Testing the validity of the Norwegian translation of the modified weight bias internalization scale.

Background: Individuals with higher weight (overweight or obesity) may experience social stigma due to their weight. Weight stigma can be internalized with adverse health effects. Internalized weight stigma is relevant across different weight categories, but no validated weight-neutral measure of internalized weight bias currently exists in Norway.

PCV3-associated disease in the United States swine herd.

Porcine circovirus-associated disease encompasses multiple disease syndromes including porcine circovirus 2 systemic diseases, reproductive failure, and porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome. Until recently, porcine circovirus 2 was the only species associated with the porcine circovirus-associated disease. In this report, diagnostic investigations of thirty-six field cases submitted from multiple production systems, numerous sites and varied geographic locations demonstrated porcine circovirus 3 within lesions by in situ hybridization including fetuses with myocarditis, weak-born neonatal piglets with encephalitis and myocarditis, from cases of porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome, and in weaned pigs with systemic periarteritis.

The Agaricus blazei-Based Mushroom Extract, Andosan™, Protects against Intestinal Tumorigenesis in the A/J Min/+ Mouse.

Background: The novel A/J Min/+ mouse, which is a model for human Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP), develops spontaneously multiple adenocarcinomas in the colon as well as in the small intestine. Agaricus blazei Murill (AbM) is an edible Basidiomycetes mushroom that has been used in traditional medicine against cancer and other diseases. The mushroom contains immunomodulating β-glucans and is shown to have antitumor effects in murine cancer models.

High-dose therapy with autologous stem cell support for lymphoma--from experimental to standard treatment.

High-dose therapy with autologous stem cell support (HDT) has been a therapeutic option for lymphomas in Norway since as far back as 1987. By restoring bone marrow function through reinfusion of the patient's own stem cells, it is possible to administer cancer treatment in higher and otherwise lethal doses, and thereby achieve better treatment results. Originally stem cells were harvested from bone marrow and the high-dose therapy included total body irradiation, but since the mid 1990s stem cells have been harvested by apheresis and the high-dose therapy has consisted of chemotherapy alone (BEAM chemotherapy).

Maintenance treatment with azacytidine for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukaemia following MDS in complete remission after induction chemotherapy.

This prospective Phase II study is the first to assess the feasibility and efficacy of maintenance 5-azacytidine for older patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia and MDS-acute myeloid leukaemia syndromes in complete remission (CR) after induction chemotherapy. Sixty patients were enrolled and treated by standard induction chemotherapy. Patients that reached CR started maintenance therapy with subcutaneous azacytidine, 5/28 d until relapse.

Hematopoietic engraftment of dimethyl sulfoxide-depleted autologous peripheral blood progenitor cells.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation with cryopreserved autografts is a prerequisite for high-dose chemotherapy in treatment of several malignancies. Adverse effects due to the cryoprotectant dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) vary from mild to severe. DMSO-associated adverse effects can be reduced by DMSO depletion before autograft infusion.

Negative effect of DNA hypermethylation on the outcome of intensive chemotherapy in older patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia following myelodysplastic syndrome.

Purpose: Promoter hypermethylation of, for example, tumor-suppressor genes, is considered to be an important step in cancerogenesis and a negative risk factor for survival in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); however, its role for response to therapy has not been determined. This study was designed to assess the effect of methylation status on the outcome of conventional induction chemotherapy.

Experimental Design: Sixty patients with high-risk MDS or acute myeloid leukemia following MDS were treated with standard doses of daunorubicin and 1-beta-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine.

Cyclophosphamide plus dexamethasone is an efficient initial treatment before high-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: results of a randomized comparison with vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone.

Background: Today, intensive therapy that includes high-dose melphalan with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is considered standard therapy in younger patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. When the current trial was initiated, combined vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (VAD) was the most commonly used induction therapy before ASCT and yielded rapid major responses without interfering with stem cell harvest. However, the administration of VAD demands a central venous access, and well-described toxicities are associated with the therapy.

Tobramycin once versus three times daily, given with penicillin G, to febrile neutropenic cancer patients in Norway: a prospective, randomized, multicentre trial.

Objectives: Penicillin G with an aminoglycoside is the standard initial empirical treatment in febrile neutropenia in Norway. It has been argued that giving the aminoglycoside once daily to neutropenic patients with Gram-negative bacteraemia may be hazardous when penicillin G is the beta-lactam antibiotic. We questioned this argument and hypothesized that tobramycin once daily was as efficacious as three times daily.

Impact of age on survival after intensive therapy for multiple myeloma: a population-based study by the Nordic Myeloma Study Group.

The value of intensive therapy, including autologous stem cell transplantation, in newly diagnosed myeloma patients >60 years is not clear. We evaluated the impact of age (<60 years vs. 60-64 years) on survival in a prospective, population-based setting and compared survival with conventionally treated historic controls.

A validated decision model for treating the anaemia of myelodysplastic syndromes with erythropoietin + granulocyte colony-stimulating factor: significant effects on quality of life.

We have published previously a prototype of a decision model for anaemic patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), in which transfusion need and serum erythropoietin (S-Epo) were used to define three groups with different probabilities of erythroid response to treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) + Epo. S-Epo 500 U/l and >/= 2 units/month for a poor response, whereas the presence of only one negative prognostic marker predicted an intermediate response. A total of 53 patients from a prospective study were included in our evaluation sample.

A phase I/II study of the MDR modulator Valspodar (PSC 833) combined with daunorubicin and cytarabine in patients with relapsed and primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

The cyclosporine analog Valspodar (PSC 833, Novartis Pharma) is a strong inhibitor of the mdr1 gene product p-glycoprotein (pgp). A phase I/II study was conducted in order to evaluate if addition of Valspodar to treatment with daunorubicin and cytarabine, given to patients with primary refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia, could increase the complete remission rate.Fifty-three patients were treated in cohorts of three to six patients.