Experience with the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and isolated bovine eye as alternative test models for mucous membrane irritation

No abstract availabl

Ethical Leadership and Prohibitive Voice – the Role of Leadership and Organisational Identification

This article extends previous research on ethical leadership and voice behavior, by investigating the relationship between ethical leadership and prohibitive voice. Prohibitive voice is defined as speaking up with concerns or worries regarding factors that may harm organisational functioning. The article reports on a cross- sectional study of Norwegian employees, investigating the relationship between ethical leadership, leadership identification, organisational identification and prohibitive voice. In the article leadership identification is understood as a process where the employee incorporates the leader’s values and goals into his or her self- concept. Organisational identification on the other hand is when the employee starts seeing the organisational values, norms and goals as his or her own. Testing our results in a dual-process model, we find that ethical leadership is positively and significantly related to prohibitive voice. Moreover, we find that this effect is mediated by organizational identification. We find no significant mediation effect of leadership identification. Implication for theory and research are discussed

Diagnostic validity of fatal cerebral strokes and coronary deaths

Mortality statistics represent important endpoints in epidemiological studies. The diagnostic validity of cerebral stroke and ischemic heart disease recorded as the underlying cause of death in Norwegian mortality statistics was assessed by using mortality data of participants in the Bergen Clinical Blood Pressure Study in Norway and autopsy records from the Gade Institute in Bergen. In the 41 years of the study (1965–2005) 4,387 subjects had died and 1,140 (26%) had undergone a post mortem examination; 548 (12%) died from cerebral stroke and 1,120 (24%) from ischemic heart disease according to the mortality statistics, compared to 113 (10%) strokes and 323 (28%) coronary events registered in the autopsy records. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of fatal cerebral strokes in the mortality statistics were 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.66, 0.83] and 0.86 [0.77, 0.92], respectively, whereas those of coronary deaths were 0.87 [0.84, 0.91] and 0.85 [0.81, 0.89] respectively. Cohen’s Kappa coefficients were 0.78 [0.72, 0.84] for stroke and 0.80 [0.76, 0.84] for coronary deaths. In addition to female gender and increasing age at death, cerebral stroke was a negative predictor of an autopsy being carried out (odds ratio (OR) 0.69, 95% CI [0.54, 0.87]), whereas death from coronary heart disease was not (OR 1.14, 95% CI [0.97, 1,33]), both adjusted for gender and age at death. There was substantial agreement between mortality statistics and autopsy findings for both fatal strokes and coronary deaths. Selection for post mortem examinations was associated with age, gender and cause of death.publishedVersio

Valine Pyrrolidide Preserves Intact Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Peptide and Improves Abnormal Glucose Tolerance in Minipigs With Reduced β-Cell Mass

The incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) are important in blood glucose regulation.However, both incretin hormones are rapidly degraded by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV). The concept of DPPIV inhibition as a treatment for type 2 diabetes was evaluated in a new large animal model of insulin-deficient diabetes and reduced β-cell mass, the nicotinamide (NIA) (67 mg/kg) and streptozotocin (STZ) (125 mg/kg)–treated minipig, using the DPPIV inhibitor, valine pyrrolidide (VP) (50 mg/kg).VP did not significantly affect levels of intact GLP-1 but increased levels of intact GIP (from 4543 ± 1880 to 9208 ± 3267 pM × min; P<.01), thus improving glucose tolerance (area under the curve [AUC] for glucose reduced from 1904 ± 480 to 1582 ± 353 mM × min;P = .05).VP did not increase insulin levels during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) but increased the insulinogenic index in normal animals (from 83 ± 42 to 192 ± 108; P < .05), but not after NIA + STZ, possibly because of less residual insulin secretory capacity in these animals. GIP seems to contribute to the antihyperglycemic effect of VP in this model; however, additional mechanisms for the effect of DPPIV inhibition cannot be excluded. The authors conclude that DPPIV inhibitors may be useful to treat type 2 diabetes, even when this is due to reduced β-cell mass

The effect of microsurgical training on novice medical students' basic surgical skills-a randomized controlled trial

Background It has been demonstrated that medical students are capable of learning microsurgical techniques. We hypothesize that microsurgical training might give insight into the importance of delicate tissue handling and correct knot tying that could have a positive influence on macrosurgical skills. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of microsurgical training on macrosurgical suturing skills in novice medical students. Subjects and methods In 2018, 46 novice medical students were enrolled and randomized into two groups. The intervention group received both macro- and microsurgical training and the control group received only microsurgical training. Both groups underwent an assessment test that consisted of macrosurgical tasks of three simple interrupted sutures with a square knot and continuous three-stitch long over-and-over sutures. These tests were individually filmed and assessed using the University of Bergen suturing skills assessment tool (UBAT) and the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill global rating scale (OSATS). Questionnaires regarding future career ambitions and attitudes towards plastic surgery were also completed both prior to and following the tests. Results The intervention group needed a longer time to complete the tasks than the control group (12.2 min vs. 9.6 min, p > 0.001), and scored lower on both the UBAT (5.6 vs. 9.0, p > 0.001) and the OSATS (11.1 vs. 13.1, p > 0.001) assessments. The microsurgery course tended to positively influence the students' attitudes towards a career in plastic surgery (p = 0.002). This study demonstrates poorer macrosurgical skills in the medical students group exposed to microsurgical training. The true effect of microsurgical training warrants further investigation. Level of evidence: Level I, diagnostic study.Peer reviewe

Targeting the NG2/CSPG4 Proteoglycan Retards Tumour Growth and Angiogenesis in Preclinical Models of GBM and Melanoma

Aberrant expression of the progenitor marker Neuron-glia 2 (NG2/CSPG4) or melanoma proteoglycan on cancer cells and angiogenic vasculature is associated with an aggressive disease course in several malignancies including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and melanoma. Thus, we investigated the mechanism of NG2 mediated malignant progression and its potential as a therapeutic target in clinically relevant GBM and melanoma animal models. Xenografting NG2 overexpressing GBM cell lines resulted in increased growth rate, angiogenesis and vascular permeability compared to control, NG2 negative tumours. The effect of abrogating NG2 function was investigated after intracerebral delivery of lentivirally encoded shRNAs targeting NG2 in patient GBM xenografts as well as in established subcutaneous A375 melanoma tumours. NG2 knockdown reduced melanoma proliferation and increased apoptosis and necrosis. Targeting NG2 in two heterogeneous GBM xenografts significantly reduced tumour growth and oedema levels, angiogenesis and normalised vascular function. Vascular normalisation resulted in increased tumour invasion and decreased apoptosis and necrosis. We conclude that NG2 promotes tumour progression by multiple mechanisms and represents an amenable target for cancer molecular therapy