Adapting pediatric obesity care to better suit adolescent patients: Design of a treatment platform and results compared with standard care in the national patient quality register.

Background: Obesity constitutes a critical risk for adolescent health. This study aimed at identifying youth-friendly components of obesity treatment.

Methods: In this feasibility study, an adolescent obesity treatment platform was implemented at two Pediatric outpatient clinics in Sweden.

Identification of Warning Signs During Selection of Surgical Trainees.

Objective: The aim was to document empirical observations about antecedents to and practices of unsuitable behaviours amongst surgical trainees and develop an interview guide that could be used for the selection process.

Design: A mixed methods design was adopted combining a survey distributed to senior surgeons and heads of departments, followed by semi-structured interviews with experienced surgeons.

Setting: All surgical departments and hospitals in The South Swedish Health Care Region.

Application of artificial gel antibodies for investigating molecular polymorphisms of human pituitary growth hormone.

Artificial gel antibodies were used to investigate human growth hormone (GH) activity in preparations purified from human pituitary glands. A partially purified fraction containing differently sized structural variants of GH was processed to yield monomeric and dimeric forms suitable for synthesizing artificial polyacrylamide gel antibodies. These two types of GH antibodies were used for investigating GH activity in experiments using HPLC gel-permeation and ion-exchange chromatography.

Effects of intercept pathogen inactivation on platelet function as analysed by free oscillation rheometry.

Introduction: The Intercept Blood System, using InterSol as additive solution, is used for inactivation of contaminating pathogens in PCs, thus reducing the risk for transfusion transmitted infection and making it possible to prolong the storage period. This study aimed at investigating the ability of Intercept treated platelets to induce clot formation, as measured by coagulation time using free oscillation rheometry (FOR), and to compare with that of platelets in concentrates with the additive solution T-Sol or plasma.

Methods: Seventy-four single-donor platelet units were diluted in InterSol (n=27) or T-Sol (n=47) to a mean plasma concentration of 38%.

Development of the Handy Bio-Strand and its application to genotyping of OPRM1 (A118G).

We previously developed a three-dimensional microarray system, the Bio-Strand, which exhibits advantages in automated DNA analysis in combination with our Magtration Technology. In the current study, we have developed a compact system for the Bio-Strand, the Handy Bio-Strand, which consists of several tools for the preparation of Bio-Strand Tip, hybridization, and detection. Using the Handy Bio-Strand, we performed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping of OPRM1 (A118G) by allele-specific oligonucleotide competitive hybridization (ASOCH).