Predictors of treatment outcomes for patients with persistent physical symptoms in primary care: findings from a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Persistent physical symptoms (PPS) are consistently prevalent among primary care patients. PPS can negatively affect quality of life, healthcare costs, and work participation. In a previous study, we found substantially improved outcomes and reduced sick leave for patients treated by a work-focused communication tool, known as the Individual Challenge Inventory Tool (ICIT), compared with a control group.

Inconsistencies in rater-based assessments mainly affect borderline candidates: but using simple heuristics might improve pass-fail decisions.

Introduction: Research in various areas indicates that expert judgment can be highly inconsistent. However, expert judgment is indispensable in many contexts. In medical education, experts often function as examiners in rater-based assessments.

Treatment of overweight and obesity in general practice: a cluster randomised trial.

Overweight and obesity are among the most serious health problems of our time. A majority of patients with overweight and obesity will first get in touch with health services through primary care. This makes it crucial to develop strategies to enable physicians in primary care to help and treat patients with overweight and obesity.

The effects of a structured communication tool in patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms: a cluster randomized trial.

Background: Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS) are prevalent among primary care patients and frequently lead to diminished quality of life, increased healthcare costs, and decreased work participation. We aimed to examine the effects of a work-focused structured communication tool based on cognitive-behavioral therapy in patients with MUPS.

Methods: In a Norwegian two-arm cluster randomized trial, the effectiveness of the structured communication tool Individual Challenge Inventory Tool (ICIT) was compared to usual care for patients with MUPS using a two-arm cluster randomized design.

Mercury, silver and selenium in serum before and after removal of amalgam restorations: results from a prospective cohort study in Norway.

Objective: A prospective cohort study on changes of health complaints after removal of amalgam restorations was carried out at the request of the Norwegian Directorate of Health. The aim was to provide and evaluate experimental treatment to patients with health complaints attributed to dental amalgam fillings.

Methods: Patients ( = 32) with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS), which were attributed to dental amalgam restorations had all their amalgam restorations removed and replaced with other dental restorative materials.

Strategies for the Production of Molecular Animations.

Molecular animations play an increasing role in scientific visualisation and science communication. They engage viewers through non-fictional, documentary type storytelling and aim at advancing the audience. Every scene of a molecular animation is to be designed to secure clarity.

Phase-Optimized Peristaltic Pumping by Integrated Microfluidic Logic.

Microfluidic droplet generation typically entails an initial stabilization period on the order of minutes, exhibiting higher variation in droplet volume until the system reaches monodisperse production. The material lost during this period can be problematic when preparing droplets from limited samples such as patient biopsies. Active droplet generation strategies such as antiphase peristaltic pumping effectively reduce stabilization time but have required off-chip control hardware that reduces system accessibility.

A microfluidic system that replicates pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles in vitro improves prediction of in vivo efficacy in preclinical models.

Test compounds used on in vitro model systems are conventionally delivered to cell culture wells as fixed concentration bolus doses; however, this poorly replicates the pharmacokinetic (PK) concentration changes seen in vivo and reduces the predictive value of the data. Herein, proof-of-concept experiments were performed using a novel microfluidic device, the Microformulator, which allows in vivo like PK profiles to be applied to cells cultured in microtiter plates and facilitates the investigation of the impact of PK on biological responses. We demonstrate the utility of the device in its ability to reproduce in vivo PK profiles of different oncology compounds over multiweek experiments, both as monotherapy and drug combinations, comparing the effects on tumour cell efficacy in vitro with efficacy seen in in vivo xenograft models.

Experiences with a structured conversation tool: a qualitative study on feasibility in general practice in Norway.

Objective: To study the feasibility of a structured conversation tool (ICIT) in Norwegian general practice.

Design And Participants: A structured conversation tool with elements from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was developed for use at the encounter in general practice to increase patient's self-coping ability and the GPs management and sick leave assessment in patients with MUPS. Eight GPs received training and used the ICIT on 49 patients with MUPS.

What is the effect of independent medical evaluation on days on sickness benefits for long-term sick listed employees in Norway? A pragmatic randomised controlled trial, the NIME-trial.

Background: Independent medical evaluations are used to evaluate degree and reason for work disability, uncertainty around the functional status, and/or the employee's rehabilitation potential in several jurisdictions, but not in Norway. The main aim of this trial was to test the return to work effect of independent medical evaluation (IME) (summoning and consultation) compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in Norway, for workers who have been on continuous sick leave for 6 months.

Methods: This was a pragmatic randomised controlled trial including all employees aged 18-65 years, sick-listed by their general practitioner and on full or partial sick leave for the past 26 weeks in Hordaland County, Norway in 2015/16.

A bistable, multiport valve enables microformulators creating microclinical analyzers that reveal aberrant glutamate metabolism in astrocytes derived from a tuberous sclerosis patient.

There is a need for valves and pumps that operate at the microscale with precision and accuracy, are versatile in their application, and are easily fabricated. To that end, we developed a new rotary planar multiport valve to faithfully select solutions (contamination = 5.22 ± 0.

High-resolution integrated piezoresistive sensors for microfluidic monitoring.

Microfluidic devices are traditionally monitored by bulky and expensive off-chip sensors. We have developed a soft piezoresistive sensor capable of measuring micron-level strains that can be easily integrated into devices via soft lithography. We apply this sensor to achieve fast and localized monitoring of pressure, flow, and valve actuation.

Removal of dental amalgam restorations in patients with health complaints attributed to amalgam: A prospective cohort study.

Background: The Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services initiated a project including experimental treatment for patients with health complaints attributed to amalgam restorations.

Objective: The aim was to evaluate changes of general health complaints in patients who participated in the project and had all amalgam restorations removed.

Methods: The project was designed as a prospective cohort study and organised by the Dental Biomaterials Adverse Reaction Unit in Bergen, Norway.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of mass media campaigns for the management of low back pain.

Purpose: To synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of mass media campaigns for the management of LBP on beliefs of the general public and health care providers, LBP-related disability, health utilization, and LBP clinical outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Five electronic databases were searched from inception to December 17, 2019. Any studies evaluating the effectiveness of mass media campaigns for LBP were eligible.

[Not Available].

Background: Low back pain is considered to be the most common single cause of sickness absence. In 2010, Sørlandet Hospital Arendal established an interdisciplinary treatment programme through the Faster Return-to-Work scheme, based on the relevant guidelines for patients with low back pain. In this study we present our experiences from six years of the treatment programme.

Sick leave assessments of workers with subjective health complaints: a cross-sectional study on differences among physicians working in occupational health care.

To obtain more insight into differences in sick leave assessments of workers with subjective health complaints, we studied sick leave assessments among Dutch occupational and insurance physicians, and explored possible determinants for these differences. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 occupational and 43 insurance physicians in the Netherlands. They all assessed sick leave (complete, partial or no) of nine video case vignettes of workers with subjective health complaints and gave their opinion on the complaints, sick leave and health status.

Stochastic unfolding of nanoconfined DNA: Experiments, model and Bayesian analysis.

Nanochannels provide a means for detailed experiments on the effect of confinement on biomacromolecules, such as DNA. Here we introduce a model for the complete unfolding of DNA from the circular to linear configuration. Two main ingredients are the entropic unfolding force and the friction coefficient for the unfolding process, and we describe the associated dynamics by a non-linear Langevin equation.

The capacity to work puzzle: a qualitative study of physicians' assessments for patients with common mental disorders.

Background: Entitlement to sickness benefits is a legal process requiring health-related reduced work capacity confirmed by a physician via a sickness certificate. However, there is a knowledge gap concerning physicians' clinical practice of work capacity assessments for patients with common mental disorders (CMD). Physicians claim more knowledge and skills in how to actually do the assessments.

A focus group study to understand biases and confounders in a cluster randomized controlled trial on low back pain in primary care in Norway.

Background: Cluster randomized controlled trials are often used in research in primary care but creates challenges regarding biases and confounders. We recently presented a study on low back pain from primary care in Norway with equal effects in the intervention and the control group. In order to understand the specific mechanisms that may produce biases in a cluster randomized trial we conducted a focus group study among the participating health care providers.

Identification of Indirect Effects in a Cognitive Patient Education (COPE) Intervention for Low Back Pain.

Background: Many interventions for the treatment of low back pain exist, but the mechanisms through which such treatments work are not always clear. This situation is especially true for biopsychosocial interventions that incorporate several different components and methods of delivery.

Objective: The study objective was to examine the indirect effects of the Cognitive Patient Education (COPE) intervention via illness perceptions, back pain myths, and pain catastrophizing on disability outcome.

Microfluidic device for rapid digestion of tissues into cellular suspensions.

The ability to harvest single cells from tissues is currently a bottleneck for cell-based diagnostic technologies, and remains crucial in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Tissues are typically broken down using proteolytic digestion and various mechanical treatments, but success has been limited due to long processing times, low yield, and high manual labor burden. Here, we present a novel microfluidic device that utilizes precision fluid flows to improve the speed and efficiency of tissue digestion.

Are there patient-related factors that influence sickness certification in patients with severe subjective health complaints? A cross-sectional exploratory study from different European countries.

Objectives: To develop hypotheses about whether there are patient-related factors that influence physicians' decision-making that can explain why some patients with severe subjective health complaints (SHCs) are more likely to be granted sick leave than others.

Design: Exploratory cross-sectional.

Setting: Assessments of patient-related factors after watching nine authentic video recordings of patients with severe SHC from a Norwegian general practice.