The metabolic syndrome among Danish seafarers

Background: Representing a cluster of risk factors related to insulin resistance, the metabolic syndrome (MS) is defined by a constellation of increased waist circumference in combination with dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia, and/or increased blood pressure. MS is a strong risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. Approximately 1/5 of Danish adults have MS, which has an etiological relation to nutritional factors, sleep patterns, work-related stress, fatigue, and physical activity — all of which are critical issues at sea.Materials and methods: Out of 655 Danish seafarers attending medical fitness examination by seafarers’doctors in 4 clinics, 524 participants (mean age of 38.5 years) underwent waist circumference measurements and provided questionnaire information about their workplace on board and their consumption of tobacco and alcohol. Blood samples were taken if waist circumference was increased. MS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation as central obesity in combination with 2 out of the following conditions: elevated triglycerides, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, and reduced HDL-cholesterol (or treated hyperlipaemia or hypertension, or previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes, respectively).Results: The crude baseline prevalence of MS was 25.9% among male and 10.7% among female Danish seafarers. 30.6% were current smokers. The alcohol consumption was comparable to that of Danes ashore, but exceeded recommendations of 18.6%.Conclusions: MS was increased in this young group of seafarers. Seafarers with MS were advised to 10% weight-reduction, physical activity 1/2 hour/day, reduced intake of saturated fat and increased fibres indiet, smoking cessation, and control of alcohol consumption as an intervention measure. Follow-up will take place after 2 years

Online dagbogen i praktik- og klinikforløb på sundhedsvidenskabelige uddannelser

Færdighedstræning gennem praktik- og klinikforløb er en vigtig del af de sundhedsvidenskabelige uddannelser. På tandplejeruddannelsen på Aarhus Universitet fører de studerende gennem hele praktikforløbet en online dagbog, hvor indlæggene er styret i forhold til en obligatorisk opgave, som på forhånd er stillet af underviserne. Dagbogen læses og kommenteres undervejs af underviserne.Det værktøj, som de studerende bruger til dagbogen, har de fået gennem Aarhus Universitets nye learning management system, Blackboard, og værktøjet findes derfor integreret der, hvor de studerendes normale online aktiviteter foregår.I artiklen fremlægges de studerende og undervisernes erfaringer med brug af online dagbogen til understøttelse af et praktikforløb og de studerendes kommunikationstræning. Artiklens formål er at undersøge, hvorvidt læring og færdighedstræning i praktikken styrkes gennem løbende skriftlig refleksion, og hvilken betydning online dagbogens muligheder for kontinuerlig feed back giver i den forbindelse.Videre diskuteres implementeringen af værktøjet i uddannelsen, og der gives perspektiver på håndtering af ressourceforbruget til e-moderation i den fremtidige drift.

PACAP-38 and PACAP(6–38) Degranulate Rat Meningeal Mast Cells via the Orphan MrgB3-Receptor

Infusion of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide-38 (PACAP-38) provokes migraine attacks in migraineurs and headache in non-migraineurs. Adverse events like long-lasting flushing and heat sensation can be terminated with oral antihistamine treatment, indicating the involvement of mast cell activation after PACAP-infusion. Degranulation of rat peritoneal mast cells was provoked by several isoforms of PACAP via previously unknown receptor pharmacology. The effect might thus be mediated either via specific splice variants of the PAC1-receptor or via an unknown receptor for PACAP-38. In the present study, we characterize degranulation of rat meningeal mast cells in response to PACAP-receptor ligands. Furthermore, we investigate if PACAP-38-induced mast cell degranulation is mediated via PAC1-receptor splice variants and/or via the orphan Mas-related G-protein coupled member B3 (MrgB3)-receptor. To address this, the pharmacological effect of different PACAP isoforms on meningeal mast cell degranulation was investigated in the hemisected skull model after toluidine blue staining followed by microscopic quantification. Presence of mRNA encoding PAC1-receptor splice variants and the MrgB3-receptor in rat mast cells was investigated by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. The effect of PACAP isoforms on PAC1- and MrgB3-receptor-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes were performed by two-electrode voltage-clamp (TEVC) electrophysiology. PACAP-38 is a more potent mast cell degranulating agent than Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide-27 (PACAP-27) in the meninges. Presence of mRNA encoding the PAC1-receptor and its different splice variants could not be detected in peritoneal mast cells by RT-PCR, whereas the orphan MrgB3-receptor, recently suggested to be a mediator of basic secretagogues-induced mast cell degranulation, was widely present. In PAC1-receptor-expressing Xenopus laevis oocytes both PACAP-38, PACAP-27 and the specific PAC1-receptor agonist maxadilan were equipotent, however, only PACAP-38 showed a significant degranulatory effect on mast cells. We confirmed Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Peptide(6–38) [PACAP(6–38)] to be a PAC1-receptor antagonist, and we demonstrated that it is a potent mast cell degranulator and have an agonistic effect on MrgB3-receptors expressed in oocytes. The present study provides evidence that PACAP-induced mast cell degranulation in rat is mediated through a putative new PACAP-receptor with the order of potency being: PACAP-38 = PACAP(6–38) > > PACAP-27 = maxadilan. The results suggest that the observed responses are mediated via the orphan MrgB3-receptor

Comparison of serum pools and oral fluid samples for detection of porcine circovirus type 2 by quantitative real-time PCR in finisher pigs

Abstract Background Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) diagnostics in live pigs often involves pooled serum and/or oral fluid samples for group-level determination of viral load by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The purpose of the study was to compare the PCV2 viral load determined by qPCR of paired samples at the pen level of pools of sera (SP) from 4 to 5 pigs and the collective oral fluid (OF) from around 30 pigs corresponding to one rope put in the same pen. Pigs in pens of 2 finishing herds were sampled by cross-sectional (Herd 1) and cross-sectional with follow-up (Herd 2) study designs. In Herd 1, 50 sample pairs consisting of SP from 4 to 5 pigs and OF from around 23 pigs were collected. In Herd 2, 65 sample pairs consisting of 4 (SP) and around 30 (OF) pigs were collected 4 times at 3-week intervals. Results A higher proportion of PCV2-positive pens (86% vs. 80% and 100% vs. 91%) and higher viral loads (mean difference: 2.10 and 1.83 log(10) PCV2 copies per ml) were found in OF versus SP in both herds. The OF cut-off value corresponding to a positive SP (>3 log(10) PCV2 copies per ml) was estimated to 6.5 and 7.36 log(10) PCV2 copies per ml for Herds 1 and 2, respectively. Significant correlations between SP and OF results were found in Herd 1 (rho = 0.69) and the first sampling in Herd 2 (rho = 0.39), but not for the subsequent consecutive 3 samplings in Herd 2. Conclusions The proportion and viral loads of PCV2 positive pens were higher in collective OF (including up to 30 pigs) compared to SP (including 4–5 pigs) of the same pens. Also, OF seemed to detect the PCV2 infection earlier with OF values just below 6.5 (Herd 1) and 7.36 (Herd 2) log(10) being associated with a negative SP for the same pen. Nevertheless, a statistically significant correlation between SP and OF could not be found for all sampling time points, probably due to a high within-pen variation in individual pig viral load becoming very evident in SP of only four or five pigs. Consequently, the results imply that OF is well suited for detecting presence of PCV2 but less so for determining the specific viral load of pigs in a pen