Moderate intensity intermittent lifestyle physical activity is associated with better executive function in older adults.

Executive functions are among the first cognitive abilities to decline with age and age-related executive function slowing predisposes older adults to cognitive disorders and disease. Intermittent Lifestyle Physical Activity (ILPA) reflects brief, unplanned activity that occurs during routine daily activities and is operationalized as activity bouts <60s. Our understanding of short bouts of habitual physical activity and executive functions is limited.

Assessing public health preparedness and response in the European Union- a review of regional simulation exercises and after action reviews.

Background: Improving response capacities in the EU requires a good overview of capacities at both country and Union level. The International Health Regulations (2005) Monitoring and Evaluation framework assesses capacities in countries. It includes semi-quantitative tools such as State Parties Annual Report (SPAR) and Joint External Evaluation (JEE).

Experiences with regular testing of students for SARS-CoV-2 in primary and secondary schools: results from a cross-sectional study in two Norwegian counties, autumn 2021.

Background: To allow for normal school attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic, regular testing of students was introduced in the autumn 2021 in Norway to manage COVID-19 transmission. We mapped the experiences of five stakeholders (parents, students, school staff and administration, contact tracing teams) regarding the implementation of regular testing in primary and secondary schools in Oslo and Viken counties, to assess the acceptability through different indicators and improve future guidelines.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October and November 2021 to explore experiences of implementation, compliance, satisfaction, difficulties, concerns, confidence in regular testing, quality of teaching and school attendance.

Epidemiological and microbiological investigation of a large increase in vibriosis, northern Europe, 2018.

BackgroundVibriosis cases in Northern European countries and countries bordering the Baltic Sea increased during heatwaves in 2014 and 2018.AimWe describe the epidemiology of vibriosis and the genetic diversity of spp. isolates from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Poland and Estonia in 2018, a year with an exceptionally warm summer.

Risk factors, immune response and whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in a cruise ship outbreak in Norway.

Objective: To improve understanding of SARS-CoV-2-transmission and prevention measures on cruise ships, we investigated a Norwegian cruise ship outbreak from July to August 2020 using a multidisciplinary approach after a rapid outbreak response launched by local and national health authorities.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among crew members using epidemiologic data and results from SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of nasopharynx-oropharynx samples, antibody analyses of blood samples, and whole-genome sequencing.

Results: We included 114 multinational crew members (71% participation), median age 36 years, and 69% male.

Outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Norway, November to December 2021.

In late November 2021, an outbreak of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 following a Christmas party with 117 attendees was detected in Oslo, Norway. We observed an attack rate of 74% and most cases developed symptoms. As at 13 December, none have been hospitalised.

Exotic dried fruits caused Agbeni outbreak with severe clinical presentation, Norway, December 2018 to March 2019.

We describe an outbreak of Agbeni sequence type (ST)2009 infections in Norway. Between 31 December 2018 and 16 March 2019, 56 cases (33 female and 23 male; median age: 50 years, range: 2-91) were reported, of which 21 were hospitalised. Cases were defined as people living in Norway, with laboratory-confirmed infection with .

COVID-19 cases reported to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in the first six weeks of the epidemic.

Background: The first case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Norway was confirmed on 26 February 2020. Following sharpened advice on general infection control measures at the beginning of the outbreak, extensive national control measures were implemented on 12 March, and testing was focused on those with severe illness. We describe the first six weeks of the outbreak in Norway, viewed in light of testing criteria and control measures.

Large waterborne outbreak: use of multiple approaches to investigate contamination of the drinking water supply system, Norway, June 2019.

On 6 June 2019, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health was notified of more than 50 cases of gastroenteritis in Askøy. A reservoir in a water supply system was suspected as the source of the outbreak because of the acute onset and geographical distribution of cases. We investigated the outbreak to confirm the source, extent of the outbreak and effect of control measures.

Reporting of notifiable infectious diseases during the COVID-19 response.

Background: The Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (MSIS) is based on reporting of cases of 72 mandatory notifiable diseases by clinical microbiological laboratories and diagnosing physicians. The aim of our study was to investigate a potential temporal association between measures against COVID-19 in February-April 2020 and incidence of other infectious diseases reported to MSIS.

Material And Method: We compared the number of disease cases reported to MSIS during weeks 6-14 in 2020 with the median of cases reported in corresponding weeks during three previous years (2017-2019).

An open toolkit for tracking open science partnership implementation and impact.

Serious concerns about the way research is organized collectively are increasingly being raised. They include the escalating costs of research and lower research productivity, low public trust in researchers to report the truth, lack of diversity, poor community engagement, ethical concerns over research practices, and irreproducibility. Open science (OS) collaborations comprise of a set of practices including open access publication, open data sharing and the absence of restrictive intellectual property rights with which institutions, firms, governments and communities are experimenting in order to overcome these concerns.

Evaluation of the national surveillance of Legionnaires' disease in Norway, 2008-2017.

Background: In Norway, Legionnaires' disease is reportable upon clinical suspicion to public health authorities and mandatorily notifiable through the Norwegian surveillance system for communicable diseases (MSIS) for both clinicians and laboratories. In the summer of 2017, several European countries reported high notification rates for Legionnaires' disease, which was not observed in Norway. We evaluated MSIS to assess if it meets its objectives of detecting cases and trends in incidence of Legionnaires' disease.

Oral cholera vaccine in cholera prevention and control, Malawi.

Problem: With limited global supplies of oral cholera vaccine, countries need to identify priority areas for vaccination while longer-term solutions, such as water and sanitation infrastructure, are being developed.

Approach: In 2017, Malawi integrated oral cholera vaccine into its national cholera control plan. The process started with a desk review and analysis of previous surveillance and risk factor data.

Defining Success in Open Science.

Mounting evidence indicates that worldwide, innovation systems are increasing unsustainable. Equally, concerns about inequities in the science and innovation process, and in access to its benefits, continue. Against a backdrop of growing health, economic and scientific challenges global stakeholders are urgently seeking to spur innovation and maximize the just distribution of benefits for all.

Defining Success in Open Science [version 2; peer review:2 approved].

Mounting evidence indicates that worldwide, innovation systems are increasing unsustainable. Equally, concerns about inequities in the science and innovation process, and in access to its benefits, continue. Against a backdrop of growing health, economic and scientific challenges global stakeholders are urgently seeking to spur innovation and maximize the just distribution of benefits for all.

Arthrobots.

This article describes a class of robots-"arthrobots"-inspired, in part, by the musculoskeletal system of arthropods (spiders and insects, inter alia). Arthrobots combine mechanical compliance, lightweight and simple construction, and inexpensive yet scalable design. An exoskeleton, constructed from thin organic polymeric tubes, provides lightweight structural support.

Is current preoperative frailty assessment adequate?

Preoperative frailty predicts adverse postoperative outcomes. Recommendations for preoperative assessment of elderly patients include performing a frailty assessment. Despite the advantages of incorporating frailty assessment into surgical settings, there is limited research on surgical health care professionals' perception and use of frailty assessment for perioperative care.

Surgical frailty assessment: a missed opportunity.

Background: Preoperative frailty predicts adverse postoperative outcomes. Despite the advantages of incorporating frailty assessment into surgical settings, there is limited research on surgical healthcare professionals' use of frailty assessment for perioperative care.

Methods: Healthcare professionals caring for patients enrolled at a Canadian teaching hospital were surveyed to assess their perceptions of frailty, as well as attitudes towards and practices for frail patients.

Water usage in the Gaza Strip: recommendations from a literature review and consultations with experts.

Water quality in the Gaza Strip has been severely compromised due to increasing salinity, contamination with pollutants, and lack of adequate treatment options. To provide the population of the Gaza Strip with advice on how to mitigate health risks from water we developed recommendations on using water from different sources for different purposes (such as for consumption, hygiene, amenities, and irrigation) based on a literature review and consultation with experts. Specific advice was developed for several vulnerable groups, including infants, children, pregnant or lactating women, and elderly people.

Association between heavy precipitation events and waterborne outbreaks in four Nordic countries, 1992-2012.

We conducted a matched case-control study to examine the association between heavy precipitation events and waterborne outbreaks (WBOs) by linking epidemiological registries and meteorological data between 1992 and 2012 in four Nordic countries. Heavy precipitation events were defined by above average (exceedance) daily rainfall during the preceding weeks using local references. We performed conditional logistic regression using the four previous years as the controls.

National outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica infections in military and civilian populations associated with consumption of mixed salad, Norway, 2014.

In May 2014, a cluster of Yersinia enterocolitica (YE) O9 infections was reported from a military base in northern Norway. Concurrently, an increase in YE infections in civilians was observed in the Norwegian Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases. We investigated to ascertain the extent of the outbreak and identify the source in order to implement control measures.

Are the current notification criteria for Lyme borreliosis in Norway suitable? Results of an evaluation of Lyme borreliosis surveillance in Norway, 1995-2013.

Background: The approach to surveillance of Lyme borreliosis varies between countries, depending on the purpose of the surveillance system and the notification criteria used, which prevents direct comparison of national data. In Norway, Lyme borreliosis is notifiable to the Surveillance System for Communicable Diseases (MSIS). The current notification criteria include a combination of clinical and laboratory results for borrelia infection (excluding Erythema migrans) but there are indications that these criteria are not followed consistently by clinicians and by laboratories.