Nordic monitoring of diet, physical activity and overweight:First collection of data in all Nordic Countries 2011

The report describes the results of the first collection of data in the joint Nordic monitoring study of diet, physical activity and overweight. The study provides baseline data for frequency of intake in selected foods, physical activity level and prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Nordic countries. Telephone interviews were performed in the Nordic countries with the same validated questionnaire using simple indicator questions. The interviews were carried out in the autumn of 2011 including 9153 adults and 2479 children. The results show that all countries are far from the goals in the Nordic Plan of Action and there are areas to be improved in all countries. The study gives a good status for dietary intake indicators, indicators for physical activity, sedentary time and overweight which makes it possible follow changes in these parameters over time in the Nordic countries

Normal neonatal TREC and KREC levels in early onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Objective: Dysregulated central tolerance predisposes to autoimmune diseases. Reduced thymic output as well as compromised central B cell tolerance checkpoints have been proposed in the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The aim of this study was to investigate neonatal levels of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and kappa-deleting element excision circles (KRECs), as markers of T- and B-cell output at birth, in patients with early onset JIA. Methods: TRECs and KRECs were quantitated by multiplex qPCR from dried blood spots (DBS), collected 2–5 days after birth, in 156 children with early onset JIA and in 312 matched controls. Results: When analysed from neonatal dried blood spots, the median TREC level was 78 (IQR 55–113) in JIA cases and 88 (IQR 57–117) copies/well in controls. The median KREC level was 51 (IQR 35–69) and 53 (IQR 35–74) copies/well, in JIA cases and controls, respectively. Stratification by sex and age at disease onset did not reveal any difference in the levels of TRECs and KRECs. Conclusion: T- and B-cell output at birth, as measured by TREC and KREC levels in neonatal dried blood spots, does not differ in children with early onset JIA compared to controls

Viscoelastic properties of a virucidal cream containing the monoglyceride monocaprin: Effects of formulation variables: A technical note

The viscoelastic properties of the cream formulations were tested by 2 methods (ie, increased stress and increased frequency tests). The rheology experiments indicate that the formulations are stable; they show resistance to external forces, as their elastic properties are sustained whether or not the magnitude or frequency of external forces are increased. The results show that rheological properties of the formulations are affected by the proportion of the oil phase and the amount of carbomer in the aqueous phase, but the effect of monocaprin is modest. Increasing carbomer amount increases viscosity and elasticity. Increasing the oil volume fraction increased the structural stability of the creams. The formulation containing monocaprin, which yielded the most viscoelastic structure was a cream containing 10% oil phase and 0.5% carbomer (Formulation 9)

Relationship between high consumption of marine fatty acids in early pregnancy and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldOBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is a relationship between maternal intake of cod-liver oil in early and late pregnancy and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. DESIGN: An observational prospective study. SETTING: Free-living conditions in a community with traditional fish and cod-liver oil consumption. POPULATION: Four hundred and eighty-eight low-risk pregnant Icelandic women. METHODS: Maternal use of cod-liver oil, foods and other supplements was estimated with a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire covering food intake together with lifestyle factors for the previous 3 months. Questionnaires were filled out twice, between 11 and 15 weeks of gestation and between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation. Supplements related to hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, i.e. gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia, were presented, with logistic regression controlling for potential confounding. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, cod-liver oil and multivitamins. RESULTS: The odds ratio for developing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy for women consuming liquid cod-liver oil was 4.7 (95% CI 1.8-12.6, P= 0.002), after adjusting for confounding factors. By dividing the amount of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) into centiles, the odds ratio for hypertensive disorders across groups for n-3 LCPUFA suggested a u-shaped curve (P = 0.008). Similar results were found for gestational hypertension alone. Further, the use of multivitamin supplements without vitamins A and D in late pregnancy doubled the odds of hypertensive disorders (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0-5.4, P= 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of high doses of n-3 LCPUFA in early pregnancy, or other nutrients found in liquid cod-liver oil, may increase the risk of developing hypertensive disorders in pregnancy

The Nordic Monitoring System 2011–2014 : Status and development of diet, physical activity, smoking, alcohol and overweight

This report describes the results of the first and second collection of data in the joint Nordic Monitoring System of diet, physical activity and overweight. It is well recognized that health in the European Region needs to be improved and Nordic public health researchers have since 2008 developed and validated a Nordic method to assess diet and physical activity among adults and children. Data has collected on health behaviour and overweight in 2011 and 2014 among 18,000 adults and 5,000 children. During the three year survey period, significant changes have occurred in the Nordic countries, especially among adults. The Nordic Monitoring System shows that lifestyle and weight status differ between the Nordic countries despite highly comparable societal structures. Favorable and unfavorable health behaviour is present in all countries and there are areas to be improved in all countries