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Severely afflicted patients with the COVID-19 may become in need of mechanical ventilation. The cause of acute respiratory failure is a massive hyperinflammation in the lungs, and treatment with glucocorticoids is not recommended by the WHO. A rare haematological disease, the virus-associated haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis syndrome (HLS), is associated with high mortality and a similar hyperinflammation syndrome. Janus kinase (JAK) 1/2 inhibitor treatment is highly efficacious in HLS. In this review, we discuss the rationales and perspectives for using JAK1/2 inhibitors in severely afflicted patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Animal models of serious infection suggest that 24 h of induced hypothermia improves circulatory and respiratory function and reduces mortality. We tested the hypothesis that a reduction of core temperature to 32-34°C attenuates organ dysfunction and reduces mortality in ventilator-dependent patients with septic shock.METHODS: In this randomised, controlled, open-label trial, we recruited patients from ten intensive care units (ICUs) in three countries in Europe and North America. Inclusion criteria for patients with severe sepsis or septic shock were a mean arterial pressure of less than 70 mm Hg, mechanical ventilation in an ICU, age at least 50 years, predicted length of stay in the ICU at least 24 h, and recruitment into the study within 6 h of fulfilling inclusion criteria. Exclusion criteria were uncontrolled bleeding, clinically important bleeding disorder, recent open surgery, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or involuntary psychiatric admission. We randomly allocated patients 1:1 (with variable block sizes ranging from four to eight; stratified by predictors of mortality, age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and study site) to routine thermal management or 24 h of induced hypothermia (target 32-34°C) followed by 48 h of normothermia (36-38°C). The primary endpoint was 30 day all-cause mortality in the modified intention-to-treat population (all randomly allocated patients except those for whom consent was withdrawn or who were discovered to meet an exclusion criterion after randomisation but before receiving the trial intervention). Patients and health-care professionals giving the intervention were not masked to treatment allocation, but assessors of the primary outcome were. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01455116.FINDINGS: Between Nov 1, 2011, and Nov 4, 2016, we screened 5695 patients. After recruitment of 436 of the planned 560 participants, the trial was terminated for futil

The glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analog, liraglutide, is a GLP-1 agonist and is used in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. From a pharmaceutical perspective, it is important to know the oligomerization state of liraglutide with respect to stability. Compared to GLP-1, liraglutide has an added fatty acid (FA) moiety that causes oligomerization of liraglutide as suggested by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and multiangle static light scattering (MALS) results. SAXS data suggested a global shape of a hollow elliptical cylinder of size hexa-, hepta-, or octamer, whereas MALS data indicate a hexamer. To elaborate further on the stability of these oligomers and the role of the FA chains, a series of molecular-dynamics simulations were carried out on 11 different hexa-, hepta-, and octameric systems. Our results indicate that interactions of the fatty acid chains contribute noticeably to the stabilization. The simulation results indicate that the heptamer with paired FA chains is the most stable oligomer when compared to the 10 other investigated structures. Theoretical SAXS curves extracted from the simulations qualitatively agree with the experimentally determined SAXS curves supporting the view that liraglutide forms heptamers in solution. In agreement with the SAXS data, the heptamer forms a water-filled oligomer of elliptical cylindrical shape.

SIR – The recent article by Tatla et al. attests to the growing awareness of, and interest in, the role of motivation in the delivery of interventions for children with developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy. In this article the authors undertook a systematic review to evaluate the impact of ‘purportedly’ motivational interventions on out- comes of children with cerebral palsy. For this purpose motivational rehabilitation intervention was defined as one that ‘promotes the initiation and persistence of goal-directed motor behaviour’. As such, the focus was on the motivating or engaging effects of motor-based rehabilitation interventions. We commend the authors in this under- taking and wish to raise several challenges to be faced in further advancing this important line of enquiry...

Introduction: This study aims to describe factors associated with subjective well-being (SWB) in cancer workers in Queensland and compares results to normative data for the Australian population. Method: This study was based on a cross-sectional survey of 544 cancer workers in Queensland with a response rate of 54%. SWB was measured using the Personal Wellbeing Index for Adults. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify explanatory variables, which were independently associated with SWB. Results were compared with normative Australian data. Results: The overall mean SWB for study participants was 74.63, which was comparable to the mean of 75.02 for the Australian population (P = 0.47). Female cancer workers had significantly lower levels of SWB compared to the normative data of female Australians (74.44 compared to 75.7, P = 0.03). Multiple regression analyses showed that higher levels of SWB were associated with having 11-30 h of direct patient care hours per week, being married, no child or elder care commitments, good physical health, low levels of both psychological distress and burnout, and high levels of work engagement. Conclusions: Cancer workers' overall levels of SWB were similar to the national mean scores. Amount of time in direct patient care was linked with SWB, with an optimal time between 11 and 30 h per week associated with high SWB. The majority of the factors significantly associated with SWB were of a personal nature such as marital status and physical and mental health. These data provide a valuable baseline for future research in this area, especially in the area of interventions to promote SWB of workers.

Introduction: The study aimed to investigate factors associated with work engagement and burnout in cancer workers in Queensland. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 579 cancer workers in Queensland was undertaken. Burnout was measured using the Oldenberg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and work engagement was measured using the Utrecht Work and Well-being Survey. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify explanatory variables that were independently associated with burnout and work engagement. Results: The survey response rate was 57%. Total levels of burnout and work engagement in the sample were 31.1% and 34.5%, respectively. Multiple regression analyses showed that shift work, 6-9 years experience, working >20 hours/week, administrative professional stream and being single were associated with higher levels of burnout. There was a positive association between work engagement and nonshift workers, <5 years experience, medical and allied health workers, and workers >45 years of age. In this study, gender, income, hours of direct patient care, location of the centre in regional centres or within the private setting did not have an independent effect on the levels of burnout or work engagement. There was a negative association between burnout and work engagement (P < 0.001) Conclusions: Approximately one-third of the workers sampled reported burnout. Conversely, one-third reported being highly engaged in their work. Further research is required to study the effectiveness of interventions to improve personal resources and prevent burnout. Understanding the factors associated with work engagement is equally important in designing organisational programs to enhance employee engagement.

Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease characterized by breakdown of the structure supporting the tooth. The disease, which is caused by bacteria colonizing the root surface, occurs with a marked difference in individual susceptibility and presents as chronic and aggressive forms of the disease. A number of medical disorders act as predisposing factors, and periodontitis may influence the course of some diseases, including coronary heart disease and diabetes.

Udgivelsesdato: maj 2010

Prevention and management of childhood overweight and obesity is a health priority for governments and communities throughout the developed world. A conceptual model, Research around Practice in Childhood Obesity (RAPICO), has been developed to guide capacity building in a coordinated 'bench to fieldwork' initiative to address this public health problem. Translation of research findings into sustainable responses with optimal fit requires consideration of context-specific relevance, cost-effectiveness, feasibility and levels of available support. The RAPICO model uses program theory to describe a framework for progressing practitionercommunityresearch partnerships to address low, medium and high levels of risk for childhood overweight and obesity within community settings. A case study describing the development of a logic model to inform risk-linked responses to childhood overweight and obesity is presented for the Ipswich community in south-east Queensland.

Forordet indleder Forum for idræt, idrætshistorisk tidskrift 01 - 2009.

Udgivelsesdato: 2009-Feb, BACKGROUND: Cytokines and cytokine inhibitors have been associated with many immunoinflammatory diseases. In the present study, we examined whether peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression mirrors the corresponding plasma levels of clinically important pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and cytokine receptors in patients with periodontitis and patients with arthritis representing two examples of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as periodontitis and arthritis. To identify possible disease-specific characteristics of subjects with periodontitis relative to subjects with chronic inflammation in general, patients with arthritis (juvenile idiopathic arthritis [JIA] and rheumatoid arthritis [RA]) were included. METHODS: The study population consisted of white adults <35 years of age diagnosed with localized aggressive periodontitis (LAgP; n = 18), generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP; n = 27), JIA (n = 10), and RA (n = 23) and healthy controls (n = 25). PBMC transcripts of interleukin (IL) 1 alpha (IL1A), IL 1 beta (IL1B), IL 1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN), IL6, IL10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFA), TNF alpha receptor I (TNFRI), and TNFRII were measured using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and compared to the corresponding plasma protein levels measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a multiplex antibody bead assay. RESULTS: Compared to controls, soluble (s) TNF-RII levels were significantly elevated in patients with GAgP (P = 0.001) or JIA (P = 0.002), and PBMC TNFA transcript levels were lower in patients with JIA (P = 0.001). A negative correlation was found between IL6 expression and IL-6 plasma levels in patients with JIA versus controls, and a positive correlation/association was found between TNFRI expression and sTNF-RI plasma levels in patients with LAgP and RA. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated only a few changes in the PBMC expression of various cytokine and cytokine inhibitor genes in aggr

De forrige kapitler har ført os gennem et varieret landskab af perspektiver på sportens og idrættens verden, sådan som den udforskes ved Institut for Idræt. Det danner et godt afsæt til at trække en mere videnskabsteoretisk vinkel op her til sidst, i forbindelse med idrætsforskningen selv og de fremtidsperspektiver, de enkelte bidrag ridser op: Hvordan vil idrætsforskningen i resten af det 21. århundrede forme sig i samspillet med sit eget undersøgelsesobjekt?