Ocrelizumab in Early-Stage Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: The Phase IIIb ENSEMBLE 4-Year, Single-Arm, Open-Label Trial.

Background And Objectives: Early treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) reduces disease activity and the risk of long-term disease progression. Effectiveness of ocrelizumab is established in relapsing MS (RMS); however, data in early RMS are lacking. We evaluated the 4-year effectiveness and safety of ocrelizumab as a first-line therapy in treatment-naive patients with recently diagnosed relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).

Persistent pro-inflammatory trait in elderly patients following treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: a longitudinal exploratory study.

Objectives: Considering that the remission rate for major depressive disorder (MDD) in elderly patients is below 50%, there is a compelling requirement for an enhanced comprehension of the underlying mechanisms. Chronic low-grade inflammation has been posited as one potential contributor to treatment-resistant MDD in the elderly. Accordingly, the objective of our study was to explore the longitudinal trends of systemic immune markers in elderly inpatients referred to electroconvulsive therapy due to an episode of treatment resistant unipolar MDD.

Humoral and cellular responses to a fifth bivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases on tumour necrosis factor inhibitors: a prospective cohort study.

Background: As most people now have established hybrid immunity, the need for regular, updated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine boosters in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) is unclear. The study aim was to assess humoral and cellular immunogenicity of a fifth bivalent vaccine dose in patients with IMID on tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi).

Methods: In the longitudinal, observational Nor-vaC study, we assessed anti-spike and neutralising antibodies against Wuhan, Omicron BA.

Introduction of electronic death notification in Norway-Impact on diabetes mortality registration.

Introduction: We studied changes in death statistics by deaths from diabetes mellitus (DM) after introduction of mandatory online death certificate (DC) submission in Norway.

Materials And Methods: Information on deaths with DM mentioned in the DCs from year 2017 (DCs submitted on paper) to 2022 (DCs submitted online) was collected from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry (NCoDR), Sex, age, year of death and type of DC (paper (pDC) vs electronic (eDC)) was registered. In DCs with DM as underlying cause of death (UCOD), all codes (International classification of diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10)), their original position in the DC and place of death were collected.

Effect of pelvic floor muscle training on urinary incontinence symptoms in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Urinary incontinence (UI) is common in women of all age groups, but postmenopausal women (MW) have a higher incidence of these symptoms. The International Continence Society suggests that women with UI should first try a conservative treatment, such as pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), which aims to enhance the strength and rectify the activation patterns of the pelvic floor muscles. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of PFMT, either on its own, or in conjunction with other physical therapy, in reducing the severity of UI symptoms in MW.

Upadacitinib for Induction of Remission in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis: An International Multi‑center Study.

Background And Aims: Data on upadacitinib therapy in children with ulcerative colitis (UC) or unclassified inflammatory bowel disease (IBD-U) are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib as an induction therapy in pediatric UC or IBD-U.

Methods: In this multicenter retrospective study, children treated with upadacitinib for induction of remission of active UC or IBD-U from 30 centers worldwide were enrolled.

Longitudinal Fecal Microbiota Profiles in A Cohort of Non-Hospitalized Adolescents and Young Adults with COVID-19: Associations with SARS-CoV-2 Status and Long-Term Fatigue.

Adolescents most often experience mild acute COVID-19, but may still face fatigue and persistent symptoms such as post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) and post-infective fatigue syndrome (PIFS). We explored the fecal microbiota of SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative non-hospitalized adolescents and young adults (12-25 years of age) in the "Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 in Adolescents" (LoTECA) project, a longitudinal observational cohort study. With a targeted qPCR approach, the quantities of 100 fecal bacterial taxa were measured at baseline (early convalescent stage) in 145 SARS-CoV-2-positive and 32 SARS-CoV-2 negative participants and after six months in 107 of the SARS-CoV-2-positive and 19 of the SARS-CoV-2 negative participants.

Burning Mouth Syndrome May Essentially Be Related To Psychoneuroimmunology: Mechanism Hypothesis.

Background: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic intraoral dysesthesia with elusive aetiology, only few studies have been carried out on immune function in BMS patients. We aimed to investigate the role immune function paly in the pathogenesis of BMS by psychoneuroimmunology (PNI).

Method: We recruited 44 BMS patients and 31 controls.

Medical treatment of primary sclerosing cholangitis: What have we learned and where are we going?

It has proven difficult to establish robust evidence for significant clinical benefits of medical treatment in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). For ursodeoxycholic acid, clinical practice guidelines only offer vague recommendations, leading to a situation of variable prescription rates depending on local reimbursement policies and physician preference. The difficulty in drug development in PSC is partly related to a poor understanding of critical disease processes with failure to identify relevant mechanisms of action of putative drugs.

from six European countries reveals differences in profile and distribution of critical antimicrobial resistance determinants within One Health compartments, 2013 to 2020.

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat. Monitoring using an integrated One Health approach is essential to detect changes in AMR occurrence.AimWe aimed to detect AMR genes in pathogenic and commensal collected 2013-2020 within monitoring programmes and research from food animals, food (fresh retail raw meat) and humans in six European countries, to compare vertical and horizontal transmission.

International practice patterns and perspectives on endovascular therapy for the treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis.

Background: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) accounts for 0.5-1% of all strokes. The role of endovascular therapy (EVT) in the management of CVT remains controversial and variations in practice patterns are not well known.

Collagenase Versus Needle Fasciotomy for Primary Metacarpophalangeal Dupuytren Contracture: Five-Year Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Collagenase (CCH) and percutaneous needle fasciotomy (PNF) are 2 treatment options for Dupuytren disease. The purpose of this study was to compare these 2 methods in terms of clinical and patient-reported outcomes.

Methods: Eighty patients (median age, 72 years; 83% male) with a single-digit primary metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint contracture of ≥30° were randomized to either CCH or PNF and followed for 5 years.

EQ-5D-5L value set for Norway: a hybrid model using cTTO and DCE data.

Purpose: To develop the Norwegian value set for the EQ-5D-5L based on interviews with a representative sample of the Norwegian adult population.

Methods: Random and quota sampling were used to recruit the sample of adults (age> 18 years) representative of the Norwegian general population. Data collection followed EQ-VT 2.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Concomitant Focal Cartilage Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prognosis after Surgical Treatment.

Objective: To synthesize available evidence on the impact of concomitant focal cartilage lesions and their surgical treatment on clinical outcomes in the setting of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-reconstruction at short (6-36 months) and midterm (3-8 years) follow-up.

Design: Original level 1 or 2 studies comparing any patient-reported or objective outcomes in ACL-reconstructed patients (1) with and without concomitant focal cartilage lesion(s) or (2) after any type of cartilage surgical treatment were considered for inclusion. Systematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE via Ovid, Cochrane Library, EMBASE via OvidSP, and Web of Science.

Hospital nurses and physicians' experiences practicing patient safety work to recognize deteriorating patients: a qualitative study.

Background: Measures to increase patient safety work aim to prevent patient harm and injuries in hospitals and are a priority worldwide. Several hospitals have implemented various rapid response systems to strengthen patient safety. Knowledge is limited concerning how health professionals interact and how they experience competence development and master emergency situations.

Treatment uptake among notified cases of hepatitis C virus infection in Norway, 1990 to 2022: a registry-based study to monitor progress towards elimination.

BackgroundHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is targeted for elimination as a public health threat by 2030. The World Health Organization goal for treatment uptake is ≥ 80% among cases diagnosed with an active HCV infection (RNA- or core antigen-positive), maintained for 2 years.AimTo calculate treatment uptake, time from diagnosis to treatment start and complete treatment dispensation among notified cases of HCV infection in Norway.

Effectiveness and Safety of Shorter Incontinence Slings.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Traditional slings, tension-free vaginal tape obturator inside-out (TVT-O) and tension-free vaginal tape (TVT), have well-documented continence outcomes but can cause serious complications. This study was aimed at evaluating whether slings with less synthetic material, Ajust™ and TVT-O Abbrevo™ (TVT-A), have comparable 6- to 12-month failure and complication rates, including risk of prolonged postoperative pain, compared with traditional slings.

Methods: A registry study from the Norwegian Female Incontinence Registry (NFIR) including 611 Ajust™, 2,772 TVT-A, and 18,612 traditional slings was carried out.

Selection of optimal extraction and RT-PCR protocols for stool RNA detection of colorectal cancer associated immune genes.

There is a growing interest in using fecal mRNA transcripts as biomarkers for non-invasive detection of colorectal cancer (CRC). The following study compares different RNA extraction and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) methods for mRNA detection in stool and identifies a robust and sensitive protocol. A combination of the Stool total RNA purification kit (Norgen) and the Superscript III one-step RT-PCR kit (Invitrogen) provided high RNA purity and sensitive and consistent mRNA detection, making them well-suited candidates for large-scale studies.

Do Women with Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse Receive Optimal First-Line Treatment?

Introduction And Hypothesis: There is scant knowledge on previous pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) in women with urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) referred to hospitals. We hypothesized that women with predominately UI and POP had not received optimal primary care conservative management.

Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey among women attending a gynecological outpatient's clinic.

Fatigue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease in remission one year after diagnosis (the IBSEN III study).

Background And Aims: Fatigue is commonly observed in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), but its association to achieving remission is not clearly established. In this study we describe the odds for fatigue in patients with CD/UC one year after diagnosis based on different definitions of remission and identified factors associated with chronic fatigue (CF) among patients in endoscopic/radiological remission.

Methods: Patients ≥18 years with CD/UC were recruited from the IBSEN III cohort.

B Cells With Complementary B Cell Receptors Can Kill Each Other.

B cells differentiate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow (BM) and migrate as transitional cells to the spleen where final maturation takes place. Due to the enormous diversity in variable (V) regions of B cell receptors for antigen (BCR), B cells with complementary BCRs are likely to be generated. These could encounter each other in the BM or in secondary lymphoid organs.

Comparing assisting technologies for proficiency in cardiac morphology: 3D printing and mixed reality versus CT slice images for morphological understanding of congenital heart defects by medical students.

Learning cardiac morphology largely involves spatial abilities and studies indicate benefits from innovative 3D visualization technologies that speed up and increase the learning output. Studies comparing these teaching tools and their educational output are rare and few studies include complex congenital heart defects. This study compared the effects of 3D prints, mixed reality (MR) viewing of 3D meshes and standard cardiac CT slice images on medical students' understanding of complex congenital heart defect morphology, measuring both objective level of understanding and subjective educational experience.

An exploratory study of metabolomics in endogenous and cannabis-use-associated psychotic-like experiences in adolescence.

In adolescence, psychotic-like experiences (PLE) may indicate potential prodromal symptoms preceding the onset of psychosis. Metabolomic studies have shown promise in providing valuable insights into predicting psychosis with enhanced precision compared to conventional clinical features. This study investigated metabolomic alterations associated with PLE in 76 depressed adolescents aged 14-20 years.