Rotavirus detection in bulk stool and rectal swab specimens in children with acute gastroenteritis in Norway.

Background: Bulk stool specimens are traditionally used for rotavirus detection but may be challenging to obtain from young children. Immediate and easy sampling may however be required in different situations, such as outbreak investigation.

Objectives: We assessed the diagnostic performance of rectal swabs compared to bulk stools for the detection of rotavirus by Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) and multiplex semi-nested reverse transcription PCR (semi-nested RT-PCR) in children recruited through active hospital-based surveillance of acute gastroenteritis in Norway.

Perception of the Professional Knowledge of and Education on the Medical Technology Products among the Pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic Countries-A Cross-Sectional Exploratory Study.

Unlabelled: With increased development of medical technology (MT), new challenges emerge related to education and training of pharmacists and other healthcare specialists. Currently, only a few universities in the EU promote MT education and research.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the current status, views on, and need for the education on MT for the pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists in the Baltic and Nordic countries.

High incidence of maternal parvovirus B19 infection in a large unselected population-based pregnancy cohort in Norway.

Background: Around 40% of pregnant women in Norway are parvovirus B19 (B19V) seronegative and thus at risk for B19 V infection. Studies on samples from women with symptomatic disease or known exposure have shown that nucleic acid amplification assays combined with serology increase the sensitivity and improves the diagnostic procedure.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate the seroprevalence of B19V infection, the occurrence of new infections and vertical transmission in a population-based pregnancy cohort, with special emphasis on the diagnostic methods.

Circulation and diagnostics of Puumala virus in Norway: nephropatia epidemica incidence and rodent population dynamics.

Hantaviruses pose a public health concern worldwide causing haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Puumala virus (PUUV) is the most prevalent hantavirus in Central and Northern Europe, and causes a mild form of HFRS, also known as nephropathia epidemica (NE). In nature, the main host of PUUV is the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), and transmission to humans occurs through inhalation of aerosols from rodent excreta.

Varicella-zoster virus susceptibility and primary healthcare consultations in Norway.

Background: Currently Norway does not recommend universal varicella vaccination for healthy children. This study assessed susceptibility to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the Norwegian population for the first time.

Methods: A national convenience sample of residual sera was tested for anti-VZV IgG by ELISA.

Medication management in comprehensive schools in Finland: teachers' perceptions.

Objective: Many children who take medication require it during school time, and their participation in school activities could depend on it. The aim of this study was to identify whether schools have guidelines for medication management and to explore teachers' perceptions about medication administration practices and the characteristics affecting these practices using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as the framework.

Methods: A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted in Finland in 2010 covering a representative sample of comprehensive school teachers (n = 1700).

Burden of Rotavirus Disease in Norway: Using National Registries for Public Health Research.

Background: Norway introduced routine rotavirus immunization for all children born on or after September 1, 2014. We estimated the healthcare burden of all-cause gastroenteritis and rotavirus disease in children <5 years old to establish the prevaccine baseline and support the ongoing immunization program.

Methods: We examined national registry data on gastroenteritis-associated primary care consultations and hospitalizations for 2009-2013 and data on all deaths in children <5 years old reported during 2000-2013.

Stability of a Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Vectored Ebola Vaccine.

The live attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV is currently undergoing clinical trials in West Africa. The vaccine is to be stored at -70°C or less. Since maintaining the cold chain is challenging in rural areas, the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine's short-term and long-term stability at different temperatures was examined.

Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in Ixodes ricinus ticks from three islands in north-western Norway.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is the most important viral tick-borne disease in Europe and can cause severe disease in humans. In Norway, human cases have been reported only from the southern coast. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks from the north-western part of Norway.

Landscape and regional environmental analysis of the spatial distribution of hantavirus human cases in europe.

Background: In Europe, the most prevalent hantavirus, Puumala virus, is transmitted by bank voles and causes nephropathia epidemica in human. The European spatial distribution of nephropathia epidemica is investigated here for the first time with a rich set of environmental variables.

Methods: The influence of variables at the landscape and regional level is studied through multilevel logistic regression, and further information on their effects across the different European ecoregions is obtained by comparing an overall niche model (boosted regression trees) with regressions by ecoregion.

Risk of exposure to ticks (Ixodidae) and the prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in ticks in Southern Poland.

The article presents the results of the first study on seasonal activity of ticks and prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in nymphs from the Silesian Province (Southern Poland). Previous studies on the prevalence of TBEV in ticks in Poland have been conducted mostly in northern and eastern regions, but none in the Silesian Province itself. The aims of this study were to analyse the seasonal variation in tick populations and compare TBEV prevalence in nymphs from different geographical locations in the Silesia.

Toxoplasma prevalence among pregnant women in Norway: a cross-sectional study.

Infection by Toxoplasma gondii may lead to complications in the foetus if the mother suffers from primary infection during pregnancy. Previously infected women have produced toxoplasma-specific IgG antibodies. The most recent study on prevalence of toxoplasma IgG in the Norwegian pregnant population was conducted 20 years ago.

High frequency of enterovirus D68 in children hospitalised with respiratory illness in Norway, autumn 2014.

Objectives: An unexpectedly high proportion of children were admitted for severe respiratory infections at the Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål, Norway, during September and October, 2014. In light of the ongoing outbreak of enterovirus-D68 (EV-D68) in North America a real-time RT-PCR for screening of enterovirus and enterovirus D68 was established.

Design: We developed a duplex real-time RT-PCR for rapid screening of enterovirus D68.

Seroprevalence of antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis virus and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in healthy adults from western Norway.

The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies to tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in a healthy adult population from Sogn and Fjordane county in western Norway. Sera from 1, 213 blood donors were analysed for IgG-antibodies to TBEV, and a random subgroup of 301 donors for IgG to A. phagocytophilum.

Prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in a highly urbanized and low risk area in Southern Poland.

The knowledge of the exact distribution of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) endemic foci is crucial to plan and implement the optimal prevention of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), including a vaccination program. In Poland, however, there is still no data on the local distribution of TBEV in many areas of the country. Silesian agglomeration area (Southern Poland) is a highly urbanized and industrialized region of the country, where TBE cases are only sporadically recorded.

Factors associated with the need for information about medicines among pregnant women - a multinational internet-based survey.

Background: Women frequently experience health problems and use medicines during pregnancy, and thus need information about their medicines. Knowledge about factors associated with medicine information needs is important for pharmacists when tailoring medication counseling for these pregnant women.

Objectives: The aim was to investigate how socioeconomic factors, health literacy, health status, and use of medicines are associated with the need for drug information among pregnant women.

Effect of withholding breastfeeding on the immune response to a live oral rotavirus vaccine in North Indian infants.

Interference from transplacental and breast milk antibodies may impede the performance of oral live vaccines. The effect of breastfeeding on the immunogenicity of Rotarix, a two-dose oral monovalent rotavirus vaccine, was examined in a community-based trial in New Delhi, India. Four hundred mother-infant pairs were randomized into two equal groups.

Genetic diversity of norovirus in hospitalised diarrhoeic children and asymptomatic controls in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

This study investigated and reports norovirus diarrhoea, genetic diversity and associated clinical symptoms, HIV status and seasonality in a paediatric population of Tanzania. Stool specimens and demographic/clinical information, were prospectively collected from 705 hospitalised children with diarrhoea (cases) and 561 children without diarrhoea (controls) between 2010 and 2011. Norovirus detection was done by real-time RT-PCR.

Genetic diversity of circulating rotavirus strains in Tanzania prior to the introduction of vaccination.

Background: Tanzania currently rolls out vaccination against rotavirus-diarrhea, a major cause of child illness and death. As the vaccine covers a limited number of rotavirus variants, this study describes the molecular epidemiology of rotavirus among children under two years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, prior to implementation of vaccination.

Methods: Stool specimens, demographic and clinical information, were collected from 690 children admitted to hospital due to diarrhea (cases) and 545 children without diarrhea (controls) during one year.

Multiple information sources and consequences of conflicting information about medicine use during pregnancy: a multinational Internet-based survey.

Background: A wide variety of information sources on medicines is available for pregnant women. When using multiple information sources, there is the risk that information will vary or even conflict.

Objective: The objective of this multinational study was to analyze the extent to which pregnant women use multiple information sources and the consequences of conflicting information, and to investigate which maternal sociodemographic, lifestyle, and medical factors were associated with these objectives.

Susceptibility to cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19 and age-dependent differences in levels of rubella antibodies among pregnant women.

Infections caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV), parvovirus B19 (B19), and rubella can lead to serious complications in pregnant women. The aim of this study was to determine the susceptibility to CMV, B19, and rubella antibodies in pregnant women in Norway. Consecutive sera samples were collected from pregnant women in two different regions in Norway.

Tick-borne encephalitis virus and louping-ill virus may co-circulate in Southern Norway.

The European subtype of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV-Eu) and louping-ill virus (LIV) are two closely related tick-borne flaviviruses. However, whereas the first is the cause of one of Europe's most important zoonoses, the latter most often only causes disease in sheep and grouse. TBEV-Eu is typically found in the forests of central and northeastern Europe, and LIV typically is found in sheep pastures in the British Isles.

Rotavirus genotype distribution in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, 2007-2009.

This is the first study to present rotavirus genotype distribution in children admitted to a hospital with acute gastroenteritis in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan from January 2007 through December 2009. In total, 858 rotavirus ELISA-positive samples were characterized by RT-PCR, with a considerable geographical and seasonal variation in genotype distribution observed during the study. The globally common genotypes (G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8], G9P[8], G12P[8] and G12P[6]) accounted for 81.

Prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins from the maternal diet may be associated with immunosuppressive effects that persist into early childhood.

We investigated whether prenatal exposure from the maternal diet to the toxicants polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins is associated with the development of immune-related diseases in childhood. Children participating in BraMat, a sub-cohort of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), were followed in the three first years of life using annual questionnaires (0-3years; n=162, 2-3years; n=180), and blood parameters were examined at three years of age (n=114). The maternal intake of the toxicants was calculated using a validated food frequency questionnaire from MoBa.