Sick leave and return to work after surgery for type II SLAP lesions of the shoulder: a secondary analysis of a randomised sham-controlled study.

Objectives: To compare days on sick leave and assess predictors of return to work following shoulder surgery.

Design: A secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Orthopaedic department.

Exploring the influence from whole blood DNA extraction methods on Infinium 450K DNA methylation.

Genome-wide DNA methylation studies are becoming increasingly important in unraveling the epigenetic basis of cell biology, aging and human conditions. The aim of the present study was to explore whether different methods for extracting DNA from whole blood can affect DNA methylation outcome, potentially confounding DNA methylation studies. DNA was isolated from healthy blood donors (n = 10) using three different extraction methods (i.

Increased rate of acute caesarean sections in women with epilepsy: results from the Oppland Perinatal Database in Norway.

Background And Purpose: Studies in women with epilepsy (WWE) regarding pregnancy and labour complications have disclosed contradictory results. Our purpose was to investigate whether WWE have a higher risk of acute caesarean section (CS) or pregnancy complications than women without epilepsy or women with other chronic diseases and, if we found a higher risk, to explore potential explanations.

Methods: The study used prospectively registered obstetric data from the Oppland Perinatal Database in the period 2001-2011, containing information on 18 244 births, including 110 singleton pregnancies in mothers with validated epilepsy.

Feasibility of desensitizing children highly allergic to peanut by high-dose oral immunotherapy.

Background: There are limited data on the feasibility, efficacy and safety of high-dose oral immunotherapy (OIT) in children highly allergic to peanuts.

Objective: In children highly allergic to peanut, we primarily aimed to determine the feasibility of reaching the maximum maintenance dose (MMD) of 5000 mg peanut protein or, alternatively, a lower individual maintenance dose (IMD), by OIT up-dosing. Secondarily, we aimed to identify adverse events (AEs) and determine factors associated with reaching a maintenance dose.

Parental severity assessment predicts supportive care in infant bronchiolitis.

Aim: In infants with acute bronchiolitis, the precision of parental disease severity assessment is unclear. We aimed to determine if parental assessment at the time of hospitalisation predicted the use of supportive care, and subsequently determine the likelihood that the infant with acute bronchiolitis would receive supportive care.

Methods: From the Bronchiolitis ALL south-east Norway study, we included all 267, 0-12 month old, infants with acute bronchiolitis whose parents at the time of hospitalisation completed a three-item visual analogue scale (VAS) concerning Activity, Feeding and Illness.

DNA methylation in childhood asthma: an epigenome-wide meta-analysis.

Background: DNA methylation profiles associated with childhood asthma might provide novel insights into disease pathogenesis. We did an epigenome-wide association study to assess methylation profiles associated with childhood asthma.

Methods: We did a large-scale epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) within the Mechanisms of the Development of ALLergy (MeDALL) project.

Structured Goal Planning and Supportive Telephone Follow-up in Rheumatology Care: Results From a Pragmatic, Stepped-Wedge, Cluster-Randomized Trial.

Objective: To evaluate patient-reported health effects of an add-on structured goal-planning and supportive telephone follow-up rehabilitation program compared with traditional rehabilitation programs in patients with rheumatic diseases.

Methods: In this pragmatic stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized, controlled trial, 389 patients with rheumatic diseases recruited from 6 rehabilitation centers received either traditional rehabilitation or traditional rehabilitation extended with an add-on program tailored to individual needs. The add-on program comprised a self-management booklet, motivational interviewing in structured individualized goal planning, and 4 supportive follow-up phone calls after discharge.

Predicting reactivity threshold in children with anaphylaxis to peanut.

Background: Peanut allergy necessitates dietary restrictions, preferably individualized by determining reactivity threshold through an oral food challenge (OFC). However, risk of systemic reactions often precludes OFC in children with severe peanut allergy.

Objective: We aimed to determine whether clinical and/or immunological characteristics were associated with reactivity threshold in children with anaphylaxis to peanut and secondarily, to investigate whether these characteristics were associated with severity of the allergic reaction during OFC.

Prenatal exposure to perfluoralkyl substances (PFASs) associated with respiratory tract infections but not allergy- and asthma-related health outcomes in childhood.

Background: Prenatal exposure to perfluoralkyl substances (PFASs) has been reported to be associated with immunosuppression in early childhood, but with contradictory findings related to atopic and lung diseases.

Aim: We aimed to determine if prenatal exposure to PFASs is associated with asthma or other allergic diseases or respiratory tract infections in childhood.

Methods: Nineteen PFASs were measured in cord blood available from 641 infants in the Environment and Childhood Asthma (ECA) prospective birth cohort study.

Weight-for-length, early weight-gain velocity and atopic dermatitis in infancy and at two years of age: a cohort study.

Background: Overweight and atopic dermatitis (AD) are major health problems in most industrialised countries, but the relationship between overweight and AD in infants and young children is unclear. We investigated if weight-for-length at birth, in infancy and at two years, as well as early weight-gain velocity, are associated with the development of AD in early life.

Methods: Cohort study of infants (n = 642), all living in south-east Norway, hospitalized with acute bronchiolitis (n = 404) or recruited from the general population (n = 238), examined at mean age 5.

Sham surgery versus labral repair or biceps tenodesis for type II SLAP lesions of the shoulder: a three-armed randomised clinical trial.

Background: Labral repair and biceps tenodesis are routine operations for superior labrum anterior posterior (SLAP) lesion of the shoulder, but evidence of their efficacy is lacking. We evaluated the effect of labral repair, biceps tenodesis and sham surgery on SLAP lesions.

Methods: A double-blind, sham-controlled trial was conducted with 118 surgical candidates (mean age 40 years), with patient history, clinical symptoms and MRI arthrography indicating an isolated type II SLAP lesion.

Morning Salivary Cortisol in Young Children: Reference Values and the Effects of Age, Sex, and Acute Bronchiolitis.

Objective: To identify morning salivary cortisol reference values in infancy and at 2 years of age and to investigate the influence of age, sex and acute bronchiolitis.

Study Design: In this South-East Norwegian cohort study, 308 children hospitalized with moderate to severe acute bronchiolitis in infancy in 2010-2011 were compared with 223 healthy controls included in 2012 by measuring morning salivary cortisol levels at inclusion and at 2 years of age. Samples were collected shortly after awakening after 6 am.

Conjunctival provocation test in diagnosis of peanut allergy in children.

Background: Peanut allergy frequently causes severe allergic reactions. Diagnosis includes detection of IgE to peanuts in serum or by skin prick tests. While children may have allergic sensitization without having clinical peanut allergy, oral peanut challenge is often required for accurate diagnosis.

Does occupational therapy reduce the need for surgery in carpometacarpal osteoarthritis? Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In the absence of disease-modifying interventions for hand osteoarthritis (OA), occupational therapy (OT) comprising patient education, hand exercises, assistive devices and orthoses are considered as core treatments, whereas surgery are recommended for those with severe carpometacarpal (CMC1) OA. However, even though CMC1 surgery may reduce pain and improve function, the risk of adverse effects is high, and randomized controlled trials comparing surgery with non-surgical interventions are warranted. This multicentre randomized controlled trial aims to address the following questions: Does OT in the period before surgical consultation reduce the need for surgery in CMC1-OA? What are patients' motivation and reasons for wanting CMC1-surgery? Are there differences between departments of rheumatology concerning the degree of CMC1-OA, pain and functional limitations in patients who are referred for surgical consultation for CMC1 surgery? Is the Measure of Activity Performance of the Hand a reliable measure in patients with CMC1-OA? Do patients with CMC1-OA with and without affection of the distal and proximal interphalangeal finger joints differ with regard to symptoms and function? Do the degree of CMC1-OA, symptoms and functional limitations significantly predict improvement after 2 years following OT or CMC1-surgery? Is OT more cost-effective than surgery in the management of CMC1-OA?

Methods/design: All persons referred for surgical consultation due to their CMC1-OA at one of three Norwegian departments of rheumatology are invited to participate.

Parasympathetic Activity and Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness in Athletes.

Purpose: A high prevalence of asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) is reported in swimmers and cross-country skiers. It has been suggested that increased parasympathetic nervous activity is involved in asthma development in endurance athletes. We aimed to assess the associations of BHR to parasympathetic activity in healthy and asthmatic swimmers and cross-country skiers and healthy nonathletes.

Perceived exercise limitation in asthma: The role of disease severity, overweight, and physical activity in children.

Background: Children with asthma may be less physically active than their healthy peers. We aimed to investigate whether perceived exercise limitation (EL) was associated with lung function or bronchial hyper-responsiveness (BHR), socioeconomic factors, prenatal smoking, overweight, allergic disease, asthma severity, or physical activity (PA).

Methods: The 302 children with asthma from the 10-year examination of the Environment and Childhood Asthma birth cohort study underwent a clinical examination including perceived EL (structured interview of child and parent(s)), measure of overweight (body mass index by sex and age passing through 25 kg/m or above at 18 years), exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (forced expiratory volume in one-second (FEV ) pre- and post-exercise), methacholine bronchial challenge (severe BHR; provocative dose causing ≥20% decrease in FEV ≤ 1 μmol), and asthma severity score (dose of controller medication and exacerbations last 12 months).

Lung Function Monitoring; A Randomized Agreement Study.

Objective: To determine the agreement between devices and repeatability within devices of the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC (FEF50) values measured using the four spirometers included in the study.

Methods: 50 (24 women) participants (20-64 years of age) completed maximum forced expiratory flow manoeuvres and measurements were performed using the following devices: MasterScreen, SensorMedics, Oxycon Pro and SpiroUSB. The order of the instruments tested was randomized and blinded for both the participants and the technicians.

Sexual problems in people with refractory epilepsy.

Sexual dysfunction is an important but often neglected aspect of epilepsy. The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence and types of sexual problems in patients with epilepsy and compare the results with similar data obtained from a representative sample of the general population. At the National Centre for Epilepsy in Norway, 171 of 227 consecutive adult inpatients and outpatients with epilepsy (response rate: 75.

The effect of occupational therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of individualized occupational therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Additionally, the authors wanted to explore the occupational problems experienced in daily life by individuals with COPD. Methods A total of 52 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group (occupational therapy) or control group (treatment as usual).

Vitamin D levels and atopic eczema in infancy and early childhood in Norway: a cohort study.

Background: Epidemiological data and the effect of sun exposure on atopic eczema (AE) suggest that vitamin D (vitD) may be involved in the pathogenesis.

Objectives: To investigate if vitD levels were associated with the presence or severity of AE in the first 2 years of life in children living in south-east Norway.

Methods: Infants, recruited to a clinical trial on acute bronchiolitis (n = 404) and from the general population (n = 240), were examined at 1-13 months (first visit) and at 2 years of age (second visit).