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While marine reefs are degraded globally, the responses of fish to marine reef restoration remain uncertain, particularly in temperate waters. This study measured the effect of marine boulder reef restoration on the behaviour of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., in a Natura 2000 area using acoustic telemetry. Cod were tagged and released in the study area before and after the restoration and tracked continuously for six months. A larger fraction of the released fish remained in the study area after restoration (94%) than before (53%). Moreover, throughout the study period, cod spent significantly more hours per day and prolonged their residence time in the study area after the restoration. The study indicates that marine reefs subjected to boulder extraction can be restored and function as favourable cod habitats. Temperate marine boulder reef restoration represents a valuable management tool to improve habitats for temperate fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the quality of self-care in patients receiving replacement therapy with hydrocortisone for primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency.Design: A questionnaire-based survey.Setting: The outpatient Clinic of Endocrinology at the University Hospital in Herlev, Denmark.Subjects: Ninety-seven patients identified from the case reports of the clinic. All patients had received repeated oral information about hydrocortisone treatment and dose adjustments. Eighty-four (87%) patients completed the questionnaire.Main Outcome Measures: Ability to act appropriately in case of physical stress, possession of a 'Steroid warning card', number and nature of episodes of physical stress during the past year and self-experienced level of information was recorded.Results: Thirty-nine (46%) of the patients were not sufficiently skilled in coping with physical stress. This was more prominent in the elderly patients. Seventeen (20%) did not possess a 'steroid warning card'. Thirty-seven (44%) had experienced at least one febrile episode and 24 (29%) had been admitted to hospital during the past year. Fifty (60%) felt themselves to be well informed, but this did not correlate with the ability to act appropriately.Conclusions: The study shows the need for continuous education of patients with adrenal insufficiency. Oral instructions should be supplemented with written information or a more detailed and structured education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to validate previously reported associations between microarray gene expression levels and pork quality traits using real-time PCR. Meat samples and meat quality data from 100 pigs were collected from a different pig breed to the one tested by microarray (Large White versus Pietrain) and a different country of origin (Denmark versus Germany). Ten genes ( CARP, MB, CSRP3, TNNC1, VAPB, TNNI1, HSPB1, TNNT1, TIMP-1, RAD-like) were chosen from the original microarray study on the basis of the association between gene expression levels and the meat quality traits meat %, back fat, pH24, drip loss %, colour a*, colour b*, colour L*, WB-SF, SFA, MUFA, PUFA. Real-time PCR detection methods were developed for validation of all ten genes, confirming association with drip loss (two of two genes), ultimate pH (three of four genes), a* (redness) (two of six genes) and L*(lightness) (two of four genes). Furthermore, several new correlations for MUFA and PUFA were established due to additional meat quality trait information on fatty acid composition not available for the microarray study. Regression studies showed that the maximum explanation of the phenotypic variance of the meat quality traits was 50% for the ultimate pH trait using these ten genes only. Additional studies showed that the gene expression of several of the genes was correlated with each other. We conclude that the genes initially selected from the microarray study were robust, explaining variances of the genes for the meat quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth hormone ( GH) and insulin-like growth factor I ( IGF-I) receptors are present on pituitary gonadotrophs and on testicular Leydig and Sertoli cells. Thus, the GH/ IGF-I system may modulate the pituitary-gonadal axis in males. This is a randomized cross-over study. Eight healthy male volunteers (mean age 35, range 29-46 years) were treated with GH for 3 weeks (1st week 0.01, 2nd week 0.02, 3rd week 0.03 mg/day/kg) or a GH receptor antagonist (Pegvisomant) (1st week 10, last 2 weeks 15 mg/day), separated by 8 weeks of washout. Before and after the two treatment periods, concentrations of luteinizing hormone ( LH), follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, oestradiol, sex hormone-binding globulin, inhibin B and Anti-Müllerian Hormone ( AMH) were measured. During GH treatment, IGF-I increased [(median ( IQR)] 166 (162-235) vs. 702 (572-875) μg/L, p < 0.001) together with oestradiol [(mean ± SD) 78 ± 23 vs. 111 ± 30 p m, p = 0.019], and the oestradiol/testosterone ratio ( p = 0.003). By contrast, AMH (42 ± 14 vs. 32 ± 7 p m, p = 0.018), Inhibin B (211 (146-226) vs. 176 (129-204) ng/L, p = 0.059) and LH (3.8 ± 1.5 vs. 3.2 ± 1.2 U/L, p = 0.096) decreased. During pegvisomant treatment IGF-I (204 (160-290) vs. 106 (97-157) μg/L, p = 0.001) and oestradiol (86 ± 28 vs. 79 ± 25 p m, p = 0.060) decreased. No significant changes or trends in the other reproductive hormones occurred during the two treatment regimens. GH/ IGF-I activity was positively associated with serum oestradiol, suggesting that GH/ IGF-I stimulates aromatase activity in vivo. As a novel observation, we found that high GH activity was associated with reduced levels of the Sertoli cell marker AMH. Further studies are needed to evaluate possible effects of GH on Sertoli cell function and/or spermatogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims This prospective, cross-sectional study aimed to assess cancer pain and its management in an inpatient setting at a comprehensive cancer centre in Denmark. Methods One hundred and eighty-eight inpatients with cancer were invited to participate ( May/ June 2011). Demographics, diagnoses, World Health Organization performance status, health-related quality of life, pain and data regarding analgesic treatment were registered. Results One hundred and thirty-four (71.3%) patients agreed to participate in the study. Most frequent diagnoses were leukaemia (27.6%) and lung cancer (14.2%). A high prevalence of pain was observed, 65.7%. Thirty-two per cent reported moderate to severe pain when it was at its worst, 96% reported no or mild pain when it was at its least. Nearly 22% reported moderate to severe pain when the pain was categorised as average. Breakthrough pain episodes were reported by 30.5%. Adjuvant medication was sparsely used and not always correctly indicated. Out of 88 patients with pain, 62.5% were left untreated according to the Electronic Medication System. Higher health-related quality of life was associated with lower pain intensity. The use of opioids with or without adjuvants was associated with higher pain intensity and higher number of breakthrough pain episodes. Conclusions Approximately two thirds of inpatients reported pain and one third had breakthrough pain. A substantial number of patients with pain were left untreated. Opioid-treated patients reported highest pain intensity and number of breakthrough episodes; however, analgesic medication seemed to be underused. Measures to improve pain assessment and management are highly required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organisation recommends vitamin A supplementation (VAS) to children aged 6 months to 5 years in low-income countries, and for logistic reasons, this has been linked to routine childhood immunizations. Observational studies suggest that VAS given with diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis (DTP) vaccine may increase mortality from non-targeted diseases. We investigated the non-targeted effect of pretreatment with VAS and DTP vaccine in a murine model of experimental cerebral malaria. Our a priori hypothesis was that VAS/DTP would aggravate the infection. We found that the effect of VAS and DTP depended on pathogenesis; VAS/DTP tended to increase parasitaemia and significantly depressed cytokine responses in mice, which developed cerebral malaria, but this was not seen in mice dying of anaemia. The divergent effect according to pathogenesis may help elucidate why VAS has divergent effects on different diseases in humans. Our results support the hypothesis that immunological effects of VAS/DTP may have detrimental implications for disease outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O lsen J, K ristensen L, W einer J & G riepentrog HW (2005) Increased density and spatial uniformity increase weed suppression by spring wheat. Weed Research 45, 316–321. It has been hypothesized that increased crop density and spatial uniformity can increase weed suppression and thereby play a role in weed management. Field experiments were performed over 2 years to investigate the effects of the density and spatial arrangement of spring wheat ( Triticum aestivum) on weed biomass and wheat yield in weed-infested fields. We used three crop spatial patterns (normal rows, random and uniform) and three densities (204, 449 and 721 seeds m−2), plus a fourth density (1000 seeds m−2) in the random pattern. Increased crop density reduced weed biomass in all three patterns. Weed biomass was lower and crop biomass higher in wheat sown in the random and uniform patterns than in normal rows in both years. At 449 seeds m−2, weed biomass was 38% lower in the uniform and 27% lower in the random pattern than in rows. There was evidence of decreasing grain yield due to intraspecific competition only at 1000 seeds m−2. The results not only confirm that increasing density and increasing crop spatial uniformity increase the suppression of weeds, but also suggest that a very high degree of spatial uniformity may not be necessary to achieve a major increase in weed suppression by cereal crops. Rows represent a very high degree of spatial aggregation. Decreasing this aggregation increased weed suppression almost as much as sowing the crop in a highly uniform spatial pattern. While the random pattern produced as much crop biomass and suppressed weeds almost as well as the uniform pattern, the uniform pattern gave the highest yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study concerning occurrence of post infectious neuropsychiatric symptoms in adult patients of aseptic meningitis. Topics discussed include negative impact of neuropsychiatric symptoms on social wellbeing, work performance and quality of life, role of aseptic meningitis in development of cortical dysfunction leading to cognitive impairment and difficulty in recognition between encephalitis and meningitis in acute clinical phase.

Background: Individual dietary recommendations change as loss of kidney function progresses. Adopting these recommendations in everyday life poses major challenges for patients. Individualising dietary counselling is crucial to easy accessibility., Aim: To investigate patients' needs with regard to a dietary app for patients with chronic kidney disease, patients', and health professionals' immediate responses to such a dietary app and suggestions for improvement and further development of a prototype., Design: A prototype of the dietary app has been developed and demonstrates how all information it provides can be tailored to the individual patient according to stage of disease, anthropometrics, and phosphate and potassium levels. A qualitative evaluation of the prototype was conducted using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist for reporting., Approach: Seven individual interviews and four focus groups were analysed using interpretive description., Participants: Individual interviews with seven patients who have stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease and are not on dialysis, and four focus groups: one with participants from the individual interviews, one with six patients on haemodialysis, one with 13 kidney dieticians and one with seven health professionals., Findings: Both patients and healthcare professionals were positive about the app. Individualisation is necessary for the app to work in practice. The patients reported access to a diet diary and recipes as important elements., Conclusion: There is a need to improve the tools we use today to enhance patient adherence to dietary recommendations. The development of an app for individual dietary counselling could be a useful solution., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Renal Care published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Dialysis & Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.)

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that reduces the quality of life. This study assessed the effects of risankizumab (RZB) on the achievement of minimal clinically important differences (MCID) in patient-reported outcomes (PROs)., Methods: KEEPsAKE-1 and -2 are randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical studies assessing RZB (150 mg) vs. placebo (PBO) in adult patients with PsA with inadequate response or intolerance to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and/or biologics. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive RZB or PBO for 24 weeks; starting at Week 24, all patients received RZB 150 mg through Week 52. PROs assessed were Patient's Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PtGA), Patient's Assessment of Pain, Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), Short-Form 36 Physical and Mental Component Summary scores (PCS and MCS, respectively), 5-Level EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue), and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI). The proportion of patients achieving MCID at Weeks 24 and 52 are reported. Odds ratios of achieving MCID with RZB treatment at Week 24, relative to PBO, were estimated by logistic regression controlling for baseline and stratification factors., Results: In KEEPsAKE-1, RZB- vs. PBO-treated patients were more likely to report MCID in all PROs at Week 24; similar results were obtained in KEEPsAKE-2, except for SF-36 MCS and WPAI presenteeism domain. In KEEPsAKE-1 and KEEPsAKE-2, 65% and 62% of RZB-treated patients, respectively, reported MCID in PtGA at Week 24, which increased to 74% and 68%, respectively, at Week 52. Approximately 48% of all PBO-treated patients reported MCID in PtGA at Week 24 and, after initiating RZB, >65% reported MCID at Week 52. Results were similar in the remaining PROs., Conclusions: These data demonstrate that patients with PsA receiving RZB treatment are more likely to report clinically important improvements in PROs compared with patients receiving PBO., (© 2022 AbbVie Inc and The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Aim: This national retrospective Danish study described the characteristics of children diagnosed with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, an inherited X-linked recessive disorder that often affects children of Middle Eastern descent., Methods: We studied children born between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2017 and diagnosed with G6PD deficiency. They were identified from the Danish National Hospital Discharge Register and the Danish Database of Extreme Neonatal Hyperbilirubinaemia., Results: There were 113 children diagnosed with G6PD deficiency, 67% were of Middle Eastern descent and they were frequently diagnosed before the onset of symptoms, based on known heredity. Of the 67 infants born in Denmark, 10% had extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia and one developed kernicterus spectrum disorder, as did one child born in the Middle East. Most (61%) of the 33 children with jaundice received phototherapy, 12% had exchange transfusions and 18% received whole blood transfusions. After the neonatal period, 23% of the cohort had blood transfusions and 4% needed intensive care for acute haemolytic anaemia. The incidence of G6PD deficiency appeared to be severely underestimated., Conclusion: Many families from countries where G6PD deficiency is endemic move to Denmark and other Western countries. Greater awareness is essential to avoid chronic and potentially lethal, consequences., (©2021 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The binding of iron-saturated 125I-lactoferrin to human monocytes was studied at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. Monocytes in suspension bound 125I-lactoferrin by a reversible, saturable and specific binding indicating the presence of a receptor. The dissociation constant (KD) of the binding was estimated at about 4.5 x 10(-9) M and the number of receptors was about 1.6 x 10(6) per monocyte. The affinity of native lactoferrin (20% iron saturated) was only slightly below that of iron-saturated lactoferrin (KD about 7.9 x 10(-9) M). Human transferrin, horse cytochrome c and human immunoglobulin G were without inhibitory effect on the binding of 125I-lactoferrin. The majority of cell-bound 125I-lactoferrin was dissociable. The dissociation rate was not affected by addition of unlabelled lactoferrin to the dissociation medium. The binding of 125I-lactoferrin to adherent mononuclear blood cells showed an about 100-fold lower affinity (KD about 2.5 x 10(-7) M) than to cells in suspension, but the specificity of the binding was the same. These results are compatible with the idea that lactoferrin exerts a biological effect mediated by an interaction with cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage.