DEVELOPING ORGANIC FARMING IN NORWAY THROUGH SYSTEMIC ACTION RESEARCH

A systemic action research approach to gain insight into the present situation of the agroecosystem, to envision scenarios, and to accomplish workable outcomes is performed. This process is to be accomplished in a participatory way that empowers stakeholders to continue the learning process and system development in an ecologically friendly, socio-culturally feasible and economically viable way

Designing an e-learning platform for patients undergoing hip replacement surgery

This thesis is using information technology to create a tool, artifact, to be benefit patients by understanding and meeting their information needs and offering an online practical support. Going through a large surgery can be both challenging and intimidating for many of us as patients. One of the most completed surgeries in Norway each year is total hip arthroplasty, and it is often the first large surgery that thousands of people undergo every year, where most of the patients are defined as elderly. Both before and after the surgery there are many relevant factors that can improve both patient safety and rehabilitation, but access to the relevant and credible information is often experienced as not easily obtainable as it should be in 2018. It is therefore important to provide this information in a proper modern manner to ensure that it is accessible for everyone, and especially the main user group, which are elderly people. The goal of the thesis has been to gain an insight and impression whether the use of an e-learning platform can provide an opportunity for patient education and increased feeling of patient safety, while improving postoperative patients’ rehabilitation. From the technology point of view, the work has explored how UX design can provide intuitive navigation and high usability for a focus group, i.e. elderly people. Design Science framework was used though four iterations to deliver a set of prototypes of an e-learning platform. The design was based on data collected from patients and healthcare professionals, as well as on the evaluations carried out with usability and healthcare experts. The results clearly indicated that the use of an e-learning platform could help improve patient safety and rehabilitation by providing education and access to information. The current functions provide the information, exercise, and patient self-assessment tools. In total, the overall feedback was positive as expressed by high evaluation scores: System Usability Score (SUS) of 90 and Nielsen’s Heuristics of 9,2 (average). New functionalities and further development were sought after and, according to the patients, further development should be initiated by Helse Vest.Masteroppgave i informasjonsvitenskapINFO39

Aggregation Bias and Socioeconomic Gradients in Waiting Time for Hospital Admissions

Waiting time is a rationing mechanism that is used in publicly funded healthcare systems as a mean to ensure equal access for equal need. However, several studies suggest that individuals with higher socioeconomic status wait less. These studies typically measure patients' socioeconomic status as an aggregate measure from patients' residential area and the results are hence vulnerable for aggregation biases. We shed light on the magnitude of the aggregation bias by analyzing socioeconomic gradients in waiting times when education and income are measured on three different levels: the individual level, the population cell level, and the municipal level. Our individual level socioeconomic gradient is modest compared with the literature. When socioeconomic status is measured on an aggregate level, we observe stronger associations with socioeconomic variables and less accurate estimates. A researcher who only has access to the aggregate data runs the risk of overstating the magnitude of the socioeconomic gradients.publishedVersio

ITS as an environmental DNA barcode for fungi: an in silico approach reveals potential PCR biases

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During the last 15 years the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear DNA has been used as a target for analyzing fungal diversity in environmental samples, and has recently been selected as the standard marker for fungal DNA barcoding. In this study we explored the potential amplification biases that various commonly utilized ITS primers might introduce during amplification of different parts of the ITS region in samples containing mixed templates ('environmental barcoding'). We performed <it>in silico </it>PCR analyses with commonly used primer combinations using various ITS datasets obtained from public databases as templates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Some of the ITS primers, such as ITS1-F, were hampered with a high proportion of mismatches relative to the target sequences, and most of them appeared to introduce taxonomic biases during PCR. Some primers, e.g. ITS1-F, ITS1 and ITS5, were biased towards amplification of basidiomycetes, whereas others, e.g. ITS2, ITS3 and ITS4, were biased towards ascomycetes. The assumed basidiomycete-specific primer ITS4-B only amplified a minor proportion of basidiomycete ITS sequences, even under relaxed PCR conditions. Due to systematic length differences in the ITS2 region as well as the entire ITS, we found that ascomycetes will more easily amplify than basidiomycetes using these regions as targets. This bias can be avoided by using primers amplifying ITS1 only, but this would imply preferential amplification of 'non-dikarya' fungi.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that ITS primers have to be selected carefully, especially when used for high-throughput sequencing of environmental samples. We suggest that different primer combinations or different parts of the ITS region should be analyzed in parallel, or that alternative ITS primers should be searched for.</p

High diversity of root associated fungi in both alpine and arctic Dryas octopetala

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Dryas octopetala </it>is a widespread dwarf shrub in alpine and arctic regions that forms ectomycorrhizal (ECM) symbiotic relationships with fungi. In this study we investigated the fungal communities associated with roots of <it>D. octopetala </it>in alpine sites in Norway and in the High Arctic on Svalbard, where we aimed to reveal whether the fungal diversity and species composition varied across the Alpine and Arctic regions. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA was used to identify the fungal communities from bulk root samples obtained from 24 plants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 137 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected (using 97% similarity cut off during sequence clustering) and well-known ECM genera such as <it>Cenococcum</it>, <it>Cortinarius, Hebeloma</it>, <it>Inocybe </it>and <it>Tomentella </it>occurred frequently. There was no decrease in fungal diversity with increasing latitude. The overall spatial heterogeneity was high, but a weak geographical structuring of the composition of OTUs in the root systems was observed. Calculated species accumulation curves did not level off.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study indicates that the diversity of fungi associated with <it>D. octopetala </it>does not decrease in high latitude arctic regions, which contrasts observations made in a wide spectrum of other organism groups. A high degree of patchiness was observed across root systems, but the fungal communities were nevertheless weakly spatially structured. Non-asymptotical species accumulation curves and the occurrence of a high number of singletons indicated that only a small fraction of the fungal diversity was detected.</p

Immunogenic Properties of Lactobacillus plantarum Producing Surface-Displayed Mycobacterium tuberculosis Antigens

Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the most deadly diseases in the world. The only available vaccine against tuberculosis is the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which does not ensure full protection in adults. There is a global urgency for the development of an effective vaccine for preventing disease transmission, and it requires novel approaches. We are exploring the use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as a vector for antigen delivery to mucosal sites. Here, we demonstrate the successful expression and surface display of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion antigen (comprising Ag85B and ESAT-6, referred to as AgE6) on Lactobacillus plantarum. The AgE6 fusion antigen was targeted to the bacterial surface using two different anchors, a lipoprotein anchor directing the protein to the cell membrane and a covalent cell wall anchor. AgE6-producing L. plantarum strains using each of the two anchors induced antigen-specific proliferative responses in lymphocytes purified from TB-positive donors. Similarly, both strains induced immune responses in mice after nasal or oral immunization. The impact of the anchoring strategies was reflected in dissimilarities in the immune responses generated by the two L. plantarum strains in vivo. The present study comprises an initial step toward the development of L. plantarum as a vector for M. tuberculosis antigen delivery. IMPORTANCE This work presents the development of Lactobacillus plantarum as a candidate mucosal vaccine against tuberculosis. Tuberculosis remains one of the top infectious diseases worldwide, and the only available vaccine, bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), fails to protect adults and adolescents. Direct antigen delivery to mucosal sites is a promising strategy in tuberculosis vaccine development, and lactic acid bacteria potentially provide easy, safe, and low-cost delivery vehicles for mucosal immunization. We have engineered L. plantarum strains to produce a Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion antigen and to anchor this antigen to the bacterial cell wall or to the cell membrane. The recombinant strains elicited proliferative antigenspecific T-cell responses in white blood cells from tuberculosis-positive humans and induced specific immune responses after nasal and oral administrations in mice

Thrombelastography and Conventional Coagulation Markers in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease:A Prospective Paired-Measurements Study Comparing Exacerbation and Stable Phases

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbation is known for its substantial impact on morbidity and mortality among affected patients, creating a significant healthcare burden worldwide. Coagulation abnormalities have emerged as potential contributors to exacerbation pathogenesis, raising concerns about increased thrombotic events during exacerbation. The aim of this study was to explore the differences in thrombelastography (TEG) parameters and coagulation markers in COPD patients during admission with exacerbation and at a follow-up after discharge. This was a multi-center cohort study. COPD patients were enrolled within 72 h of hospitalization. The baseline assessments were Kaolin-TEG and blood samples. Statistical analysis involved using descriptive statistics; the main analysis was a paired t-test comparing coagulation parameters between exacerbation and follow-up. One hundred patients participated, 66% of whom were female, with a median age of 78.5 years and comorbidities including atrial fibrillation (18%) and essential arterial hypertension (45%), and sixty-five individuals completed a follow-up after discharge. No significant variations were observed in Kaolin-TEG or conventional coagulation markers between exacerbation and follow-up. The Activated Partial Thromboplastin Clotting Time (APTT) results were near-significant, with p = 0.08. In conclusion, TEG parameters displayed no significant alterations between exacerbation and follow-up. </p

Calcium Channel Blockers and the Risk of Exacerbation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Nationwide Study of 48,488 Outpatients

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prone to developing arterial hypertension, and many patients are treated with the calcium channel blocker amlodipine. However, it remains unclear whether using this drug potentially affects the risk of acute severe exacerbations (AECOPD) and all-cause mortality in these patients. The data were collected from Danish national registries, containing complete information on health, prescriptions, hospital admissions, and outpatient clinic visits. The COPD patients (n = 48,488) were matched via propensity score on known predictors of the primary outcome in an active comparator design. One group was exposed to amlodipine treatment, and the other was exposed to bendroflumethiazide, since both of these drugs are considered to be the first choice for the treatment of arterial hypertension according to Danish guidelines. The use of amlodipine was associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes at the 1-year follow-up (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.62–0.76) compared with the use of bendroflumethiazide in the matched patients. No difference in the risk of severe AECOPD was found. In the COPD patients, amlodipine use was associated with a lower risk of death from all causes compared with the use of bendroflumethiazide. Amlodipine seems to be a safe first choice for the treatment of arterial hypertension in COPD patients.publishedVersio

Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring. Report from the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment.

publishedVersio

Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring - Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

Source at https://vkm.no/</a