Bone mineral density and the risk of kidney disease in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Aim: To explore the association between bone disorder and the risk for progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in persons with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Methods: In this prospective cohort study the association between bone mineral density (BMD), bone-derived factors (sclerostin, Dickkopf-1, and osteoprotegerin (OPG)), and four outcomes were investigated: 1) progression of albuminuria; 2) decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥30 %; 3) kidney failure (KF); and 4) a composite kidney outcome consisting of at least one of the outcomes.

Results: In 318 participants (median follow-up time 5.

Osteocalcin: A bone protein with multiple endocrine functions.

Bones are now recognised as endocrine organs with diverse functions. Osteocalcin, a protein primarily produced by osteoblasts, has garnered significant attention. Research into osteocalcin has revealed its impact on glucose metabolism and its unexpected endocrine role, particularly in its undercarboxylated form (ucOC).

Hygiene performance rating at farm level - an auditing scheme for evaluation of biosecurity measures' effect on prevalence of Campylobacter from selected broiler producers.

Background: Preventing pathogens from entering the broiler premises is the main biosecurity measure at farm level. In conventional broiler production, chickens are kept indoors during the entire production period. Pathogens can enter the broiler-producing unit from sources such as water, equipment, personnel, insects, and rodents.

Potential Benefits of Combining Proton or Carbon Ion Therapy with DNA Damage Repair Inhibitors.

The use of charged particle radiotherapy is currently increasing, but combination therapy with DNA repair inhibitors remains to be exploited in the clinic. The high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation delivered by charged particles causes clustered DNA damage, which is particularly effective in destroying cancer cells. Whether the DNA damage response to this type of damage is different from that elicited in response to low-LET radiation, and if and how it can be targeted to increase treatment efficacy, is not fully understood.

Sequenced Treatment Effectiveness for Posttraumatic Stress (STEPS) Trial: A protocol for a pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial with baseline results.

Background: There have only been two efficacy trials reporting a head-to-head comparison of medications and psychotherapy for PTSD, and neither was conducted in primary care. Therefore, this protocol paper describes a pragmatic trial that compares outcomes of primary care patients randomized to initially receive a brief trauma-focused psychotherapy or a choice of three antidepressants. In addition, because there are few trials examining the effectiveness of subsequent treatments for patients not responding to the initial treatment, this pragmatic trial also compares the outcomes of those switching or augmenting treatments.

Mitral Valve Segmentation and Tracking from Transthoracic Echocardiography Using Deep Learning.

Objective: Valvular heart diseases (VHDs) pose a significant public health burden, and deciding the best treatment strategy necessitates accurate assessment of heart valve function. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the key modality to evaluate VHDs, but the lack of standardized quantitative measurements leads to subjective and time-consuming assessments. We aimed to use deep learning to automate the extraction of mitral valve (MV) leaflets and annular hinge points from echocardiograms of the MV, improving standardization and reducing workload in quantitative assessment of MV disease.

Male patients with inflammatory joint diseases are less likely than controls to be childless: results from a Norwegian population-based cohort study of 10 865 patients.

Objectives: To investigate the number of children per man and the proportion of childless men as a proxy of fertility in a national cohort of men with inflammatory joint diseases (IJDs), compared with matched controls from the general population.

Methods: This is a nationwide, population-based retrospective cohort study. Male patients with IJDs (n = 10 865) in the Norwegian Arthritis Registry were individually matched 1:5 on birth year and county of residence with men without IJDs obtained from the National Population Register (n = 54 325).

The Zanzibar Heart Survey: A special report from a humanitarian cardiology program at the Mnazi Mmoja referral hospital, Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania by Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway.

A Norwegian cardiology delegation comprised of Cardiologists and Researchers travelled voluntarily to Zanzibar to undertake 4 humanitarian missions in 2022. The principal aims of this were to: 1) Train local cardiologists in transthoracic echocardiography and perform echocardiographic screening in patients with cardiac symptoms who had not undergone any prior cardiac imaging, 2) Conduct a hypertension survey to improve awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and 3) Implant permanent pacemakers in patients with significant bradyarrhythmias for the first time in the Archipelago. The current report details our experience at the Mnazi Mmoja Referral Hospital.

The importance of concomitant mitral regurgitation for estimates of mitral valve area by pressure half time in patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease.

Aims: Aim was to study how concomitant mitral regurgitation (MR) assessed by qualitative and quantitative methods influence mitral valve area (MVA) calculations by the pressure half time method (MVA) compared to reference MVA (planimetry) in patients with rheumatic heart disease.

Methods And Results: In 72 patients with chronic rheumatic heart disease, MVA was calculated as 220 divided by the pressure half time of the mitral early inflow Doppler spectrum. Direct measurement by planimetry was used as reference MVA and was mean (SD) 0.

Immunogenic cell death after combined treatment with radiation and ATR inhibitors is dually regulated by apoptotic caspases.

Introduction: Inhibitors of the ATR kinase act as radiosensitizers through abrogating the G2 checkpoint and reducing DNA repair. Recent studies suggest that ATR inhibitors can also increase radiation-induced antitumor immunity, but the underlying immunomodulating mechanisms remain poorly understood. Moreover, it is poorly known how such immune effects relate to different death pathways such as caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Caspase activation counteracts interferon signaling after G2 checkpoint abrogation by ATR inhibition in irradiated human cancer cells.

Recent studies suggest that inhibition of the ATR kinase can potentiate radiation-induced antitumor immune responses, but the extent and mechanisms of such responses in human cancers remain scarcely understood. We aimed to assess whether the ATR inhibitors VE822 and AZD6738, by abrogating the G2 checkpoint, increase cGAS-mediated type I IFN response after irradiation in human lung cancer and osteosarcoma cell lines. Supporting that the checkpoint may prevent IFN induction, radiation-induced IFN signaling declined when the G2 checkpoint arrest was prolonged at high radiation doses.

Meat safety legislation and its opportunities and hurdles for innovative approaches: A review.

Albert Einstein has been quoted "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them". Innovations are necessary to meet future challenges regarding sustainability, animal welfare, slaughter hygiene, meat safety and quality, not at least for optimal balance between these dimensions. The red meat safety legislation texts from Europe, New Zealand, USA, and global guidelines, were analysed for normative formulations ("how it is or should be done") that may create non-intentional hurdles to innovation and new technology.

Rapid detection of Campylobacter spp. in chickens before slaughter.

Campylobacter continues to be the number one cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in Europe. Poultry, and especially broiler chickens, is considered an important reservoir for Campylobacter spp. Poultry producers prioritize to identify and reduce the number of Campylobacter contaminated chicken flocks by tightening biosecurity and mitigation actions at slaughter.

Diabetes increases the risk of bone fractures in patients on kidney replacement therapy: A Danish national cohort study.

Background: Patients treated with dialysis or living with a kidney transplant (kidney replacement therapy, KRT) have an increased risk of bone fracture. Patients with diabetes also have an increased risk of fracture. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presence of diabetes in patients on KRT aggravates the risk of fracture.

Short-term outcome after open-heart surgery for severe chronic rheumatic heart disease in a low-income country, with comparison with an historical control group: an observational study.

Objectives: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a major burden in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cardiac surgery is the only curative treatment. Little is known about patients with severe chronic RHD operated in LMICs, and challenges regarding postoperative follow-up are an important issue.

Differential Effects of Combined ATR/WEE1 Inhibition in Cancer Cells.

Inhibitors of WEE1 and ATR kinases are considered promising for cancer treatment, either as monotherapy or in combination with chemo- or radiotherapy. Here, we addressed whether simultaneous inhibition of WEE1 and ATR might be advantageous. Effects of the WEE1 inhibitor MK1775 and ATR inhibitor VE822 were investigated in U2OS osteosarcoma cells and in four lung cancer cell lines, H460, A549, H1975, and SW900, with different sensitivities to the WEE1 inhibitor.

Expanding roles of cell cycle checkpoint inhibitors in radiation oncology.

Purpose: Radiation-induced activation of cell cycle checkpoints have been of long-standing interest. The WEE1, CHK1 and ATR kinases are key factors in cell cycle checkpoint regulation and are essential for the S and G2 checkpoints. Here, we review the rationale for why inhibitors of WEE1, CHK1 and ATR could be beneficial in combination with radiation.

Development and validation of a regression model for Listeria monocytogenes growth in roast beefs.

Food business operators are responsible for food safety and assessment of shelf lives for their ready-to-eat products. For assisting them, a customized software based on predictive models, ListWare, is being developed. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a predictive model for the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in sliced roast beef.

Risk conditions in children hospitalized with influenza in Norway, 2017-2019.

Background: Norwegian children are more frequently hospitalized with influenza than adults. Little is known about the characteristics of these children. Our aim was to investigate the presence of pre-existing risk conditions and to determine the duration of influenza hospitalizations in children during two influenza seasons.

Control as a Core Component of User Involvement in Reablement: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Reablement, also known as restorative care, supports older adults in regaining or maintaining their independence in daily life through the optimization of functional ability. Users' goals and healthcare professionals' use of a "hands-off" approach are key, thus user involvement is central to reablement logic. The aim of this study was to explore user involvement in reablement from users' perspectives from the beginning of an intervention.

Understanding Bone Disease in Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease: a Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: Both diabetes and kidney disease associate with the development of bone disease and an increased risk of fragility fractures. The etiologies of bone disease in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) are multiple and complex. This review explores the association between DKD and bone disease and discusses how the presence of both diabetes and kidney disease may impair bone quality and increase fracture risk.