Estimating and managing broad risk of chronic wasting disease spillover among cervid species

The management of infectious wildlife diseases often involves tackling pathogens that infect multiple host species. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease that can infect most cervid species. CWD was detected in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Norway in 2016. Sympatric populations of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and moose (Alces alces) are at immediate risk. However, the estimation of spillover risk across species and implementation of multispecies management policies are rarely addressed for wildlife. Here, we estimated the broad risk of CWD spillover from reindeer to red deer and moose by quantifying the probability of co-occurrence based on both (1) population density and (2) habitat niche overlap from GPS data of all three species in Nordfjella, Norway. We describe the practical challenges faced when aiming to reduce the risk of spillover through a marked reduction in the population densities of moose and red deer using recreational hunters. This involves setting the population and harvest aims with uncertain information and how to achieve them. The niche overlap between reindeer and both moose and red deer was low overall but occurred seasonally. Migratory red deer had a moderate niche overlap with the CWD-infected reindeer population during the calving period, whereas moose had a moderate niche overlap during both calving and winter. Incorporating both habitat overlap and the population densities of the respective species into the quantification of co-occurrence allowed for more spatially targeted risk maps. An initial aim of a 50% reduction in abundance for the Nordfjella region was set, but only a moderate population decrease of less than 20% from 2016 to 2021 was achieved. Proactive management in the form of marked population reduction is invasive and unpopular when involving species of high societal value, and targeting efforts to zones with a high risk of spillover to limit adverse impacts and achieve wider societal acceptance is important. disease management, host range, moose, multihost pathogens, niche overlap, Norway, population estimation, red deer, reindeerpublishedVersio

Klorbehandling i Driva og Litldalselva 2023 – Andre behandlingsår

Prosjektleder: Anders Gjørwad HagenI august 2023 ble den andre av to kjemiske behandlinger gjennomført mot lakseparasitten Gyrodactylus salaris i Drivaregionen. I de to elvene Driva og Litldalselva ble kloramin brukt som hovedkjemikalium. Klorbehandlingene ble gjennomført av et samarbeid mellom NIVA og NINA i henhold til kontrakt med Veterinærinstituttet som overordnet oppdragsgiver. I denne rapporten oppsummeres metodikk og resultater fra klorbehandlingen. Det ble gjort jevnlige målinger for å følge opp effekten av alle små og store doseringspunkter. I hovedelva viste analyse av disse prøvene at det generelt ble oppnådd en samlet behandlingseffekt på mer enn 90 mikrogramdøgn for alle stasjoner. I sidebekkene var det én av 188 stasjoner som ikke nådde målet på 90 mikrogramdøgn. Sannsynligheten for at det skal ha overlevd G. salaris i dette området høyt oppe i Litldalselva er imidlertid ansett som svært liten. Basert på funn fra behandlingen i 2022 ble behandlingen i 2023 utvidet, og dedikert personell ble allokert til å gjennomføre kritiske undersøkelser. Ved 34 punkter ble det gjort ett eller flere tiltak for å bedre behandlingen, og hvor det også ble gjort flere undersøkelser i etterkant for å vurdere effekten av tiltaket. Behandlingen var totalt sett vellykket, særlig gitt de vannføringsmessige utfordringene i forbindelse med ekstremværet «Hans».Veterinærinstituttet i TrondheimpublishedVersio

Klorbehandling i øvre Driva 2023 – Supplerende tiltak i hovedelv og utvalgte sidevassdrag oppstrøms fiskesperra i Driva

Prosjekleder: Anders Gjørwad HagenI august 2023 mottok gruppen «Gyroklor» en bestilling på klorbehandling i øvre deler av Driva som skulle gjennomføres i løpet av september 2023. I henhold til bestillingen var formålet med denne behandlingen «(…) å redusere smittetrykket i Driva etter påvising av laks (Salmo salar) og Gyrodactylus salaris på oversiden av fiskesperra, så langt det er praktisk mulig». Den reelle behandlingsstrekningen ble ut fra dette definert med nederste doseringsstasjon ved Vikabrua og øvre doseringspunkt ovenfor Mågålaupet. I tillegg ble det dosert kloramin i sideelvene Vinstra og Ålma for å håndtere fortynningseffekten fra disse. Behandlingsperioden var på seks dager. I løpet av denne perioden var målsettingen å oppnå minimum 90 mikrogramdøgn aktivt klor i alle behandlede vannveier. Det ble gjort jevnlige målinger for å følge opp effekten av alle doseringspunkter. Det ble også gjort undersøkelser for å påvise hvor langt behandlingseffekten strakk seg fra nederste doseringspunkt. Analysene viste at det ble oppnådd en samlet behandlingseffekt på mer enn 90 mikrogramdøgn ved alle prøvepunkter. Sannsynligheten for at det skal ha overlevd G. salaris i behandlingsområdet er ansett som svært liten, og behandlingen var vellykket.Veterinærinstituttet i TrondheimpublishedVersio

Using the CustusX toolkit to create an image guided bronchoscopy application: Fraxinus

Purpose The aim of this paper is to show how a specialized planning and guidance application called Fraxinus, can be built on top of the CustusX platform (www.custusx.org), which is an open source image-guided intervention software platform. Fraxinus has been customized to meet the clinical needs in navigated bronchoscopy. Methods The application requirements for Fraxinus were defined in close collaboration between research scientists, software developers and clinicians (pulmonologists), and built on top of CustusX. Its superbuild system downloads specific versions of the required libraries and builds them for the application in question, including the selected plugins. New functionality is easily added through the plugin framework. The build process enables the creation of specialized applications, adding additional documentation and custom configurations. The toolkit’s libraries offer building blocks for image-guided applications. An iterative development process was applied, where the clinicians would test and provide feedback during the entire process. Results Fraxinus has been developed and is released as an open source planning and guidance application built on top of CustusX. It is highly specialized for bronchoscopy. The proposed workflow is adapted to the different steps in this procedure. The user interface of CustusX has been modified to enhance information, quality assurance and user friendliness with the intention to increase the overall yield for the patient. As the workflow of the procedure is relatively constant, some actions are predicted and automatically performed by the application, according to the requirements from the clinicians. Conclusions The CustusX platform facilitates development of new and specialized applications. The toolkit supports the process and makes important extension and injection points available for customization.publishedVersio

Soppsjukdommer, frøsmitte og utprøving av soppmidler i siste del av vekstsesongen ved frøavl av rødkløver

publishedVersio

Using the CustusX toolkit to create an image guided bronchoscopy application: Fraxinus

Purpose The aim of this paper is to show how a specialized planning and guidance application called Fraxinus, can be built on top of the CustusX platform (www.custusx.org), which is an open source image-guided intervention software platform. Fraxinus has been customized to meet the clinical needs in navigated bronchoscopy. Methods The application requirements for Fraxinus were defined in close collaboration between research scientists, software developers and clinicians (pulmonologists), and built on top of CustusX. Its superbuild system downloads specific versions of the required libraries and builds them for the application in question, including the selected plugins. New functionality is easily added through the plugin framework. The build process enables the creation of specialized applications, adding additional documentation and custom configurations. The toolkit’s libraries offer building blocks for image-guided applications. An iterative development process was applied, where the clinicians would test and provide feedback during the entire process. Results Fraxinus has been developed and is released as an open source planning and guidance application built on top of CustusX. It is highly specialized for bronchoscopy. The proposed workflow is adapted to the different steps in this procedure. The user interface of CustusX has been modified to enhance information, quality assurance and user friendliness with the intention to increase the overall yield for the patient. As the workflow of the procedure is relatively constant, some actions are predicted and automatically performed by the application, according to the requirements from the clinicians. Conclusions The CustusX platform facilitates development of new and specialized applications. The toolkit supports the process and makes important extension and injection points available for customization

Using the CustusX toolkit to create an image guided bronchoscopy application: Fraxinus

Purpose The aim of this paper is to show how a specialized planning and guidance application called Fraxinus, can be built on top of the CustusX platform (www.custusx.org), which is an open source image-guided intervention software platform. Fraxinus has been customized to meet the clinical needs in navigated bronchoscopy. Methods The application requirements for Fraxinus were defined in close collaboration between research scientists, software developers and clinicians (pulmonologists), and built on top of CustusX. Its superbuild system downloads specific versions of the required libraries and builds them for the application in question, including the selected plugins. New functionality is easily added through the plugin framework. The build process enables the creation of specialized applications, adding additional documentation and custom configurations. The toolkit’s libraries offer building blocks for image-guided applications. An iterative development process was applied, where the clinicians would test and provide feedback during the entire process. Results Fraxinus has been developed and is released as an open source planning and guidance application built on top of CustusX. It is highly specialized for bronchoscopy. The proposed workflow is adapted to the different steps in this procedure. The user interface of CustusX has been modified to enhance information, quality assurance and user friendliness with the intention to increase the overall yield for the patient. As the workflow of the procedure is relatively constant, some actions are predicted and automatically performed by the application, according to the requirements from the clinicians. Conclusions The CustusX platform facilitates development of new and specialized applications. The toolkit supports the process and makes important extension and injection points available for customization

A study protocol for the cardiac effects of a single dose of either oxytocin 2.5 IU or carbetocin 100 µg after caesarean delivery: A prospective randomized controlled multi-centre trial in Norway

Background: Both oxytocin and carbetocin are used to prevent uterine atony and post-partum haemorrhage after caesarean delivery in many countries, including Norway. Oxytocin causes dose-dependent ST-depression, troponin release, prolongation of QT-time and arrythmia, but little is known about myocardial effects of carbetocin. We have previously demonstrated comparable vasodilatory effects of oxytocin and carbetocin and are now undertaking a Phase 4 trial to investigate whether carbetocin causes similar changes to myocardial markers compared with oxytocin. Methods: Our randomized controlled trial will be conducted at three obstetrics units at Oslo University Hospital and Akershus University Hospital, Norway. Planned enrolment will be of 240 healthy, singleton pregnant women aged 18 to 50 years undergoing planned caesarean delivery. Based on pilot study data, each participant will receive a one-minute intravenous injection of either oxytocin 2.5 IU or carbetocin 100 µg during caesarean delivery. The prespecified primary outcome is the change from baseline in high-sensitive troponin I plasma concentrations at 6–10 hours after study drug administration. Secondary outcomes include uterine tone grade at 2.5 and five minutes after study drug administration, adverse events for up to 48 hours after study drug administration, estimated blood loss within eight hours of delivery, need for rescue treatment and direct/indirect costs. Enrolment and primary analysis are expected to be completed by the end of 2021. Discussion: Women undergoing caesarean delivery should be assessed for cardiovascular risk particularly as women with an obstetric history of pregnancy induced hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, placental abruption, and stillbirth are at increased risk of future cardiovascular disease. Any additional ischaemic myocardial risk from uterotonic agents will need to be balanced with the benefit of reducing the risk of postpartum haemorrhage. Any potential cardiotoxicity difference between oxytocin and carbetocin will help inform treatment decisions for pregnant women. Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03899961 (02/04/2019)

Health-related quality of life in Norwegian adults with Fabry disease: Disease severity, pain, fatigue and psychological distress

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is reduced in Fabry disease (FD) and associated with clinical disease manifestations, but few have used Fabry-specific severity scores to study how disease burden interferes with quality of life. We investigated how the Fabry DS3, consisting of four somatic domains and one patient-reported item, associates with HRQOL, while also evaluating fatigue, pain and psychological distress as possible predictors. Thirty-six adults with FD completed the Short-form Health Survey (SF-36), the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), the brief pain inventory (BPI) and reported fatigue on a visual analog scale. Clinical data were collected from the last multidisciplinary hospital visit. Using correlation and hierarchical linear regression analyses, we examined associations between demographic, clinical and self-reported predictors and the SF-36 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary scores. Males scored lower than the general population in all SF-36 domains (P < .05). General health and social functioning were reduced in females. Before including self-reported symptom scores, DS3 showed associations with PCS (P = .009). Our fully adjusted model explained 66% of the variation in PCS, where education (P = .040) and fatigue (P = .002) retained significance. With HADS depression score (P = .001) as the sole significant factor, our regression model explained 56% of the variation in MCS. The DS3 score has implications for HRQOL in FD. Low education and fatigue represent major barriers to physical well-being, while depression strongly influences mental quality of life. Fatigue should be recognized as an important endpoint in future FD trials. Increased efforts to diagnose and treat affective disorders are warranted