Importance of the home environment for healthy aging : Conceptual and methodological background of the European ENABLE-AGE Project

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European history crossroads as pathways to intercultural and media education (EHISTO)

[EN] EHISTO (European history crossroads as pathways to intercultural and media education) is concerned with the mediation of history in popular (science) media and the question of social and political responsibility of journalists and other mediators of history, especially teachers, in the field of commercial presentation of history. The project responds to the increasing significance of a commercialised mediation of history within the public historical culture and reflects the fact that these representations, which do not always meet the EU standards for history education, can have a lasting impact on the young generation’s understanding of history. Using the example of popular history magazines, the project shall, besides the necessary basic research, develop didactically reflected materials for both history education in school as well as initial and in-service teacher training. On one hand enable a media-critical examination of history magazines and on the other hand, by working with the history magazines, the project addresses itself to popular interpretations of history from the participating countries and reflects their similarities and differences in European cultures of remembrance. Therefore, this approach not only trains mediacritical competences but furthermore enables a multi-perspective and comparative access to history. The project EHISTO will last two years and is funded by the EU Lifelong Learning Programme with about 300,000 euros. Partners from six European nations take part in the project

Individual common variants exert weak effects on the risk for autism spectrum disorders.

While it is apparent that rare variation can play an important role in the genetic architecture of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), the contribution of common variation to the risk of developing ASD is less clear. To produce a more comprehensive picture, we report Stage 2 of the Autism Genome Project genome-wide association study, adding 1301 ASD families and bringing the total to 2705 families analysed (Stages 1 and 2). In addition to evaluating the association of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we also sought evidence that common variants, en masse, might affect the risk. Despite genotyping over a million SNPs covering the genome, no single SNP shows significant association with ASD or selected phenotypes at a genome-wide level. The SNP that achieves the smallest P-value from secondary analyses is rs1718101. It falls in CNTNAP2, a gene previously implicated in susceptibility for ASD. This SNP also shows modest association with age of word/phrase acquisition in ASD subjects, of interest because features of language development are also associated with other variation in CNTNAP2. In contrast, allele scores derived from the transmission of common alleles to Stage 1 cases significantly predict case status in the independent Stage 2 sample. Despite being significant, the variance explained by these allele scores was small (Vm< 1%). Based on results from individual SNPs and their en masse effect on risk, as inferred from the allele score results, it is reasonable to conclude that common variants affect the risk for ASD but their individual effects are modest

July 2017 ENCALS statement on edaravone

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A novel approach of homozygous haplotype sharing identifies candidate genes in autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable disorder of complex and heterogeneous aetiology. It is primarily characterized by altered cognitive ability including impaired language and communication skills and fundamental deficits in social reciprocity. Despite some notable successes in neuropsychiatric genetics, overall, the high heritability of ASD (~90%) remains poorly explained by common genetic risk variants. However, recent studies suggest that rare genomic variation, in particular copy number variation, may account for a significant proportion of the genetic basis of ASD. We present a large scale analysis to identify candidate genes which may contain low-frequency recessive variation contributing to ASD while taking into account the potential contribution of population differences to the genetic heterogeneity of ASD. Our strategy, homozygous haplotype (HH) mapping, aims to detect homozygous segments of identical haplotype structure that are shared at a higher frequency amongst ASD patients compared to parental controls. The analysis was performed on 1,402 Autism Genome Project trios genotyped for 1 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We identified 25 known and 1,218 novel ASD candidate genes in the discovery analysis including CADM2, ABHD14A, CHRFAM7A, GRIK2, GRM3, EPHA3, FGF10, KCND2, PDZK1, IMMP2L and FOXP2. Furthermore, 10 of the previously reported ASD genes and 300 of the novel candidates identified in the discovery analysis were replicated in an independent sample of 1,182 trios. Our results demonstrate that regions of HH are significantly enriched for previously reported ASD candidate genes and the observed association is independent of gene size (odds ratio 2.10). Our findings highlight the applicability of HH mapping in complex disorders such as ASD and offer an alternative approach to the analysis of genome-wide association data

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Sång, socialisation och självkänsla : En studie om hur vår livsberättelse kan forma bilden av oss själva sett ur ett sångperspektiv

Mitt syfte med denna uppsats har varit att utifrån en livsberättelse, här även kallat narrativ, undersöka hur man kan förstå mekanismerna runt självbild-självkänsla-självförtroende i relation till sångundervisning, ur ett sångsocialisationsperspektiv. Jag har i mitt yrke som sångpedagog många gånger mött elever med, enligt min uppfattning, god sångförmåga kombinerat med en oförtjänt låg självbild, och ofta undrat över bakgrunden. Metoden jag har använt är narrativ metod, en kvalitativ metod där man genom djupintervju, tar del av – och är som intervjuare även medskapare av – en människas livsberättelse. Livberättelsen ger oss människors egna tolkningar av oss själva och är samtidigt sociala konstruktioner. Muntlig berättelse berättar om händelser – men är också en händelse i sig. För genomförandet valdes halvstrukturerad och tematiskt guidad intervju för att få ett så djupt svarsresultat som möjligt. Jag träffade informanten vid två tillfällen och spelade in intervjun, som sedan transkriberades. Resultatet som jag kunnat utläsa är att informanten Lisas musikaliska socialisation kom igång relativt sent, men tog fart efter en julavslutning i femte klass. Hon är uppvuxen med den effektivitet och rationalitet livet på en bondgård för med sig, vill inte gärna prata om sina känslor och hatar att misslyckas. Mina slutsatser är att självkänsla är komplext – beroende av olika variabler och kan skifta ganska kraftigt beroende på arena. Självbilden (i relation till sång) är även den mycket komplex och beroende av flera samverkande faktorer, så som till exempel sång - och musiksocialisation, men även av andra faktorer under uppväxten kopplat till såväl familj och miljö, som skola. Detta har jag också sett exempel på i undersökningen

Agitation in behavioural and psychological symtoms of dementia : nursing treatment to reduce agitation in people with cognitive disorder : a literature review

Kognitiv sjukdom är samlingsbegrepp som innefattar flera olika diagnoser och i Sverige insjuknar årligen 20 000–25 000 personer. Det som är gemensamt för de olika diagnoserna är att de uppstår till följd av skador i hjärnan. Att leva med kognitiv sjukdom innebär att olika kognitiva funktioner sviktar vilket kan leda till en känsla av att förlora kontrollen över sitt liv. Nio av tio som har en kognitiv sjukdom drabbas någon gång av beteendemässig och psykiska symtom vid demenssjukdom (BPSD), ett av dessa symtom är agitation. BPSD orsakar ett stort lidande för personen själv men även för närstående och är många gånger en stor utmaning för vårdpersonal att bemöta. För att förebygga och lindra BPSD är det omvårdnadsåtgärder som är förstahandsåtgärden. Ett led i att minska lidande för personen är att öka kunskapen om vilka omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan minska agitation.   Syfte: Syftet med studien var att kartlägga vilka omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan ha effekt på agitation hos personer med kognitiv sjukdom. Metod: En litteraturöversikt valdes för att besvara studiens syfte. Resultatet har baserats på kvantitativa studier max tio år gamla för att kartlägga den senaste forskningen inom det valda området. 16 studier inkluderades i resultatet.  Resultat: Resultatet visar signifikant minskning av agitation hos personer med kognitiva sjukdomar med hjälp av omvårdnadsåtgärder som musikterapi, fysisk aktivitet, hundterapi, akupressur, ljusterapi och vistelse i terapeutisk trädgård. Vid fotmassage sågs i stället en ökning av agitation, ökningen var dock inte signifikant.  Slutsats: I studiens resultat ses ett flertal användbara omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan implementeras i den kliniska vården för att minska agitation hos personer med kognitiv sjukdom. Genom att använda sig av omvårdnadsåtgärder kan läkemedel som kan ge allvarliga och oönskade biverkningar, så som exempelvis neuroleptika, minska i användning. Studien kan vara av nytta för att öka kompetensen hos vårdpersonal inom området. Cognitive disorder is a collective term that includes several different diagnoses and in Sweden 20,000 - 25,000 people get diagnosed each year. The common factor for these diagnoses is the fact that they occur because of brain damages. Living with a cognitive disorder means that various cognitive functions fail. Nine out of ten with cognitive disorder are at some point affected by behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). One of these symptoms is agitation. BPSD causes a great deal of suffering for the diagnosed person and the family. Furthermore, it is often a great challenge for caregivers to give these individuals the correct care. To prevent and alleviate BPSD, nursing treatment is the first option. A step towards reducing suffering for the person is to increase knowledge of which nursing treatments can reduce agitation Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate which nursing treatment can have an effect on agitation in people with cognitive disorders. Method: A literature review was chosen to answer the aim of the study. The results have been based on quantitative studies that are a maximum of ten years old to map the latest research in the chosen field. Results: The result shows significant reduction of agitation in people with cognitive disorders using nursing treatment such as music therapy, physical activity, dog therapy, acupressure, light therapy and time spent in therapeutic garden. An increase in agitation was however seen during foot massage, but the increase was not significant. Conclusion: The results of the study show several useful non-pharmacological treatments that can be implemented in clinical care to reduce agitation in people with cognitive disorders. By using non-pharmacological treatment, the use of inappropriate drugs, which can have severe negative side effects, such as neuroleptics, can be reduced. The study may be useful to increasing the competence of concerned caregivers