Physical Activity Behavior and Its Association With Global Cognitive Function Three Months After Stroke: The Nor-COAST Study†.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to determine the association between physical activity (PA) behavior and global cognitive function 3 months after stroke and to explore the role of physical capacity as a mediating factor.

Methods: Participants with stroke were successively recruited at 5 different hospitals in Norway. PA was measured using accelerometers, with a follow-up period of 7 consecutive days, and global cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Discontinuation rate of sulfasalazine, leflunomide and methotrexate due to adverse events in a real-life setting (NOR-DMARD).

Objectives: MTX, LEF and SSZ are conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) with a well-established role in the treatment of RA. We aimed to estimate and compare the relative risks for adverse events (AEs) and the discontinuation of these drugs owing to AEs.

Methods: We included all 3339 patients from the NOR-DMARD study treated with MTX, LEF or SSZ in monotherapy.

Visualization of Small Intact Proteins in Breast Cancer FFPE Tissue.

Molecular visualization of metabolites, lipids, and proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) is becoming an in-demand analytical approach to aid the histopathological analysis of breast cancer. Particularly, proteins seem to play a role in cancer progression, and specific proteins are currently used in the clinic for staging. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are ideal for correlating the molecular markers with clinical outcomes due to their long-term storage.

Sample Preparation for Metabolite Detection in Mass Spectrometry Imaging.

Metabolites reflect the biological state of cells and tissue, and metabolomics is therefore a field of high interest both to understand normal physiological functions and disease development. When studying heterogeneous tissue samples, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is a valuable tool as it conserves the spatial distribution of analytes on tissue sections. A large proportion of metabolites are, however, small and polar, making them vulnerable to delocalizing through diffusion during sample preparation.

Alginate microbeads incorporated with anthocyanins from purple corn (Zea mays L.) using electrostatic extrusion: Microencapsulation optimization, characterization, and stability studies.

Microencapsulation of purple corn anthocyanins was carried out via an electrostatic extruder using alginate as a wall material. The influence of alginate concentration (1-2 %), extract concentration (20-30 %), and extrusion voltage (3-5 kV) on encapsulation efficiency and mean particle size was evaluated using response surface methodology. Optimal conditions were obtained to produce two different extract-loaded microbeads.

Retinal structure and visual pathway function at school age in children born extremely preterm: a population-based study.

Background: Children born extremely preterm (gestational age < 28 weeks) show reduced visual function even without any cerebral or ophthalmological neonatal diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to assess the retinal structure with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual function with pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs) in a geographically defined population-based cohort of school-aged children born extremely preterm. Moreover, we aimed to explore the association between measures of retinal structure and visual pathway function in this cohort.

Dissociating distinct cortical networks associated with subregions of the human medial temporal lobe using precision neuroimaging.

Tract-tracing studies in primates indicate that different subregions of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) are connected with multiple brain regions. However, no clear framework defining the distributed anatomy associated with the human MTL exists. This gap in knowledge originates in notoriously low MRI data quality in the anterior human MTL and in group-level blurring of idiosyncratic anatomy between adjacent brain regions, such as entorhinal and perirhinal cortices, and parahippocampal areas TH/TF.

Practice patterns in diagnostics, staging, and management strategies of gallbladder cancer among Nordic tertiary centers.

Background And Objective: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare malignancy in the Nordic countries and no common Nordic treatment guidelines exist. This study aimed to characterize the current diagnostic and treatment strategies in the Nordic countries and disclose differences in these strategies.

Methods: This was a survey study with a cross-sectional questionnaire of all 19 university hospitals providing curative-intent surgery for GBC in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.

Can home care work be organized to promote health among the workers while maintaining productivity? An investigation into stakeholders' perspectives on organizational work redesign concepts based on the Goldilocks Work principles.

Background: Due to the aging population, the need for home care services is increasing in most Western countries, including Norway. However, the highly physical nature of this job could contribute to make recruiting and retaining qualified home care workers (HCWs) challenging. This issue may be overcome by adopting the Goldilocks Work principles, aiming at promoting workers' physical health by determining a "just right" balance between work demands and recovery periods while maintaining productivity.

Automatic tractography and segmentation using finsler geometry based on higher-order tensor fields.

Background And Objective: We focus on three-dimensional higher-order tensorial (HOT) images using Finsler geometry. In biomedical image analysis, these images are widely used, and they are based on the diffusion profiles inside the voxels. The diffusion information is stored in the so-called diffusion tensor D.

Fecal Fungal Microbiota (Mycobiome) Study as a Potential Tool for Precision Medicine in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

There is growing evidence of the role of fungal microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fungi can exert direct pro-inflammatory effects or modify the bacterial composition via interkingdom interactions. Although several studies have demonstrated alterations in the fecal fungal microbiota composition in IBD, there is a wide variation in the mycobiome in different populations, with no definite pattern that can define the mycobiome in IBD having yet been identified.

Quality of care in the oncological outpatient setting: Individual interviews with people receiving cancer treatment.

Purpose: To describe how patients receiving cancer treatment perceive quality of care in the oncological outpatient settings.

Method: A strategic sample of 20 adult patients with cancer treated in four oncological outpatient settings in four hospitals in Sweden participated in the study. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions.

Transcriptional development of the hippocampus and the dorsal-intermediate-ventral axis in rats.

Risk and resilience for neuropsychiatric illnesses are established during brain development, and transcriptional markers of risk may be identifiable in early development. The dorsal-ventral axis of the hippocampus has behavioral, electrophysiological, anatomical, and transcriptional gradients and abnormal hippocampus development is associated with autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and mood disorders. We previously showed that differential gene expression along the dorsoventral hippocampus in rats was present at birth (postnatal day 0, P0), and that a subset of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was present at all postnatal ages examined (P0, P9, P18, and P60).

High physical activity in persons with psoriatic arthritis is associated with reduced visceral fat mass and percentage body fat: the Trøndelag Health study.

The associations of physical activity (PA) with body composition among persons with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are not well described. The objective was to investigate associations of PA with visceral fat mass and percentage body fat in persons with PsA of different age groups. Persons with PsA (CASPAR criteria, n = 356), and controls (n = 47,470) from the Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4, 2017-2019) were included.

Following the Fate of Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenases under Oxidative Conditions by NMR Spectroscopy.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are copper-dependent enzymes that catalyze oxidative cleavage of polysaccharides, such as cellulose and chitin. LPMO catalysis requires a reductant, such as ascorbic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, which can be generated in situ in the presence of molecular oxygen and various electron donors. While it is known that reduced LPMOs are prone to autocatalytic oxidative damage due to off-pathway reactions with the oxygen co-substrate, little is known about the structural consequences of such damage.

Children's acquisition of word order variation: A study of subject placement in embedded clauses in Norwegian.

Norwegian embedded clauses give children two options for subject placement: preceding or following negation (S-Neg/Neg-S). In the adult language, S-Neg is the 'default' and highly frequent option, and Neg-S is infrequent in children's input. However, Neg-S may be argued to be the structurally less complex.

Evaluation of pre-diagnostic blood protein measurements for predicting survival after lung cancer diagnosis.

Background: To evaluate whether circulating proteins are associated with survival after lung cancer diagnosis, and whether they can improve prediction of prognosis.

Methods: We measured up to 1159 proteins in blood samples from 708 participants in 6 cohorts. Samples were collected within 3 years prior to lung cancer diagnosis.

Calprotectin and CRP as biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with chronic kidney disease: a follow-up study at 5 and 10 years.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and low-grade inflammation are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Calprotectin, a protein mainly secreted by activated neutrophils during inflammatory conditions, has been linked to CVD risk in general populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of calprotectin with CVD risk in CKD patients, relative to C-reactive protein (CRP).

A glycan receptor kinase facilitates intracellular accommodation of arbuscular mycorrhiza and symbiotic rhizobia in the legume Lotus japonicus.

Receptors that distinguish the multitude of microbes surrounding plants in the environment enable dynamic responses to the biotic and abiotic conditions encountered. In this study, we identify and characterise a glycan receptor kinase, EPR3a, closely related to the exopolysaccharide receptor EPR3. Epr3a is up-regulated in roots colonised by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and is able to bind glucans with a branching pattern characteristic of surface-exposed fungal glucans.

Response Evaluation after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Resectable Gastric Cancer.

Background: The method of response evaluation following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in resectable gastric cancer has been widely debated. An essential prerequisite is the ability to stratify patients into subsets of different long-term survival rates based on the response mode. Histopathological measures of regression have their limitations, and interest resides in CT-based methods that can be used in everyday settings.

Physical Work Demands of Maintenance Workers on Onshore Petroleum Facilities in Norway: An Observational Study Utilizing Wearable Sensor Technology.

Objectives: High physical work demands can cause musculoskeletal disorders and sick leave in petroleum workers. However, our knowledge of their physical work demands is scarce and based on self-report. The objective of our study is to work towards closing this knowledge gap by assessing the physical work demands of onshore petroleum maintenance workers using body-worn sensors.

Multimodal individualised intervention to prevent functional decline after stroke: protocol of a randomised controlled trial on long-term follow-up after stroke (LAST-long).

Introduction: Multimodal interventions have emerged as new approaches to provide more targeted intervention to reduce functional decline after stroke. Still, the evidence is contradictory. The main objective of the Life After Stroke (LAST)-long trial is to investigate if monthly meetings with a stroke coordinator who offers a multimodal approach to long-term follow-up can prevent functional decline after stroke.

Projections of the insular cortex to orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortex: A tracing study in the rat.

The dense fiber pathways that connect the insular cortex with frontal cortices are thought to provide these frontal areas with interoceptive information, crucial for their involvement in executive functions. Using anterograde neuroanatomical tracing, we mapped the detailed organization of the projections from the rat insular cortex to its targets in orbitofrontal (OFC) and medial prefrontal (mPFC) cortex. In OFC, main insular projections distribute to lateral and medial parts, avoiding ventral parts.