The impact of anal incontinence: psychosocial and sexual consequences and factors associated with QoL in a Norwegian outpatient population.

Objectives: Anal incontinence (AI) is a distressing condition with grave impact on many aspects of life, including quality of life (QoL), social life and sexual activities. This study explored how AI and bowel symptoms impact QoL in a Norwegian population by (1) describing the psychosocial and sexual consequences of AI, and (2) investigating factors most often associated with AI-specific QoL.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study among patients with AI referred to hospital outpatient clinics was conducted.

Pelvic floor disorders and impact on sexual function: a cross-sectional study among non-sexually active and sexually active women.

Background: Pelvic floor disorders are common and associated with impaired sexual function in women.

Aim: To assess women with pelvic floor disorders and describe factors associated with not being sexually active and those associated with sexual function in sexually active women.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that included nonpregnant women with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders who were referred to the urogynecologic and surgical outpatient clinic at 2 Norwegian university hospitals: St Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, and the University Hospital of Northern Norway, Tromsø.

Factors associated with subjective burden among informal caregivers of home-dwelling people with dementia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: It is estimated that more than 57 million people have dementia worldwide, and it is one of the leading causes of care dependency in old age. Relatives and other informal caregivers are the most important support for individuals with dementia, but caring for a loved one with dementia may burden the caregiver. Caregiver burden may have adverse outcomes for both the informal caregiver and the care recipient, including decreased quality of life.

Symptoms of complex pelvic pain: A survey in three cohorts of women.

Introduction: There has been increased interest in addressing chronic pelvic pain and its complexity in women. The often multifactorial etiology of chronic pelvic pain and its heterogeneous presentation, however, make the condition challenging to manage. Overlap with other pain-related conditions is frequently reported, and chronic pelvic pain may impact sexual function.

Amsterdam complex pelvic pain symptom scale with subscales: Based on a Norwegian translation, psychometric assessment and modification of the Amsterdam hyperactive pelvic floor scale.

Introduction: Women with an abnormally high pelvic floor muscle tone may have a clinical presentation that is complex, involving urinary, anorectal and/or sexual dysfunction, genital/pelvic pain and psychological distress. The Amsterdam Hyperactive Pelvic Floor Scale (AHPFS) is a Dutch 30-item condition-specific self-report questionnaire developed to measure these complex pelvic pain symptoms. The aim of this study was to translate the Dutch version into Norwegian, to assess the psychometric properties, and to present a valid factor structure.

Investigation of Components in Roasted Green Tea That Inhibit Biofilm Formation.

form oral biofilms (BFs) and cause dental caries. Roasted green tea (RGT) is prepared by roasting the tea plant, and RGT-specific polyphenols are produced during the roasting process. Catechins, polyphenols in green tea, have BF inhibitory activity against ; therefore, RGT-specific polyphenols are also expected to have this activity.

Evaluation of Electric Muscle Stimulation Method for Haptic Augmented Reality.

Currently, visual Augmented Reality (AR) technology is widespread among the public. Similarly, haptic AR technology is also widely practiced in the academic field. However, conventional haptic AR devices are not suitable for interacting with real objects.

Contextual Factors Associated with Abuse of Home-Dwelling Persons with Dementia: A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study of Informal Caregivers.

One in six community-dwelling older adults experience elder abuse yearly, and persons with dementia are especially at risk. Although many risk factors for elder abuse have been identified, there are still knowledge gaps concerning risk and protective factors. This cross-sectional survey among Norwegian informal caregivers (ICGs) aimed to find individual, relational, and community factors associated with psychological and physical abuse of home-dwelling persons with dementia.

A novel method for the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality of life patient-reported outcome measurements.

Background: This paper presents a novel methodology for translation and cross-cultural adaptation of health-related quality-of-life patient-reported outcome measures, incorporating the Delphi method. Specifically, we describe the process of translating the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 from English to Norwegian using this method.

Methods: The multistep translation method combined the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life guidelines, an Expert Panel review, and the Delphi method.

Spatiotemporal Thermal Control Effects on Thermal Grill Illusion.

The thermal grill illusion induces a pain sensation under a spatial display of warmth and coolness of approximately 40 °C; and 20 °C. To realize virtual pain display more universally during the virtual reality experience, we proposed a spatiotemporal control method to realize a variable thermal grill illusion and evaluated the effect of the method. First, we examined whether there was a change in the period until pain occurred due to the spatial temperature distribution of pre-warming and pre-cooling and verified whether the period until pain occurred became shorter as the temperature difference between pre-warming and pre-cooling increased.

Symptoms of anal incontinence and quality of life: a psychometric study of the Norwegian version of the ICIQ-B amongst hospital outpatients.

Background: The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Bowel (ICIQ-B), a self-report, condition-specific questionnaire designed to assess symptoms of anal incontinence (AI), measures AI's impact on quality of life (QoL) along with perceived bowel patterns and bowel control amongst individuals with AI. In our study, we aimed to translate the ICIQ-B to Norwegian and investigate the Norwegian version's psychometric properties.

Methods: To establish a relevant, comprehensive, and understandable Norwegian ICIQ-B, cognitive interviews were conducted with 10 patients with AI, and six clinical experts reviewed the translated scale.

Abusive episodes among home-dwelling persons with dementia and their informal caregivers: a cross-sectional Norwegian study.

Background: Elder abuse is a serious issue with a global prevalence of 15.7% in the community setting. Persons with dementia are at higher risk of elder abuse than the older population in general.

Optimal quality of vitamin K antagonist therapy in Japanese patients with venous thromboembolism.

Background: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) remains an essential option for venous thromboembolism (VTE), although direct oral anticoagulants have become available. However, there is a paucity of data on the optimal intensity and quality of control for VKA in Japanese.

Methods: The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicenter registry enrolling consecutive 3027 patients with acute symptomatic VTE among 29 centers in Japan.

Safety of Intravenous Autologous Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Cell Transplantation in 5 Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction.

Although intracardiac injection or intracoronary delivery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been reported, there have been few studies on the intravenous injection of MSCs, particularly in Japan. Five patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤45% received 1.0×10 MSCs intravenously.

Periprocedural management and clinical outcomes of invasive procedures after venous thromboembolism: from the COMMAND VTE registry.

Anticoagulation therapy is prescribed for the prevention of recurrence in patients with venous thromboembolism, which could be temporarily interrupted during invasive procedures. The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicenter registry enrolling 3027 consecutive patients with acute symptomatic VTE in Japan between January 2010 and August 2014. We identified patients who underwent invasive procedures during the entire follow-up period and evaluated periprocedural managements and clinical outcomes at 30 days after invasive procedures.

Sensing and Rendering Method of 2-Dimensional Haptic Texture.

Nowadays, touchscreens have been used worldwide. However, most of them lack realistic haptic feedback. Several haptic feedback devices employ one-dimensional vibration only.

Relatives' experiences with abuse and neglect in Norwegian nursing homes. A qualitative study.

Background: Elder abuse in nursing homes (NH) is a widespread and complex problem. Residents' ability to share their experiences are impeded, due to a high degree of cognitive problems and frailty, and previous studies are thus mainly based on reports from staff. Therefore, we aimed to give voice to the residents by investigating their relatives' experiences with elder abuse in NH.

Influence of low body weight on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with venous thromboembolism: From the COMMAND VTE registry.

Introduction: There is a paucity of data on the influence of low body weight on clinical outcomes in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Materials And Methods: The COMMAND VTE registry is a multicenter cohort study enrolling 3027 consecutive patients with acute symptomatic VTE. The current study population consisted of 2778 patients with available body weight value, who were divided into 2 groups; 1705 patients with lower body weight (≤60 kg) and 1073 patients with higher body weight (>60 kg).

React and act: a qualitative study of how nursing home leaders follow up on staff-to-resident abuse.

Background: Elder abuse in nursing homes is a complex multifactorial problem and entails various associations across personal, social, and organisational factors. One way leaders can prevent abuse and promote quality and safety for residents is to follow up on any problems that may arise in clinical practice in a way that facilitates learning. How nursing home leaders follow up and what they follow up on might reflect their perceptions of abuse, its causal factors, and the prevention strategies used in the nursing home.

Impact of no, distal, and proximal deep vein thrombosis on clinical outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: From the COMMAND VTE registry.

Background: The majority of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is caused by thrombus developed from leg veins. However, impact of concomitant deep venous thrombosis (DVT) on clinical outcomes has not been fully evaluated in patients with acute PE.

Methods: The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicenter registry enrolling consecutive 3027 patients with acute symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Japan.

Risk Factors for Major Bleeding During Anticoagulation Therapy in Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism - From the COMMAND VTE Registry.

Background: Patients with cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) are at high risk for recurrent VTE and are recommended to receive prolonged anticoagulation therapy if they are at a low risk for bleeding. However, there are no established risk factors for bleeding during anticoagulation therapy.

Methods and results: The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicenter retrospective registry enrolling 3,027 consecutive patients with acute symptomatic VTE among 29 Japanese centers.

Nursing home leaders' perception of factors influencing the reporting of elder abuse and neglect: a qualitative study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence the reporting of adverse events related to elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes from nursing home leaders' perspectives. Good leadership requires in-depth knowledge of the care and service provided and the ability to identify and address problems that can arise in clinical practice.

Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative explorative design with data triangulation was used.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with venous thromboembolism according to diagnosis on weekends versus on weekdays.

There are uncertainties on the influence of the days of diagnosis in a week (weekends versus weekdays) on clinical outcomes in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), including pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The COMMAND VTE registry is a multicenter cohort study enrolling 3027 consecutive patients with acute symptomatic VTE. The current study population consisted of 337 patients diagnosed on weekends and 2690 patients diagnosed on weekdays.

Predictive ability of modified Ottawa score for recurrence in patients with cancer-associated venous thromboembolism: From the COMMAND VTE Registry.

Introduction: The external validation of the modified Ottawa score to predict the risk of recurrence in patients with cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not yet been firmly established. The present study aimed to evaluate the utility and limitations of the modified Ottawa score in the risk stratification of recurrent VTE in patients with cancer-associated VTE.

Materials And Methods: The COMMAND VTE Registry is a multicenter retrospective registry enrolling 3027 consecutive patients with acute symptomatic VTE among 29 Japanese centers.

Elder abuse and neglect: an overlooked patient safety issue. A focus group study of nursing home leaders' perceptions of elder abuse and neglect.

Background: The definition and understanding of elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes can vary in different jurisdictions as well as among health care staff, researchers, family members and residents themselves. Different understandings of what constitutes abuse and its severity make it difficult to compare findings in the literature on elder abuse in nursing homes and complicate identification, reporting, and managing the problem. Knowledge about nursing home leaders' perceptions of elder abuse and neglect is of particular interest since their understanding of the phenomenon will affect what they signal to staff as important to report and how they investigate adverse events to ensure residents' safety.