. It can also be used as a tool for further research

A Norwegian ZEB Definition Guideline

The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive and consistent guideline for the Norwegian definition of Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) and the associated calculation methodologies. The guidelines described in this report build upon the article "A Norwegian Zero Emission Building Definition”, the report “A Norwegian ZEB Definition - Embodied Emissions” as well as other relevant national and international work. The guidelines explain the methodology used within the ZEB Research Centre, focusing upon operational energy use calculations and life cycle emission calculations for materials. Furthermore, the guidelines illustrate the ZEB definition and methodology with selected examples from the ZEB pilot case studies. This guideline is useful for designers and developers involved in the planning and design of zero emission buildings. The guideline can also be used as a point of reference for the setting of future standards and regulations on low carbon buildings.publishedVersio

Nettverksamarbeid - i en ny tid : En studie blant barnehageledere i Skien kommune

Masteroppgave ledelse ORG917 - Universitetet i Agder 2017Hensikten med denne oppgaven er å kartlegge nettverkstilbøyeligheten blant barnehagestyrere i Skien kommune. Kartleggingen ble foretatt våren 2017 ved hjelp av en kvantitativ undersøkelse utarbeidet ved hjelp av SurveyXact. Vi ønsket å kartlegge alle barnehagestyrerne i kommunen, både private og kommunale, totalt 48 stykker. Svarprosenten for undersøkelsen endte på 89 %. I oppgaven kartlegges den enkelte styrers nettverktilbøyelighet, og den nytten de ser av å delta i nettverk både personlig og for enheten sin. Vi satt opp en tredelt problemstilling som vi ønsket og finne svar på; 1. I hvilken grad nettverker barnehagestyrerne i Skien kommune? 2. I hvilken grad finner vi variasjon i nettverkstilbøyeligheten? 3. Hvilken nytte ser styrerne i å nettverke? Nettverkstilbøyeligheten ble analysert med utgangspunkt i forklaringsvariabler. Variablene vi opererer med er trekk ved leder; alder, erfaring, kunnskap og trekk ved organisasjonen, eierforhold, beliggenhet og størrelse. Dette er variabler som antas å ha betydning for barnehagestyrernes nettverkstilbøyelighet. Disse variablene ble satt opp i 6 hypoteser hvorav 2 ble bekreftet. Funn som ble gjort, tyder på at det både er trekk ved styrerne og størrelse på organisasjonene som er avgjørende for deres nettverktilbøyelighet. Styrerne ble også spurt om begrunnelser for hvorfor de nettverker. Utveksling av kunnskap og erfaring dominerer styrernes svar på hvorfor de nettverker. Det er ellers stor variasjon i begrunnelsene i forhold til hvorfor styrer nettverker. Oppgaven tar for seg historikken i barnehagefeltet i Skien kommune og hvilke utfordringer barnehagen står overfor fremover – i en ny tid. Teorigrunnlaget er primært nettverksteori og ledelsesteori som tar for seg ulike trekk ved ledere. Vi konkluderer med at styrerne nettverker, men i liten grad. Variasjonene i nettverkstypene er også begrenset, det dreier seg stort sett om styringsnettverk og læringsnettverk

FutureBuilt Zero - A simplified dynamic LCA method with requirements for low carbon emissions from buildings

FutureBuilt is a voluntary program for ambitious low-carbon construction projects. To incentivize measures that lead to the lowest climate change impact from all aspects of buildings and according to national Paris agreement pledges, FutureBuilt Zero introduces an ambition level and a novel calculation methodology for net climate change impacts over the life of a building. The ambition level is tightened over time to help Norway achieve its climate goals. A comprehensive simplified calculation method is introduced, which considers how the timing of emissions during the building life affects the contribution to global warming. Both direct and indirect emissions throughout the lifetime are included; energy use in operation and at the construction site, material production and transport of materials to the construction site, and waste management (incineration). In addition, the climate-positive effects of biogenic carbon uptake, carbonation of cement, potential for future reusability, and exported energy are included. This paper presents the criteria, describes the method and the scientific basis as well as the principles and logic behind the choices made.publishedVersio

Miljøovervåkning av marine ressurser

Denne rapporten er basert på et opphold på øya Mausundvær i september 2015. Mausund er et gammelt lokalsamfunn basert på fiske. I tillegg til tradisjonelt fiske, er fiskeoppdrett også en vesentlig næringsvei på øya i dag. Under årets ekskursjon ble det fisket fisk og krabber som det ble tatt prøver av. Det ble sjekket verdier av kadmium, bly, arsen og kvikksølv, og sammenlignet opp mot grenseverdier. Resultatene viser at verdiene for kadmium og kvikksølv har økt, mens de har minket for bly og arsen.

Identification of an epigenetic biomarker panel with high sensitivity and specificity for colorectal cancer and adenomas

Background The presence of cancer-specific DNA methylation patterns in epithelial colorectal cells in human feces provides the prospect of a simple, non-invasive screening test for colorectal cancer and its precursor, the adenoma. This study investigates a panel of epigenetic markers for the detection of colorectal cancer and adenomas. Methods Candidate biomarkers were subjected to quantitative methylation analysis in test sets of tissue samples from colorectal cancers, adenomas, and normal colonic mucosa. All findings were verified in independent clinical validation series. A total of 523 human samples were included in the study. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the performance of the biomarker panel. Results Promoter hypermethylation of the genes CNRIP1, FBN1, INA, MAL, SNCA, and SPG20 was frequent in both colorectal cancers (65-94%) and adenomas (35-91%), whereas normal mucosa samples were rarely (0-5%) methylated. The combined sensitivity of at least two positives among the six markers was 94% for colorectal cancers and 93% for adenoma samples, with a specificity of 98%. The resulting areas under the ROC curve were 0.984 for cancers and 0.968 for adenomas versus normal mucosa. Conclusions The novel epigenetic marker panel shows very high sensitivity and specificity for both colorectal cancers and adenomas. Our findings suggest this biomarker panel to be highly suitable for early tumor detection

Long term safety and visibility of a novel liquid fiducial marker foruse in image guided radiotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer

Safety and clinical feasibility of injecting a novel liquid fiducial marker for use in image guided radiotherapy in 15 patients with non-small cell lung cancer are reported. No major safety or toxicity issues were encountered. Markers present at start of radiotherapy remained visible in cone beam computed tomography and fluoroscopy images throughout the treatment course and on computed tomography images during follow-up (0–38 months). Marker volume reduction was seen until 9 months after treatment, after which no further marker breakdown was found. No post-treatment migration or marker related complications were found. Keywords: Liquid fiducial marker, Image-guided radiotherapy, NSCLC, Endoscopic ultrasound, EBU

Resuscitation of Newborn Piglets. Short-Term Influence of FiO2 on Matrix Metalloproteinases, Caspase-3 and BDNF

Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia is a major cause of mortality and cerebral morbidity, and using oxygen during newborn resuscitation may further harm the brain. The aim was to examine how supplementary oxygen used for newborn resuscitation would influence early brain tissue injury, cell death and repair processes and the regulation of genes related to apoptosis, neurodegeneration and neuroprotection.Anesthetized newborn piglets were subjected to global hypoxia and then randomly assigned to resuscitation with 21%, 40% or 100% O(2) for 30 min and followed for 9 h. An additional group received 100% O(2) for 30 min without preceding hypoxia. The left hemisphere was used for histopathology and immunohistochemistry and the right hemisphere was used for in situ zymography in the corpus striatum; gene expression and the activity of various relevant biofactors were measured in the frontal cortex. There was an increase in the net matrix metalloproteinase gelatinolytic activity in the corpus striatum from piglets resuscitated with 100% oxygen vs. 21%. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining revealed no significant changes. Nine hours after oxygen-assisted resuscitation, caspase-3 expression and activity was increased by 30-40% in the 100% O(2) group (n = 9/10) vs. the 21% O(2) group (n = 10; p<0.04), whereas brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) activity was decreased by 65% p<0.03.The use of 100% oxygen for resuscitation resulted in increased potentially harmful proteolytic activities and attenuated BDNF activity when compared with 21%. Although there were no significant changes in short term cell loss, hyperoxia seems to cause an early imbalance between neuroprotective and neurotoxic mechanisms that might compromise the final pathological outcome