| 1. |
- Bauer, A, et al.
(author)
-
How COVID-19 changed clinical research strategies: a global survey
- 2022
-
In: The Journal of international medical research. - : SAGE Publications. - 1473-2300 .- 0300-0605. ; 50:4, s. 3000605221093179-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Clinical research has faced new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to excessive operational demands affecting all stakeholders. We evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on clinical research strategies and compared different adaptations by regulatory bodies and academic research institutions in a global context, exploring what can be learned for possible future pandemics. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey and identified and assessed different COVID-19-specific adaptation strategies used by academic research institutions and regulatory bodies. Results All 19 participating academic research institutions developed and followed similar strategies, including preventive measures, manpower recruitment, and prioritisation of COVID-19 projects. In contrast, measures for centralised management or coordination of COVID-19 projects, project preselection, and funding were handled differently amongst institutions. Regulatory bodies responded similarly to the pandemic by implementing fast-track authorisation procedures for COVID-19 projects and developing guidance documents. Quality and consistency of the information and advice provided was rated differently amongst institutions. Conclusion Both academic research institutions and regulatory bodies worldwide were able to cope with challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic by developing similar strategies. We identified some unique approaches to ensure fast and efficient responses to a pandemic. Ethical concerns should be addressed in any new decision-making process.
|
|
| 2. |
- Duberg, Anna, 1976-, et al.
(author)
-
The effects of a dance intervention on somatic symptoms and emotional distress in adolescent girls : A randomized controlled trial
- 2020
-
In: Journal of international medical research. - : Sage Publications. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300. ; 48:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To investigate whether a dance intervention for adolescent girls reduces stressrelated symptoms.Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial of an after-school intervention. Participants were 112 girls aged 13 to 18 years with stress-related somatic symptoms and emotional distress. The intervention comprised twice-weekly dance sessions for 8 months with a focus on enjoyment and socialization. A questionnaire was administered at baseline and after 8, 12 and 20 months. Participants rated the frequency with which they had experienced somatic symptoms and emotional distress during the previous 3 months.Results: After the intervention, there was a significantly greater reduction in somatic symptoms and emotional distress in the dance intervention group than in the control group. The difference in the mean score change on a 5-point scale was 0.26 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.04 to 0.47) for somatic symptoms and 0.30 (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.58) for emotional distress.Conclusion: Dance interventions may reduce somatic symptoms and emotional distress in adolescent girls, and may constitute a nonpharmacological complement to school health services. However, continued participation is needed for long-term sustainable results. Additional randomized studies are required to further evaluate the effect of this type of intervention in different settings.
|
|
| 3. |
- Edvinsson, Marie, et al.
(author)
-
No evidence of Chlamydia pneumoniae in the synovia of patients with osteoarthritis
- 2019
-
In: Journal of international medical research. - : Sage Publications. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300. ; 47:2, s. 635-640
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of disability affecting millions of people of all ages worldwide. The pathogenesis involves an inflammatory component, but the cause of the inflammation remains incompletely understood. The intracellular bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis and C. pneumoniae have been demonstrated in patients with reactive arthritis. Both of these microorganisms can cause chronic and persistent infections, with C. trachomatis being the most common cause of reactive arthritis. This study was performed to investigate the presence of C. pneumoniae in a large number of patients with primary OA.METHODS: The study included 75 patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty. During surgery, a synovial biopsy was performed and synovial fluid drawn. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of C. pneumoniae was run on all patients, and real-time PCR of bacterial 16S rDNA was conducted on 30 of the 75 patients to screen for the presence of other bacteria.RESULTS: Real-time PCR showed no evidence of the presence of C. pneumoniae in the patients' specimens, nor were other bacteria detected.CONCLUSIONS: Although an inflammatory component is part of the pathogenesis of OA, we found no evidence indicating that C. pneumoniae is a stimulator of that inflammation.
|
|
| 4. |
- Eriksson, Hannah K., MD, et al.
(author)
-
Low accuracy in preoperative tissue biopsies for diagnosing chronic periprosthetic joint infection : an observational retrospective single-centre study
- 2023
-
In: Journal of international medical research. - : Sage Publications. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300. ; 51:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective Diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) can be challenging. The ability to distinguish between septic and aseptic failure of a joint prosthesis is crucial for treatment strategy optimisation and prognosis prediction. Preoperative tissue cultures are included in many diagnostic algorithms; however, studies report different degrees of concordance (63%-85%) with intraoperative cultures. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic performance of tissue biopsies in the preoperative diagnostic process with the 2018 International Consensus Meeting criteria as a reference and to describe the concordance between microbiological findings in pre- and intraoperative biopsies.Methods This observational retrospective study included 44 patients requiring revision surgery of a total hip or knee arthroplasty, where the diagnostic workup included biopsies of periprosthetic tissue. The accuracy of preoperative biopsies was calculated, and concordance between microbiological findings in pre- and intraoperative biopsies was described.Results The accuracy was 59%, with a sensitivity of 50% and specificity of 79%. Full concordance between microbiological findings in pre- and intraoperative biopsies was found in 64% of the cases.Conclusion An open biopsy of periprosthetic tissue cannot reliably confirm or exclude PJI, and, therefore, should not be performed.
|
|
| 5. |
- Farrants, Kristin, et al.
(author)
-
Sick leave before and after the age of 65 years among those in paid work in Sweden in 2000 or 2005 : a register-based cohort study
- 2018
-
In: Journal of international medical research. - : SAGE Publications. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300. ; 46:2, s. 564-577
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective With pressure for older people to remain in work, research is needed on how people aged over 65 years fare in the labour market. However, few studies have focused on sick leave among older workers, especially those over the standard retirement age. This study investigated changes in sick-leave patterns among people aged over 65 years still in work.Methods All individuals in Sweden who turned 65 years old in 2000 or 2005 were followed from 1995 to 2010. The mean number of sick-leave days per year was measured for those who remained in paid work past the age of 65 years.Results Those over 65 years still working had fewer sick-leave days before the age of 65 years than those who retired. They also had fewer sick-leave days after 65 years than before. There were fewer socioeconomic differences after 65 years than before, but these differences were greater for workers over 65 years in the 2005 cohort.Conclusions Although there were more people over 65 years in paid work in 2005, sick-leave days and socioeconomic differences in sick leave were lower in this age group. Sick-leave days and socioeconomic differences in sick leave were greater in the 2005 cohort.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Fransson, Torbjörn, et al.
(author)
-
Drug-eluting balloon (DEB) versus plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) in the treatment of failing dialysis access : A prospective randomized trial
- 2022
-
In: Journal of International Medical Research. - : SAGE Publications. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300. ; 50:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To compare the efficacy of angioplasty using drug-eluting balloons (DEB) compared with plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) to reduce the rate of restenosis. Methods: This prospective, single-centre, single-blinded, 1:1 randomized, clinical trial enrolled patients that had primary or restenotic lesions in native upper extremity arteriovenous (AV) fistulas or at the graft-venous anastomosis. Patients were randomized to angioplasty with a POBA or a DEB. The primary effectiveness endpoints were freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR) and functional status of access circuit at 12 months. Results: A total of 42 (28 male, 14 female; age range, 42–83 years) patients were enrolled. Patients were followed for 12 months. No significant differences were detected between the POBA and DEB groups regarding total number of TLR procedures (31 versus 36, respectively), freedom from TLR (3 versus 4, respectively) and functional status of the access circuit at 12 months (14 of 20 patients [70%] versus 17 of 22 patients [77%], respectively). Conclusion: This clinical trial did not demonstrate any significant differences between DEB angioplasty and standard balloon angioplasty when treating dysfunctional haemodialysis access.
|
|
| 8. |
- Garmy, Pernilla, 1973-, et al.
(author)
-
Is sleep duration associated with self-reported overall health, screen time, and nighttime texting among adolescents?
- 2019
-
In: Journal of international medical research. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate whether sleep duration is associated with self-reported overall health, screen time, and nighttime texting among Swedish adolescents.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey of students (n = 1518) aged 13 to 15 years (50.7% girls) in southern Sweden.ResultsFewer than 8 hours sleep duration before a school day was reported by 31% of students. The median time spent watching television and/or at the computer was 3 hours, and 43% of students reported texting at night one or more times per week. Sleeping fewer than 8 hours was significantly associated with poorer self-reported overall health, often being tired at school, increased screen time, and a habit of nighttime texting.ConclusionsShort sleep duration (<8 hours) was associated with poor self-reported health, increased screen time, and nighttime texting among respondents. These results provide information for parents, educators, and school health professionals to encourage young people to adopt healthy screen habits and sleep hygiene.
|
|
| 9. |
- Garmy, Pernilla, et al.
(author)
-
Is sleep duration associated with self-reported overall health, screen time, and nighttime texting among adolescents?
- 2020
-
In: Journal of International Medical Research. - : SAGE Publications. - 1473-2300 .- 0300-0605. ; 48:3, s. 1-8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate whether sleep duration is associated with self-reported overall health, screen time, and nighttime texting among Swedish adolescents.METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of students (n = 1518) aged 13 to 15 years (50.7% girls) in southern Sweden.RESULTS: Fewer than 8 hours sleep duration before a school day was reported by 31% of students. The median time spent watching television and/or at the computer was 3 hours, and 43% of students reported texting at night one or more times per week. Sleeping fewer than 8 hours was significantly associated with poorer self-reported overall health, often being tired at school, increased screen time, and a habit of nighttime texting.CONCLUSIONS: Short sleep duration (<8 hours) was associated with poor self-reported health, increased screen time, and nighttime texting among respondents. These results provide information for parents, educators, and school health professionals to encourage young people to adopt healthy screen habits and sleep hygiene.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hansson, Erika, et al.
(author)
-
Bullying, health complaints, and self-rated health among school-aged children and adolescents
- 2020
-
In: Journal of International Medical Research. - : SAGE Publications. - 0300-0605 .- 1473-2300. ; 48:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine whether health complaints and self-reported health were associated with bullying victimization in a large cohort of Icelandic children and adolescents. Methods: In this study, we used data from a school-based cross-sectional survey, specifically, the Icelandic contribution to the international research network Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC). The study population included all students throughout Iceland in grades 6, 8, and 10 (mean age 13 years, standard deviation 1.61). The participation rate was 84% (N = 11,018). Participating students completed an anonymous standardized questionnaire in their classrooms. Results: Bullying victimization was associated with feeling depressed (odds ratio 2.61), having difficulty falling asleep, dizziness, and low self-reported health. No differences were found between sex and age groups. Conclusions: Children and adolescents who are bullied appear to more often experience depression, difficulties falling asleep, dizziness, and poor health; however, health complaints were also relatively high among non-bullied children and adolescents. Bullying prevention measures must be implemented in children’s and adolescents’ social environments. In addition to assessing bullying interventions, further research should focus on methods of enhancing resilience in this population.
|
|
