Changes in Health Literacy during the first year following a kidney transplantation: Using the Health Literacy Questionnaire

Objectives The study aimed to identify changes in health literacy (HL) and associated variables during the first year following a kidney transplantation. Methods A total of 196 transplant recipients were included in a prospective follow-up study. The patients answered the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) at 5 days, 8 weeks, 6 and 12 months following the kidney transplantation. Mixed linear models were used to analyze changes in HL and backward elimination was used to identify variables associated with HL. Results Two main patterns of change were identified: a) HL increased during the first 8 weeks of close follow-up and b) in several domains, the positive increase from 5 days to 8 weeks flattened out from 5 days to 6 and 12 months. Self-efficacy, transplant-related knowledge, and general health were core variables associated with HL. Conclusions Overall, HL increased during the 8 weeks of close follow-up following the kidney transplantation, while 6 months seem to be a more vulnerable phase. Furthermore, low self-efficacy, less knowledge, and low self-perceived health may represent vulnerable characteristics in patients. Practical implications Future kidney transplant care should take into account patients’ access to and appraisal of health information and social support, and draw attention to potentially vulnerable groups.publishedVersio

Pigs as Source of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC398 Infections in Humans, Denmark

Persons living or working on farms, particularly pig farms, are at increased risk for infection

Differences in rates and odds for emergency caesarean section in six Palestinian hospitals: A population-based birth cohort study

Objective To assess the differences in rates and odds for emergency caesarean section among singleton pregnancies in six governmental Palestinian hospitals. Design A prospective population-based birth cohort study. Setting Obstetric departments in six governmental Palestinian hospitals. Participants 32 321 women scheduled to deliver vaginally from 1 March 2015 until 29 February 2016. Methods To assess differences in sociodemographic and antenatal obstetric characteristics by hospital, χ2 test, analysis of variance and Kruskal-Wallis test were applied. Logistic regression was used to estimate differences in odds for emergency caesarean section, and ORs with 95% CIs were assessed. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the adjusted ORs of emergency caesarean section among singleton pregnancies for five Palestinian hospitals as compared with the reference (Hospital 1). Results The prevalence of emergency caesarean section varied across hospitals, ranging from 5.8% to 22.6% among primiparous women and between 4.8% and 13.1% among parous women. Compared with the reference hospital, the ORs for emergency caesarean section were increased in all other hospitals, crude ORs ranging from 1.95 (95% CI 1.42 to 2.67) to 4.75 (95% CI 3.49 to 6.46) among primiparous women. For parous women, these differences were less pronounced, crude ORs ranging from 1.37 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.67) to 2.99 (95% CI 2.44 to 3.65). After adjustment for potential confounders, the ORs were reduced but still statistically significant, except for one hospital among parous women. Conclusion Substantial differences in odds for emergency caesarean section between the six Palestinian governmental hospitals were observed. These could not be explained by the studied sociodemographic or antenatal obstetric characteristics.publishedVersio

Opinion on the safety of BioProtein® by the Scientific Panel on Animal Feed of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety. Revised version

publishedVersio

Stability of angiotensin II and bradykinin solutions investigated by capillary liquid chromatography

Abstract A robust, fast and sensitive capillary column switching reversed-phase (RP) liquid chromatography (LC) method with back flushing of the pre-column and ultraviolet (UV) detection has been developed to investigate the stability of angiotensin II and bradykinin stored in different matrices and by different temperatures. The loading mobile phase (MP) containing acetonitrile (AcN) – H2O – formic acid (FA) (2 : 97.95 : 0.05, v/v/v) was delivered isocratically at a flow rate of 0.200 mL/min. Manual injections of 200 μL were made with an external loop, and the samples were loaded on a HotSep Tracy column (Kromasil C18; 5 x 1 mm (inner diameter (ID)), 5 μm). After a loading time of 3.5 min the analytes were back flushed from the pre-column and transferred to the separation column, a HotSep Kromasil C18 column (50 x 0.3 mm (ID), 3.5 μm), using an eluent consisting of AcN – H2O (gradient) with 20 mM NH4+HCOO- and 0.05 % FA added, delivered at a flow rate of 0.005 mL/min. In-line UV detection was performed at 210 nm. The limits of detection (LOD) were ~10 ng/mL for bradykinin and below 1 ng/mL for angiotensin II. The robustness of the system is discussed. An isocratic and a gradient eluting nano LC-UV system and a column switching gradient nano LC-UV method, all with a Kromasil C18 nanocolumn (150 x 0.1 mm (ID), 3.5 μm), were developed for bradykinin determination. The signal responses for bradykinin dissolved in H2O and 20 % AcN with FA added in different amounts were compared using direct infusion electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (direct infusion-ESI-TOF-MS) at different capillary voltages. The ratio of theoretical dilution of two different capillary columns was calculated and compared to the experimental dilution ratio obtained with those columns using capillary RPLC coupled to an electrospray time-of flight mass spectrometer (ESI-TOF-MS)

Hvordan kan et utforskende undervisnings- opplegg i naturfag støtte læring og motivasjon hos elever med stort læringspotensial? Gifted students' learning and motivation through an inquiry-based science unit

This article presents how an inquiry-based teaching unit designed for the regular classroom can support the motivation and learning of gifted students. Inquiry-based teaching was conducted with such students, and data were gathered via anonymous questionnaires in which the students were asked how they perceived the learning activities. The responses were clustered around five themes: instructive teaching, deep learning, interest, variation and mastering. Our results indicate that these five aspects support students’ learning directly and indirectly through motivation. The inquiry-based teaching unit is distinct in that it allows the learner to immerse him or herself in a topic of interest and in varied and advanced tasks, deepening subject knowledge and enhancing practical and creative ways of working. The relevance and applications of the subject knowledge were found to be additional motivating factors. The teaching unit provides examples of several adaptation strategies recommended for gifted students integrated into the regular classroom

Hvordan kan et utforskende undervisnings- opplegg i naturfag støtte læring og motivasjon hos elever med stort læringspotensial?

This article presents how an inquiry-based teaching unit designed for the regular classroom can support the motivation and learning of gifted students. Inquiry-based teaching was conducted with such students, and data were gathered via anonymous questionnaires in which the students were asked how they per-ceived the learning activities. The responses were clustered around five themes: instructive teaching, deeplearning, interest, variation and mastering. Our results indicate that these five aspects support students’ learning directly and indirectly through motivation. The inquiry-based teaching unit is distinct in that it allows the learner to immerse him or herself in a topic of interest and in varied and advanced tasks, deepening subject knowledge and enhancing practical and creative ways of working. The relevance and applications of the subject knowledge were found to be additional motivating factors. The teaching unit provides examples of several adaptation strategies recommended for gifted students integrated into the regular classroom

Hvordan kan naturfagundervisningen tilrettelegges bedre for elever med stort læringspotensial?

Norsk skole har som mål å tilby tilfredsstillende læringsutbytte av ordinær tilpasset opplæring med et godt sosialt miljø for alle elever. Dette inkluderer elever med stort læringspotensial. Disse elevene har behov for tilpasset undervisning grunnet deres evne til å lære raskere og mestre abstrakt tenkning tidligere enn jevnaldrende elever. Formålet med denne studien er å belyse denne elevgruppens erfaringer fra et talentsenter innenfor realfag, for å forstå hvordan skolen kan tilpasse naturfagundervisningen bedre for elevgruppen. Samtlige av ni talentsentersamlinger for 7.–9. klassetrinn (N = 25) skoleåret 2017/18 ble observert, og spørreskjemaer med fokus på faglig læringsutbytte, undervisningsmetoder og sosial trivsel både på talentsenteret og skolen ble samlet inn. Studiens hovedfunn er at elevene trivdes omtrent like godt begge steder, men at de verdsatte høyere faglig nivå, mer praktisk arbeid og mer faglig fordypning på talentsenteret. Vi konkluderer med forslag om at lærere kan tilrettelegge bedre for elever med stort læringspotensial ved å tilby større faglige utfordringer, vie mer tid til dybdelæring og praktisk arbeid, og være ekstra oppmerksomme på denne elevgruppens skoletrivsel, og eventuelt tilrettelegge for at de kan treffe andre elever med stort læringspotensial. Disse anbefalingene samsvarer med Læreplanverket for Kunnskapsløftet 2020 (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2020) og ligger innenfor rammene av ordinær undervisning

Patterns of aggressiveness: Risk of progression to invasive breast cancer by mammographic features of calcifications in screen-detected ductal carcinoma in situ

Background Mammographic features of calcifications on mammograms showing invasive breast cancer are associated with survival. Less is known about mammographic features and progression to invasive breast cancer among women treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Purpose To investigate mammographic features of calcifications in screen-detected DCIS in women who later did and did not get diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Material and Methods This registry-based nested case-control study analyzed data from women with screen-detected DCIS in BreastScreen Norway, 1995–2016. Within this cohort of women with DCIS, those who were later diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (cases) were matched (1:2) to women who were not diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (controls) after their DCIS and by the end of 2016. Information on mammographic features were collected by a national radiological review, where screening mammograms were reviewed locally at each of the 16 breast centers in Norway. We used conditional logistic regression analysis to estimate associations between mammographic features of calcifications in the DCIS mammogram and the risk of subsequent invasive breast cancer. Results We found a higher risk of invasive breast cancer associated with fine linear branching (casting) morphology (odds ratio 20.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5–158.9) compared to fine linear or fine pleomorphic morphology. Regional or diffuse distribution showed an odds ratio of 2.8 (95% CI 1.0–8.2) compared to segmental or linear distribution. Conclusion Mammographic features of calcifications in screen-detected DCIS were of influence on the risk of invasive breast cancer. Unfavorable characteristics of DCIS were fine linear branching morphology, and regional or diffuse distribution