Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers for the initial wave of COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Aims: The TMGH-Global COVID-19 Collaborative was a multinational, multicentre, cross-sectional survey assessing the awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs) during the first wave of the pandemic across 57 countries. Here, we report the results from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted at Christchurch Hospital between February and May 2020.

suPAR in cardiovascular disease.

Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), the soluble counterpart of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, is found in the circulation at various levels. suPAR and its parent molecule, cell surface uPAR, exhibit similar structure and extracellular functional roles facilitating fibrinolysis, cellular adhesion, and migration. Studies have assessed the correlation between suPAR in cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The Impact of Vitamin D, Calcium, Protein Supplementation, and Physical Exercise on Bone Metabolism After Bariatric Surgery: The BABS Study.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are common and effective methods to treat severe obesity, but these procedures can adversely influence bone metabolism and areal bone mineral density (aBMD). This was a prospective 24-month single-center interventional two-arm study in 220 women and similarly aged men (median age 40.7 years) with a body mass index (BMI) >38 kg/m(2) after RYGB and SG procedures.

The 5-year follow-up of a cortical stress fracture resulting in a spontaneous atypical subtrochanteric femoral fracture in a female patient with severe osteoporosis and bisphosphonate therapy over 15 years.

Atypical fractures under long term treatment with bisphosphonates (BP) have been reported, although no causal connection has been known. As an explanation the suppression of bone turnover with poor bone metabolism and consequently deterioration of bone microarchitecture has been suggested. In our case we describe retrospectively the course of radiological and clinical changes in a 75 years old female patient who has been treated with oral BP due to postmenopausal osteoporosis over 15 years.

Intracellular and surface RANKL are differentially regulated in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is characterized by ankylosis of axial joints but osteoporosis is also a well-reported feature. T cells have been implicated as a source of receptor activator of NFkappaB ligand (RANKL) in inflammatory bone diseases. Hence, we assessed whether T cells in patients with AS act as a source of RANKL too.