A personal and professional journey - experiences of being trained online to be a supervisor in professional supervision in nursing.

Background: Nurses often work alone in complex environments with ambiguous responsibilities and need ensured access to supervision.Online supervision has become common and has potential to support supervision in rural areas.

Aim: To explore the experiences of registered nurses (RNs) learning online to be a supervisor in professional supervision in nursing.

The genetic diversity and differentiation of mussels with complex life cycles and relations to host fish migratory traits and densities.

Many landscape and biotic processes shape the genetic structure of populations. The genetic structure of species with parasitic stages may also depend on the life history and ecology of their host. We investigated population genetic structure of the mussel Margaritifera margaritifera in Southern Sweden, and in relation to the population size and life history of its hosts, Salmo trutta and S.

Nationwide Study on Treatment of Mycotic Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms.

Objective: Mycotic aortic aneurysms are rare, life threatening, and complex. This nationwide study aimed to assess outcome after repair of mycotic thoracic aortic aneurysms (MTAAs).

Methods: Patients treated in Sweden for MTAAs between 2000 and 2016 were identified in the Swedish vascular registry (2010-16) and local patient registries (2000-09).

The influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis-A constant balancing between ideality and reality.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, and systemic disease with symptoms that limit activities and affect quality of life. RA is associated with an increased risk of developing comorbidities, some of which are also known to be associated with lifestyle habits such as physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. There has been an augmented focus on the implementation and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits even for patients with RA in the past decade, but little is known about the link between patients' experiences of lifestyle habits and quality of life.

A nurse-led rheumatology clinic versus rheumatologist-led clinic in monitoring of patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis undergoing biological therapy: a cost comparison study in a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Recommendations for rheumatology nursing management of chronic inflammatory arthritis (CIA) from European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) states that nurses should take part in the monitoring patients' disease and therapy in order to achieve cost savings. The aim of the study was to compare the costs of rheumatology care between a nurse-led rheumatology clinic (NLC), based on person-centred care (PCC), versus a rheumatologist-led clinic (RLC), in monitoring of patients with CIA undergoing biological therapy.

Methods: Patients with CIA undergoing biological therapy (n = 107) and a Disease Activity Score of 28 ≤ 3.

Randomized controlled trial of a nurse-led rheumatology clinic for monitoring biological therapy.

Aim: To compare and evaluate the treatment outcomes of a nurse-led rheumatology clinic and a rheumatologist-led clinic in patients with low disease activity or in remission who are undergoing biological therapy.

Background: Patients with chronic inflammatory arthritis treated with biological therapy are usually monitored by rheumatologists. Nurse-led rheumatology clinics have been proposed in patients with low disease activity or in remission.

Robustness analysis of an intensity modulated fiber-optic position sensor with an image sensor readout system.

An intensity modulated fiber-optic position sensor, based on a fiber-to-bundle coupling and a readout system using a CMOS image camera together with fast routines for position extraction and calibration, is presented and analyzed. The proposed system eliminates alignment issues otherwise associated with coupling-based fiber-optic sensors, still keeping the sensing point free from detector electronics. In this study the robustness of the system is characterized through simulations of the system performance, and the outcome is compared with experimental results.

Patients' experiences of a nurse-led rheumatology clinic in Sweden: a qualitative study.

In this study, patients' experiences of a nurse-led rheumatology clinic for those undergoing biological therapy are discussed. The study had an explorative design, based on a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Strategic sampling was used in order to achieve variations in experiences of a nurse-led clinic.

Effects of a self-care promoting problem-based learning programme in people with rheumatic diseases: a randomized controlled study.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of a self-care promoting problem-based learning programme for people with rheumatic diseases in terms of health-related quality of life, empowerment, and self-care ability.

Background: Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis express a great need for education and support in adapting to the disease, but the average qualities of studies about patient education interventions are not high. There is no evidence of long-term benefits of patient education.

Nurses' various ways of conceiving their learning process as doctoral students: a phenomenographic study.

Aim: The aim was to describe variations in how doctoral students conceive their learning process to become researchers in the light of their professional background as nurses.

Background: Nursing research is an emerging discipline and the number of nurses who acquire a doctor's degree is increasing.

Method: The study had a descriptive, qualitative design with a phenomenographic approach and was carried out by means of 20 interviews.

Reference data for bone mineral density in Swedish women using digital x-ray radiometry.

During the last decade, digital X-ray radiometry (DXR) has been used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) in the metacarpal bones. The aim of this study was to establish Swedish reference material for bone mass in women, measured in the metacarpal bones with DXR, and compare these data with the data from the manufacturer. A sample of 1440 women aged 20-79yr living in Örebro County was randomly assigned from the population register.

Psychometric properties of the Swedish Rheumatic Disease Empowerment Scale, SWE-RES-23.

Introduction: Empowerment is a central concept in both rheumatology and diabetes care. A Swedish empowerment instrument for patients with rheumatic diseases has not been created before now. The aim of the present study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Swedish Rheumatic Disease Empowerment Scale, SWE-RES-23, such as construct validity, internal consistency reliability, inter-item correlations and discriminant validity.

"Striving for a good life" - the management of rheumatoid arthritis as experienced by patients.

Aim: To generate a theoretical model how patients experience their management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in everyday life.

Method: An explorative design with the grounded theory approach was used by interviewing 16 informants with RA.

Results: The generated theoretical model emerged in a core category- Striving for a good life with two categories; making use of personal resources and grasping for support from others, which formed the base of managing RA.

"Delivering knowledge and advice": Healthcare providers' experiences of their interaction with patients' management of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatic diseases are often chronic and involve a lifetime of suffering. The focus of rheumatology care is to support patients to manage their lives and master their disease. Healthcare providers and patients have different views on the consequences of living with rheumatic diseases and patients are reporting unmet healthcare needs.

Nurses' conceptions of how an alternative supervision model influences their competence in assessment of nursing students in clinical practice.

Aim: The aim of the study was to describe variations in clinical nurses' conceptions of how an alternative supervision model influences their competence in assessing nursing students in clinical practice.

Background: Nursing education programme in Norway includes 50 weeks of clinical studies. Due to changes in the education system and increased focus on evidence-based practice, alternative models of supervision and assessment have been developed.

Factors promoting health-related quality of life in people with rheumatic diseases: a 12 month longitudinal study.

Background: Rheumatic diseases have a significant adverse impact on the individual from physical, mental and social aspects, resulting in a low health-related quality of life (HRQL). There is a lack of longitudinal studies on HRQL in people with rheumatic diseases that focus on factors promoting HRQL instead of risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between suggested health promoting factors at baseline and outcome in HRQL at a 12 month follow-up in people with rheumatic diseases.

Sickness absence in musculoskeletal disorders - patients' experiences of interactions with the social insurance agency and health care. A qualitative study.

Background: Sickness absence has represented a growing public health problem in many Western countries over the last decade. In Sweden disorders of the musculoskeletal system cause approximately one third of all sick leave. The Social Insurance Agency (SIA) and the health care system are important actors in handling the sickness absence process.

Experiences of health-promoting self-care in people living with rheumatic diseases.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study that explores and describes the meaning of the phenomenon of health-promoting self-care as experienced by people living with rheumatic diseases.

Background: People with rheumatic diseases estimate health status as low and health belief and health status influence self-care behaviours. Several self-care behaviours are used in the efforts to mitigate the diseases.

Patterns of background factors related to early RA patients' conceptions of the cause of their disease.

The aim of the present study was to identify patterns of background factors related to the early RA patients' conceptions of the cause of the disease. Conceptions from a qualitative study formed the basis for the stratification of 785 patients from the Swedish EIRA study answering a question about their own thoughts about the cause to RA. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore the associations between patients' conceptions and relevant background factors: sex, age, civil status, educational level, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP) and smoking habits.

Patients' independence of a nurse for the administration of subcutaneous anti-TNF therapy: A phenomenographic study.

Rheumatology nursing supports patients to manage their lives and live as independently as possible without pain, stiffness and functional restrictions. When conventional drugs fail to delay the development of the rheumatic disease, the patient may require biological treatment such as self-administered subcutaneous anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. It is therefore important that the patient perspective focuses on the life-changing situation caused by the administration of regular subcutaneous injections.

Primary health care nurses' promotion of involuntary migrant families' health.

Background: Involuntary migrant families in cultural transition face a number of challenges to their health and to family cohesion. Primary health care nurses (PHCNs) therefore play a vital role in the assessment and promotion of their health.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the promotion of health in involuntary migrant families in cultural transition as conceptualized by Swedish PHCNs.

Therapeutic levels of levonorgestrel detected in blood plasma of fish: results from screening rainbow trout exposed to treated sewage effluents.

Pharmaceuticals are found in surface waters worldwide, raising concerns about effects on aquatic organisms. Analyses of pharmaceuticals in blood plasma of fish could provide means to assess risk for pharmacological effects, as these concentrations could be compared with available human therapeutic plasma levels. In this study we investigated if fish exposed to sewage effluents have plasma concentrations of pharmaceuticals that are approaching human therapeutic levels.

Hepatic disposition of ximelagatran and its metabolites in pig; prediction of the impact of membrane transporters through a simple disposition model.

Purpose: The double prodrug, ximelagatran, is bioconverted, via the intermediates ethylmelagatran and N-hydroxymelagatran, to the direct thrombin inhibitor, melagatran. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the hepatic metabolism and disposition of ximelagatran and the intermediates in pig. A secondary aim was to explore a simple in vitro methodology for quantitative investigations of the impact of membrane transporters on the disposition of metabolized drugs.

Quantitative aspects of analyzing small molecules - monitoring singly or doubly charged ions? A case study of ximelagatran.

Precision, reproducibility and lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) are important characteristics of a quantitative method. We have investigated these properties for Ximelagatran (Xi), which has a high tendency to form doubly charged ions in electrospray ionization (ESI), by studying the percentage of doubly charged species formed when varying the formic acid (FA) concentration, analyte concentration, amount of organic modifier and flow rate. It was found that the percentage of [Xi + 2H](2+) can be controlled to be more than 90% or less than 10% by varying the amount of FA present, and that the change between these values is dramatic.