<i><p>Background</i>: The immune response during P. falciparum infection is a two-edged sword, involving dysregulation of the inflammatory responses with several types of immune cells participating. Here we examined T-cell, monocyte/macrophage and neutrophil activation during P. falciparum infection by using soluble activation markers for these leukocyte subsets.</p> <i><p>Methods</i>: In a ...

<p><i>Study Design</i>: Retrospective administrative database study.</p> <p><i>Objective</i>: To assess temporal and regional trends, and length of hospital stay, in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) surgery in Norwegian public hospitals from 1999 to 2013.</p> <p><i>Summary of Background Data</i>: Studies from several countries have reported increasing rates of LSS surgery over the last decades. ...

<p><i>Introduction</i>: Increasing populations and an increasing incidence of mental health problems challenge many developing countries, including Ghana. Long distances, financial limitations, lack of mental health personnel, and pessimism about the effectiveness of treatment, make it difficult for people to access help. In 2011, only 0.3% of Ghana’s 25 million population received psychiatric ...

<i>Background</i>: The aim was to develop prediction rules that may guide early treatment decisions based on baseline clinical predictors of long-term unfavorable outcome in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). <p> <p><i>Methods</i>: In the Nordic JIA cohort, we assessed baseline disease characteristics as predictors of the following outcomes 8 years after disease onset. Non-achievement of ...

<i>Background:</i> Major incidents affect us globally, and are occurring with increasing frequency. There is still no evidence-based standard regarding the best medical emergency response to major incidents. Currently, reports on major incidents are non-standardised and variable in quality. This pilot study examines the first systematic reports from a consensus-based, freely accessible database, ...

Red cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of variability in size of circulating erythrocytes, is associated with arterial cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the impact of chronic inflammation as measured by high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) on this relationship, and explore whether RDW could be a mediator in the causal pathway between ...

INTRODUCTION: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) originates in the valvular sinuses of large veins in a local milieu characterized by stasis and severe hypoxia. This may induce complement- and coagulation activation, which potentially increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the activity of the complement pathways, the level of mannose-binding ...

<p><i>Background</i>: The inflammatory response following myocardial infarction (MI) is prerequisite for proper healing of infarcted tissue, but can also have detrimental effects on cardiac function. Interleukin (IL)-1α and IL-1β are potent inflammatory mediators and their bioactivity is tightly regulated by IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and soluble (s) IL-1 receptors (R). We aimed to examine ...

BACKGROUND: To describe the real burden of major complications after elective surgery for colon cancer in Norway, and to assess which predictors that are significantly associated with the short-term outcome. <br> <br> METHODS: An observational, multi-centre analysis of prospectively registered colon resections registered into the Norwegian Registry for Gastrointestinal Surgery, NoRGast, between ...

Red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE), but the underlying mechanism(s) is unclear. Iron deficiency is associated with high RDW, and studies suggest an association between iron deficiency and VTE. To assess whether iron deficiency is a risk factor for VTE that explains the association between RDW and VTE, we conducted a nested case-control study of 390 ...