Implications of Timanian thrust systems in the Barents Sea and Svalbard on using paleontological constraints for plate tectonics reconstructions.

Background: The Svalbard Archipelago is commonly believed to have been located at comparable latitude and, possibly, to have been attached to Laurentia in the early Paleozoic (500-420 Ma) based on trilobite assemblage similarities. Trilobite assemblage differences and lack of mixing between Laurentia-Svalbard and Baltica were further used to propose that these continents were separated by the Iapetus Ocean at that time. However, recent structural correlation of Timanian (650-550 Ma) thrust systems throughout the Barents Sea show that Svalbard was already attached to Baltica in the latest Neoproterozoic and remained so during the Phanerozoic.

[Not Available].

Background: Common bile duct stones occur in 2-12 % of all patients who undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Laparoscopic transcystic extraction of bile duct stones as a one-step procedure is an alternative to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), with comparable success and complication rates. The study aimed to survey the clinical course in patients who underwent transcystic stone extraction and cholecystectomy simultaneously.

[Not Available].

Good sexual health promotes quality of life and coping skills, and this also applies to older adults. This clinical review article presents updated knowledge on older adults' sexuality, normal challenges related to ageing and conjugal relationships, and sexual challenges caused by chronic diseases, adverse effects of medications, and cognitive failure. The review describes measures to improve sexual health.

Scoutknife: A naïve, whole genome informed phylogenetic robusticity metric.

The phylogenetic bootstrap, first proposed by Felsenstein in 1985, is a critically important statistical method in assessing the robusticity of phylogenetic datasets. Core to its concept was the use of pseudo sampling - assessing the data by generating new replicates derived from the initial dataset that was used to generate the phylogeny. In this way, phylogenetic support metrics could overcome the lack of perfect, infinite data.

Medication error with methotrexate.

Background: A woman in her seventies presented to the accident and emergency department (A&E) with shortness of breath that had increased over a period of three weeks. She had a history of COPD, hypertension and polymyalgia rheumatica. A medication error involving methotrexate, used for autoimmune diseases, was discovered during her medical history review.

[Visual impairment in Parkinson’s disease].

Parkinson's disease is characterised by the core motor symptoms: bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor. The disease also has a number of non-motor symptoms, such as visual impairment. Patients may experience blurred vision, sensitivity to light, difficulties in reading, and a subjective feeling of rapid eye fatigue.

[Vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic among young people with an ethnic background in east Oslo – a qualitative study].

Background: Few studies have been conducted on young people's attitudes to the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic. We wished to examine how young people with an ethnic minority background decided whether to have the COVID-19 vaccine, based on the concept of vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitancy involves uncertainty with regard to vaccination, irrespective of the decision taken.

Treating status epilepticus in adults.

This clinical review examines the treatment of status epilepticus, a condition in which epileptic seizures are prolonged and pose a significant risk of brain damage and death. International guidelines recommend the use of benzodiazepines as first-line treatment, and these should be administered promptly and in appropriate doses. Second-line treatment involves the use of high-dose anti-seizure medications to stop and prevent seizures.

[Mental disorders and symptoms with persistent opioid use for chronic non-cancer pain – a registry study].

Background: Knowledge of mental disorders among patients with persistent opioid use for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain is essential, as mental disorders and symptoms can exacerbate or perpetuate pain and impact on the ability of patients to manage their illness. We have studied the prevalence of mental disorders and symptoms, including substance use disorders, in patients with persistent opioid use in 2019.

Material And Method: Persons ≥ 18 years with persistent opioid use and persons ≥ 18 years with at least one registered mental disorder in the specialist healthcare service in 2019 were included.

A woman in her forties with ear pain.

Background: A woman in her forties developed intermittent pain in her ear and pharynx which worsened when talking and swallowing. Multidisciplinary approach confirmed a rare diagnosis.

Case Presentation: The patient reported left-sided ear fullness, followed by otalgia and burning pain in the palate.

Pregnant women with acute respiratory distress syndrome triggered by COVID-19.

Background: Pregnant women with COVID-19 are probably at increased risk of serious illness. The objective of this study was to describe the course of illness in pregnant women admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with acute respiratory distress syndrome triggered by COVID-19.

Material And Method: Pregnant women with COVID-19 were registered on admission to an ICU at Rikshospitalet, Oslo University Hospital in the period March 2020 to May 2023.

Reducing unwarranted variation: can a 'clinical dashboard' be helpful for hospital executive boards and top-level leaders?

Background/aim: In the past decades, there has been an increasing focus on defining, identifying and reducing unwarranted variation in clinical practice. There have been several attempts to monitor and reduce unwarranted variation, but the experience so far is that these initiatives have failed to reach their goals. In this article, we present the initial process of developing a safety, quality and utilisation rate dashboard ('clinical dashboard') based on a selection of data routinely reported to executive boards and top-level leaders in Norwegian specialist healthcare.

Frailty, health literacy and self-care in patients admitted with acute heart failure.

Background: There is limited knowledge from Norway on clinical characteristics, self-care and health literacy in patients admitted to hospital with acute heart failure. Our aim was to identify these factors in this group.

Material And Method: We included patients admitted with acute heart failure over a period of six months (2022/2023) at Drammen Hospital and Vestfold Hospital Trust.

[Can pregnancy terminations explain the decline in the birth rate?].

Background: Birth rates in Norway are declining, and fewer women are having more than two children. Pregnancy termination may impact birth rates. We aimed to study the distribution of pregnancies in Norway according to parity, and whether the proportions of pregnancies ending in termination has changed.

[Primary sclerosing cholangitis].

Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a severe liver disease and a leading cause of liver transplantation in Scandinavia. This clinical review article examines recently revised recommendations on diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of patients with this disease. Treatment of symptoms, assessment of fibrosis and monitoring for the development of cancer in the liver and bowel are central.

[A woman in her sixties who no longer recognised what she saw].

Background: Neurological disorders can present with a vast array of visual disturbances. The constellation of symptoms and findings in this patient prompted workup for unusual causes of both stroke and neurodegenerative disorder.

Case Presentation: A woman in her sixties presented with visual disturbances, followed by weakness in her right arm and aphasia three days later.

Single anastomosis gastric bypass for morbid obesity.

Background: Mini-gastric bypass is a new surgical method for the treatment of morbid obesity. The method was introduced at Oslo University Hospital in 2016.

Material And Method: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospective data collected over a two-year period following mini-gastric bypass between 1 March 2016 and 1 April 2021.

[Treatment of older patients with acute myelogenous leukaemia without allogenic stem cell transplantation at Akershus University Hospital].

Background: It is uncertain what the best treatment is for older patients with acute myeloid leukaemia who are not candidates for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The purpose of the study was to examine the treatment practices for this patient group at Akershus University Hospital, as well as survival according to treatment choices and the genetic risk of a tumour.

Material And Method: The study is based on a review of the medical records of patients aged 65 and older with recently diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia treated without allogeneic stem cell transplantation at Akershus University Hospital from 1 January 2006 to 1 January 2021.

Lung transplantation in Norway 1999-2020.

Background: Since 2009, patients with a rapidly progressing lung disease have been given a higher priority on the waiting list for a lung transplant. The purpose of our study was to examine diagnosis distribution, waiting list times, mortality and survival for patients on the waiting list in the period 1999-2020.

Material And Method: We conducted a descriptive, retrospective study of patients on the waiting list for a lung transplant in the periods 1999-2008 and 2009-2020.

[Do the Directorate of Health’s guidelines adhere to international standards for trustworthy clinical practice?].

Background: The Norwegian Directorate of Health produces national clinical guidelines for the health service, and the development of guidelines must follow international standards for trustworthy clinical practice. We investigated whether the standards are being adhered to.

Material And Method: We used the National Guideline Clearinghouse Extent Adherence to Trustworthy Standards Instrument (NEATS) as the scoring tool and assessed a randomly selected chapter from national clinical guidelines that were published or updated during the period 2013 to January 2022.

A woman in her fifties with cirrhosis of the liver and postural dyspnoea.

A woman in her fifties with advanced cirrhosis of the liver was admitted multiple times with recurrent pleural effusion and ascites. She was accepted for liver transplantation, at which time she developed postural dyspnoea and a drop in oxygen saturation.