The macro- and microstructural architecture of human brain white matter undergoes substantial alterations throughout development and ageing. Most of our understanding of the spatial and temporal characteristics of these ...

Cyclic GMP (cGMP) is a second messenger that regulate cardiovascular functions and therapies that increase cGMP shows beneficial effects. However, the mechanisms behind some of these effects in the heart are elusive. In ...

Zopiclone is a frequently prescribed hypnotic drug. Related to the therapeutic effects is impairment of cognitive functioning and psychomotor skills. The thesis is based on a double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, ...

Background With an increasing number of people with dementia worldwide and limited advancement in medical treatments, the call for new and cost-effective approaches is crucial. The utility of self-management ...

Background The transition period between child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) has been identified as an especially critical time for patients with anorexia nervosa. ...

The role of B cells in pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis has been of great interest to wide array of researchers after the introduction of B cell depleting therapies demonstrated significant effects on central nervous ...

Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland form the 5 culturally uniform Nordic countries. Each of the countries owns a high-standard tradition of individual steering in cardiothoracic education aiming at securing the ...

Action is urgently needed to achieve equity in maternal health care, especially since 99% of the annually estimated 300 000 maternal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. A woman’s health and wellbeing depend ...

Background Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) are common in participants of lung cancer screening trials and broad population-based cohorts. They are associated with increased mortality, but less is known about disease ...

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis have decreased quality of life. The prevalence of this disease is estimated at above ten percent in some studies. This poses a major socioeconomic challenge. The pathogenesis is still ...

Half of cancer patients are 70 years or older when they are diagnosed. These patients represent a heterogeneous group with respect to general health, comorbidity, physical and cognitive functioning, factors that may all ...

Background Prolonged labor might contribute to a negative birth experience and influence first-time mothers’ attitudes towards future pregnancies. Previous studies have not adjusted for possible confounding factors, such ...

Treatment of liver tumors is often multi-modal including systemic chemotherapy and surgical interventions. However, for many patients surgery is not an option, and in some tumors the clinical effect of systemic chemotherapy ...

Background Central nervous system depressant medications (CNSDs) such as opioid analgesics and sedative-hypnotics are commonly prescribed to older patients for the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia. Yet, ...

Background Although many people experience loneliness in old age, there is little knowledge of predisposing personality factors. The aim of the present study was to explore to what extent personality traits ...

Background To report on our experience using a simple optional form to facilitate communication on late effects between the patients and the oncologists during outpatient follow-up and to detail on the spectrum of challenges ...

Objective: To determine how health-related rehabilitation services have been described in recently pub-lished randomized clinical trials, using the International Classification System for Service Organization in Health-Related ...

Mammography screening using conventional digital mammography (DM) has lower sensitivity and specificity in women with dense compared to non-dense breasts, as breast tissue can mask or imitate cancer. Digital breast ...

The health benefits associated with youth sports participation are well recognized. At the elite level, however, are these advantages in fact outweighed by an increased risk of injury and illness? There are strong opinions ...

Background Dispensations of benzodiazepines, z-hypnotics, and gabapentinoids to patients on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) are common and have pros and cons. The objectives of the current study are to define the dispensation ...

Background Low back pain is common and a significant number of patients experience chronic low back pain. Current treatment options offer small to moderate effects. Patients with vertebral bone marrow ...

Objective An inverse effect of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) on the occurrence of asthma is debated and early acquisition of H. pylori may be important. We analyzed sera from 197 children from Environment and Childhood ...

Patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) have a dysfunctional immune system leading to recurrent infections while also frequently suffering non-infectious autoimmune and inflammatory complications. These ...

Narcolepsy type 1 is a chronic neurological sleep disorder. In addition to the classical narcolepsy symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep hallucinations, sleep paralysis and loss of muscle tone when experiencing ...

Background Intraarticular corticosteroids (IACs) have been used to treat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis. However, prospective clinical studies with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scoring are ...

Background Economic analyses of end-of-life care often focus on single aspects of care in selected cohorts leading to limited knowledge on the total level of care required to patients at their end-of-life. ...

Background Well- and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (WD/DDLPS) are rare mesenchymal malignant tumors that account for 20% of all sarcomas in adults. The WD form is a low-grade malignancy with a favourable prognosis which may ...

Background There is a need for validated clinical risk scores to identify patients at risk of severe disease and to guide decision-making during the covid-19 pandemic. The National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) is widely ...

Background Mental health professionals usually decide patients’ access to inpatient care to ensure the rational and fair distribution of care based on need and prognosis. The purpose of the current study ...

Background Dementia is a care intensive disease, especially in the later stages, implying in many cases a substantial carer burden. This study assesses the use of formal and informal care resources among persons with ...

Background Few clinical trials have investigated the prevention of radiographic progression in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with antirheumatic drugs. This study aimed to investigate ...

Background Variation in the incidence, survival rate and factors associated with survival after cardiac arrest in Europe is reported. Some studies have tried to fill the knowledge gap regarding the epidemiology of ...

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a chronic rheumatic disease. The severity and disease course are highly variable and JIA can be a life-long disorder. The aims of this study were to assess patient-reported outcomes ...

Background A significant proportion of ischemic strokes are caused by emboli from atherosclerotic, unstable carotid artery plaques. The selection of patients for endarterectomy in current clinical practice is primarily ...

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which is characterized by an apparently normal development in the first 6 to 18 months of life, followed by loss of acquired skills. Our overall aim was to describe ...

Pediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are believed to be increasing due to the rapid surge in the number of children undergoing ACL reconstructive surgery. This trend is alarming due to the high risk of ...

Background Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is a predetermining factor for exclusive breastfeeding, and thus a foundation for optimal breastfeeding practices. Rates of EIBF are low globally (42%) and in Tanzania ...

The only long-term consequence of pulmonary embolism (PE) has for long been considered to be chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, which does not affect more than 2-4%. Recently some studies have revealed that ...

Cells have developed mechanisms to ensure that appropriate signaling is achieved and continued for the proper period of time. Deregulation of receptor signaling can result in diseases, including development of cancer. Among ...

Objective The Eating Disorder Assessment for DSM-5 (EDA-5) is an electronic, semi-structured interview developed to assess feeding and eating disorders following DSM-5 criteria. The original English version has strong ...

In the heart, activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases the force of contraction, heart rate and relaxation primarily through activation of β-adrenergic G-protein-coupled receptors (βAR). The β1AR is the ...

Modic changes are vertebral changes extending from the endplate visible on an MRI, and are associated with back pain. A randomized trial from 2013 concluded that 3 months oral amoxicillin/clavulanate treatment provide a ...

Background VascuQoL-6 (VQ-6) is a disease-specific quality of life (QoL) instrument validated for use in clinical practice and vascular registries before and after treatment for peripheral arterial disease (PAD). To improve ...

Background Joubert syndrome (JBTS) is a genetically heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental syndromes caused by primary cilia dysfunction. Usually the neurological presentation starts with abnormal neonatal ...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The treatment options for CRC remain limited, and diagnostic and therapeutic practices lack accuracy and predictive power. Despite ...

Background Studies on the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIT) compared with moderate intensity continuous training (MICT) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after heart transplantation (HTx) is scarce. ...

Epilepsy in women of childbearing age may be challenging due to potential harm posed by antiepileptic drugs and issues regarding contraception and fertility. Anette Huuse Farmen has studied birth rates, intrauterine growth, ...

Background Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is common in patients with eating disorders (EDs). There is a lack of research investigating the presence of ED symptoms among patients with OCD, despite ...

Background The study aimed to assess whether gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms at admission are associated with increased short-term mortality in patients with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). ...

Coronary artery disease is one of the leading causes of mortality in the western world, and early identification is essential to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. Patients with coronary artery disease range from ...

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is among the top 10 causes of mortality and the first killer among infectious diseases worldwide. One of the factors fuelling the TB epidemic is the global rise of multidrug resistant TB ...

Ongoing joint pain and back pain were associated with reduced quality of life and fatigue in IBD patients after 20 years of disease, whereas spondyloarthritis without ongoing joint symptoms did not have a negative impact ...

Purpose A clinical care pathway for pain management in a palliative care unit was studied with outcomes related to patients, physicians, and health care service. Mandatory use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) ...

Migraine is a common disorder, but there is still little knowledge about what causes it. However, it is likely to involve a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. The overall aim of the thesis was to ...

Background The thymus is a highly specialized organ of the immune system where T cell precursors develop and differentiate into self-tolerant CD4+ or CD8+ T cells. No studies to date have investigated how ...

Background Cognitive impairment (CI) with mixed vascular and neurodegenerative pathologies after stroke is common. The role of amyloid pathology in post-stroke CI is unclear. We hypothesize that amyloid ...

Introduction Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) carries an 86% mortality rate in Norway. Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a potential adjunct in management of non-traumatic cardiac ...

Abstract Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are important and the Gold Standard for drugs in modern cardiovascular (CV) therapy. The cornerstone of RCTs is the recording of hard clinical endpoints instead of ...

Background Focal cartilage defects (FCDs) in the knee joint has a high prevalence. A broad range of treatment options exists for symptomatic patients. Knowledge of patient compensation claims following surgical treatment ...

Breast cancer affects over 3500 women in Norway every year. Since the introduction of mammographic screening, early stage breast cancers are diagnosed more frequently and many of these are non-invasive with low potential ...

Background Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) targeting PD-1 or CTLA-4 has emerged as an important treatment modality for several cancer forms. In hormone receptor positive breast cancer (HR + BC), this ...

Patients with common psychiatric diseases like mood disorders and anxiety disorders have often been found to exhibit chronically elevated levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines when compared to healthy people. ...

By comparing morning salivary cortisol and health-related quality of life (QoL) in two-year-old toddlers, this study is a contribution to the understanding of the association between stress and early asthma development. ...

Background Cervical radiculopathy is usually caused by disc herniation or spondylosis. The prognosis is expected to be good in most patients, but there is limited scientific evidence on the indications for ...

Identification of biomarkers associated with protection from developing diabetic complications is a prerequisite for an effective prevention and treatment. The aim of the present study was to identify clinical and plasma ...

Background It is estimated that up to a third of patients on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Treatment by ADHD medication, including a centrally acting ...

During the prodromal phase of psychosis, individuals may experience an aberrant attribution of salience to irrelevant stimuli. The concept of aberrant salience has been hypothesized to be a central mechanism in the emergence ...

Background Family involvement for persons with psychotic disorders is under-implemented in mental health care, despite its firm scientific, economic, legal and moral basis. This appears to be the case in ...

Background Knowledge about the high rates of depression in people with visual impairment (VI) remains unclear. The study aimed to examine whether depressive symptoms in people with VI were associated with ...

Background Population-based reference data on frequently used questionnaires are important for comparative purposes. Due to changes in health and lifestyles, such data should be updated every other decade. The objectives ...

Purpose The pressure on healthcare budgets remains high, partially due to the ageing population. Economic evaluation can be a helpful tool to inform resource allocation in publicly financed systems. Such evaluations ...

Background Early risk stratification applying cardiac biomarkers may prove useful in sudden cardiac arrest patients. We investigated the prognostic utility of early-on levels of high sensitivity cardiac troponin-T (hs-cTnT), ...

Background Ageing is associated with worse treatment outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This association may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy that affects treatment efficacy. The aim of the current ...

Background Motivational negative symptoms hinder quality of life and daily functioning of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A recently developed intervention, Switch, has shown promising effects on negative ...

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often associated with life-long medical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes. Although long-lasting disabilities are expected, research on effective ...

Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures located at the end of chromosomes. Telomere length and the enzyme responsible for their elongation, telomerase, are essential for genome integrity by protecting chromosomal ends. ...

The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 del), also known as DiGeorge syndrome, is a genetic disorder with an estimated incidence of 1:3000 to 1:6000 births. These patients may suffer from affection of many organ systems ...

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative movement disorder with cognitive symptoms with similarities to Alzheimer´s disease. Mild cognitive impairment affects 15-20 % of patients in early stage. 80 % develop dementia ...

Ventricular arrhythmias are a major cause of sudden cardiac death among patients with chronic heart disease. Current treatments are ineffective and associated with several side effects, and new treatments targeting the ...

Congenital aniridia is primarily characterized by hypoplasia of the iris and the retinal fovea. Foveal hypoplasia is the main cause of congenital reduced vision. Keratopathy is common in aniridia, leading to considerable ...

Lung cancer is a common type of cancer in Norway. Many patients are diagnosed in advanced stages of disease and the long-time prognosis is poor. Research efforts during the last decades have resulted in novel treatment ...

Background Procalcitonin is an inflammatory biomarker that is sensitive for bacterial infections and a promising clinical decision aid in antimicrobial stewardship programs. However, there are few studies of physicians’ ...

Background Many studies detect associations between parent behaviour and child symptoms of anxiety and depression. Despite knowledge that anxiety and depression are influenced by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental ...

Presently, the health care service experiences increased expectations of patient involvement in decisions about treatment. Shared decision-making (SDM) is a conceptualization of patient involvement, described as a meeting ...

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among Norwegian men. Metastatic prostate adenocarcinomas are primarily treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Although this treatment is initially ...

Background Over the last two decades an increasing number of countries have legalized euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (EAS) leading to considerable debate over the inherent ethical dilemmas. ...

Background Chronic conditions present major health problems, affecting an increasing number of individuals who experience a variety of symptoms that impact their health related quality of life. Digital tools ...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multi-organ autoimmune disease with complex interactions between immune-mediated inflammatory processes and vascular pathology leading to small vessel obliteration, promoting uncontrolled ...

Background Creating a case formulation is an important and basic skill in psychotherapy meant to guide treatment. A patient’s interpersonal pattern is an essential part of a case formulation. Core Conflictual Relationship ...

Background Dispensations of opioid analgesics to patients on opioid agonist therapy (OAT) may increase the risk of overdoses. The current study’s objectives are to investigate the dispensation rates and mean daily doses ...

Background The prevailing Western ideal of ageing in place, with the option to stay at home as one ages, has led to the development of physical activity guidelines for people of advanced age to increase their quality of ...

While a lot is known about classical, anterograde neurotransmission, less is known about the mechanisms and molecules involved in retrograde neurotransmission. Our hypothesis is that N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG), the ...

Background BK Polyomavirus (BKPyV) causes premature graft failure in 1 to 15% of kidney transplant (KT) recipients. High-level BKPyV-viruria and BKPyV-DNAemia precede polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (PyVAN), and guide ...

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality is substantially higher in Russia than in neighbouring Norway. We aimed to compare blood pressure- and lipid-lowering medication use and proportion meeting treatment targets ...

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in burn patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Our primary aim was to review ...

Background Concerns have been raised that implants used in total hip replacements (THR) could lead to increased cancer risk. Several different materials, metals and fixation techniques are used in joint ...

Background The provision of epidural analgesia during labor is ideally a shared decision between the woman and her health care provider. However, immigrant characteristics such as maternal birthplace could affect decision-making ...

Background Symptomatic spinal stenosis (SSS) is a well-known medical complication in achondroplasia. The reported prevalence of SSS is 10 to 30%, an estimate based on small studies or selected populations. No population-based ...

Background Cancer patient pathways (CPPs) were implemented in 2015 to reduce waiting time, regional variation in waiting time, and to increase the predictability of cancer care for the patients. The aims of this study were ...

Antibiotic resistance is one of the major challenges facing modern medicine worldwide. The past few decades have witnessed rapid progress in our understanding of the multiple factors that affect the emergence and spread ...