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Attachment styles of dermatological patients in europe: A multicentre study in 13 countries
Get PDFAttachment styles of dermatological outpatients and satisfaction with their dermatologists were investigated within the framework of a multicentre study conducted in 13 European countries, organized by the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry. Attachment style was assessed with the Adult Attachment Scale. Patient satisfaction with the dermatologist was assessed with an 11-degree scale. A total of 3,635 adult outpatients and 1,359 controls participated in the study. Dermatological outpatients were less able to depend on others, were less comfortable with closeness and intimacy, and experienced similar rates of anxiety in relationships as did the controls. Participants who had secure attachment styles reported stressful life events during the last 6 months significantly less often than those who had insecure attachment styles. Patients with secure attachment styles tended to be more satisfied with their dermatologist than did insecure patients. These results suggest that secure attachment of dermatological outpatients may be a protective factor in the management of stress.publishedVersio
The eSMART study protocol: a randomised controlled trial to evaluate electronic symptom management using the advanced symptom management system (ASyMS) remote technology for patients with cancer
Get PDFAbstract Introduction While some evidence exists that real-time remote symptom monitoring devices can decrease morbidity and prevent unplanned admissions in oncology patients, overall, these studies have significant methodological weaknesses. The electronic Symptom Management using the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) Remote Technology (eSMART) study is designed to specifically address these weaknesses with an appropriately powered, repeated-measures, parallel-group stratified randomised controlled trial of oncology patients. Methods and analysis A total of 1108 patients scheduled to commence first-line chemotherapy (CTX) for breast, colorectal or haematological cancer will be recruited from multiple sites across five European countries. Patients will be randomised (1:1) to the ASyMS intervention (intervention group) or to standard care currently available at each site (control group). Patients in the control and intervention groups will complete a demographic and clinical questionnaire, as well as a set of valid and reliable electronic patient-reported outcome measures at enrolment, after each of their CTX cycles (up to a maximum of six cycles) and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after completion of their sixth cycle of CTX. Outcomes that will be assessed include symptom burden (primary outcome), quality of life, supportive care needs, anxiety, self-care self-efficacy, work limitations and cost effectiveness and, from a health professional perspective, changes in clinical practice (secondary outcomes). Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval will be obtained prior to the implementation of all major study amendments. Applications will be submitted to all of the ethics committees that granted initial approval. eSMART received approval from the relevant ethics committees at all of the clinical sites across the five participating countries. In collaboration with the European Cancer Patient Coalition (ECPC), the trial results will be disseminated through publications in scientific journals, presentations at international conferences, and postings on the eSMART website and other relevant clinician and consumer websites; establishment of an eSMART website (www.esmartproject.eu) with publicly accessible general information; creation of an eSMART Twitter Handle, and production of a toolkit for implementing/utilising the ASyMS technology in a variety of clinical practices and other transferable health care contexts. Trial registration number NCT02356081. This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015016The eSMART study protocol: a randomised controlled trial to evaluate electronic symptom management using the advanced symptom management system (ASyMS) remote technology for patients with cancerThe eSMART project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 602289.publishedVersio
Tissue harvesting site and culture medium affect attachment, growth, and phenotype of ex vivo expanded oral mucosal epithelial cells
Get PDFTransplantation of cultured oral mucosal epithelial cells (OMECs) is a promising treatment strategy for limbal stem cell deficiency. In order to improve the culture method, we investigated the effects of four culture media and tissue harvesting sites on explant attachment, growth, and phenotype of OMECs cultured from Sprague-Dawley rats. Neither choice of media or harvesting site impacted the ability of the explants to attach to the culture well. Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium/Ham’s F12 (DMEM) and Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640 medium (RPMI) supported the largest cellular outgrowth. Fold outgrowth was superior from LL explants compared to explants from the buccal mucosa (BM), HP, and transition zone of the lower lip (TZ) after six-day culture. Putative stem cell markers were detected in cultures grown in DMEM and RPMI. In DMEM, cells from TZ showed higher colony-forming efficiency than LL, BM, and HP. In contrast to RPMI, DMEM both expressed the putative stem cell marker Bmi-1 and yielded cell colonies. Our data suggest that OMECs from LL and TZ cultured in DMEM give rise to undifferentiated cells with high growth capacity, and hence are the most promising for treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency.publishedVersio
Visual Evaluation of Medial Temporal Lobe Atrophy as a Clinical Marker of Conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia and for Predicting Progression in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Disease
No full textBackground/Aims: To evaluate whether visual assessment of medial temporal lobe atrophy (vaMTA) can predict 2-year conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia and progression of MCI and Alzheimer's disease dementia as measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Sum of Boxes score (CDR-SB). Methods: vaMTA was performed in 94 patients with MCI according to the Winblad criteria and in 124 patients with AD according to ICD-10 and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Demographic data, the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease 10-word delayed recall, APOE ɛ4 status, Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, and comorbid hypertension were used as covariates. Results: vaMTA was associated with MCI conversion in an unadjusted model but not in an adjusted model (p = 0.075), where delayed recall and APOE ɛ4 status were significant predictors. With CDR-SB change as the outcome, an interaction between vaMTA and diagnosis was found, but in the adjusted model only delayed recall and age were significant predictors. For vaMTA below 2, the association between vaMTA and CDR-SB change differed between diagnostic groups. Similar results were found based on a trajectory analysis. Conclusion: In adjusted models, memory function, APOE ɛ4 status and age were significant predictors of disease progression, not vaMTA. The association between vaMTA and CDR-SB change was different in patients with MCI and Alzheimer's disease dementia.acceptedVersio
Systemic value creation in knowledge organizations: Aspects of a theory
Get PDFAbstract
The phenomenon under investigation is the transition from an industrial society to a society that is based to a larger extent on
knowledge resources. The question the authors are investigating is: What are the key value creation processes in a
knowledge-based organization? The objective of the article is to understand and explain the social mechanisms that influence
the development of knowledge-based organizations. The method used is conceptual generalization. The findings are linked to
a new emphasis on information structure (infostructure), and a new way of organizing (front line focus), the modulization of
work processes, and global competence clusters.
Keywords: infostructure, front line focus, modulization of work processes, global competence clusters.
JEL Classification: D83.publishedVersio
Assessment of iron intake in relation to tolerable upper intake Levels. Opinion of the Panel on Nutrition, Dietetic Products, Novel Food and Allergy of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety. VKM report 2017:5
Get PDFThe Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (Vitenskapskomiteen for mattrygghet, VKM) has,at the request of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet; NFSA), assessed the intake of iron in the Norwegian population in relation to tolerable upper intake levels (ULs). The existing maximum limit for iron in food supplements is 27 mg/day. VKM has also conducted scenario calculations to illustrate the consequences of amending the maximum limit to 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 mg/day.publishedVersio
Plasma complement and vascular complement deposition in patients with coronary artery disease with and without inflammatory rheumatic diseases
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Inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) are associated with accelerated coronary artery disease (CAD), which may result from both systemic and vascular wall inflammation. There are indications that complement may be involved in the pathogenesis of CAD in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This study aimed to evaluate the associations between circulating complement and complement activation products with mononuclear cell infiltrates (MCI, surrogate marker of vascular inflammation) in the aortic media and adventitia in IRDCAD and non-IRDCAD patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Furthermore, we compared complement activation product deposition patterns in rare aorta adventitial and medial biopsies from SLE, RA and non-IRD patients.
Methods
We examined plasma C3 (p-C3) and terminal complement complexes (p-TCC) in 28 IRDCAD (SLE = 3; RA = 25), 52 non-IRDCAD patients, and 32 IRDNo CAD (RA = 32) from the Feiring Heart Biopsy Study. Aortic biopsies taken from the CAD only patients during CABG were previously evaluated for adventitial MCIs. The rare aortic biopsies from 3 SLE, 3 RA and 3 non-IRDCAD were assessed for the presence of C3 and C3d using immunohistochemistry.
Results
IRDCAD patients had higher p-TCC than non-IRDCAD or IRDNo CAD patients (p<0.0001), but a similar p-C3 level (p = 0.42). Circulating C3 was associated with IRD duration (ρ, p-value: 0.46, 0.03). In multiple logistic regression analysis, IRD remained significantly related to the presence and size of MCI (p<0.05). C3 was present in all tissue samples. C3d was detected in the media of all patients and only in the adventitia of IRD patients (diffuse in all SLE and focal in one RA).
Conclusion
The independent association of IRD status with MCI and the observed C3d deposition supports the unique relationship between rheumatic disease, and, in particular, SLE with the complement system. Exaggerated systemic and vascular complement activation may accelerate CVD, serve as a CVD biomarker, and represent a target for new therapies.publishedVersio
Severity of Autism Symptoms and Degree of Attentional Difficulties Predicts Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children with High-Functioning Autism; A Two-Year Follow-up Study
Get PDFChildren with autism often struggle with emotional and behavioral problems (EBP). This
study investigated whether level of autism symptoms, attention problems or verbal IQ at
baseline can predict EBP 2 years later in children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA).
Thirty-four participants with HFA and 45 typically developing children (TD) (ages 9–16)
were assessed with parent ratings of EBP, autism symptoms, attention problems, and a
test of verbal IQ. The amount of autism symptoms and degree of attention problems
at baseline significantly predicted EBP at follow-up, whereas verbal IQ did not. The
findings from this study emphasize the importance of assessing and understanding
the consequences of autism symptoms and attention problems when treating EBP in
children with HFA. Furthermore, interventions aimed at improving ASD symptoms may
positively affect the prevalence of EBP in children with HFA.The work was supported by grants from Innlandet Hospital Trust (grant number 150170) and fromRegional Resource Center for Autism, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome and Narcolepsy, Oslo University Hospital (grant number 150182).publishedVersio
Dose-response relationship between dietary magnesium intake, serum magnesium concentration and risk of hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Get PDFBackground The findings of prospective cohort studies are inconsistent regarding the association between dietary magnesium intake and serum magnesium concentration and the risk of hypertension. We aimed to review the evidence from prospective cohort studies and perform a dose-response meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and serum magnesium concentrations and the risk of hypertension. Methods We searched systematically PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases from October 1951 through June 2016. Prospective cohort studies reporting effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for hypertension in more than two categories of dietary magnesium intake and/or serum magnesium concentrations were included. Random-effects models were used to combine the estimated effects. Results Nine articles (six on dietary magnesium intake, two on serum magnesium concentration and one on both) of ten cohort studies, including 20,119 cases of hypertension and 180,566 participates, were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. We found an inverse association between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of hypertension [relative risk (RR) = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86, 0.98] comparing the highest intake group with the lowest. A 100 mg/day increment in magnesium intake was associated with a 5% reduction in the risk of hypertension (RR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.90, 1.00). The association of serum magnesium concentration with the risk of hypertension was marginally significant (RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.80, 1.02). Conclusions Current evidence supports the inverse dose-response relationship between dietary magnesium intake and the risk of hypertension. However, the evidence about the relationship between serum magnesium concentration and hypertension is limitedThis study was supported by the grant from the Chinese Fourth Round of the Three-year Action Plan on Public Health Discipline and Talent Program: Evidence-based Public Health and Health Economics (No. 15GWZK0901). XF is supported by the Karolinska Institutet doctoral research grant (KID-funds). YC is supported by the Junior Faculty Research Grants (C62412022) of the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.publishedVersio
Parental Reflective Functioning and Executive Functioning in Mothers with Substance Use Disorder
Get PDFHaving a substance use disorder (SUD) may adversely affect caregiving capacities. Reflective functioning (RF) and executive functioning (EF) are both important capacities for sensitive parenting, and are often impaired in a SUD. Only a few studies have explored the possible association between the two phenomena. In this study, we used a neuropsychological test battery to assess EF, and the Parent Development Interview to assess RF in a sample of mothers with a SUD (N = 43). Although parental RF (PRF) was associated with EF, when controlled for intelligence (IQ) and mental health, there was no significant association between EF and PRF. Mental health, however, showed a significant negative association with PRF. Splitting the group in two based on PRF level, mothers with a negative to low PRF exhibited more severe difficulties in SUD-related aspects, as well as in several EF components, compared to mothers with an adequate to high PRF, highlighting the association between EF and PRF. The results from this study contribute to enhance our understanding of the dynamics underlying vulnerability in PRF that mothers with small children may experience. We suggest EF to be a prerequisite for adequate PRF, and for interventions to be customized accordingly regarding parents with a SUD.The project received financial support from The Research Council of Norway (NFR) [grant number 213079/H10].acceptedVersio