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Objective: To determine if a home environment test battery can be used to measure effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment intervention and disease progression. Background: Sixty-five patients diagnosed with advanced PD were recruited in an open longitudinal 36-month study. On inclusion, 35 of them were treated with continuous intraduodenal administration of a levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) and 30 patients were candidates for switching from conventional oral PD treatment to LCIG. They utilized a test battery, consisting of self-assessments and fine motor tests (tapping and spiral drawings), in their homes. Assessments were performed four times per day during week-long test periods. For the majority of these test periods, UPDRS and PDQ-39 ratings were performed at the start of the period. Methods: The test battery time series were summarized into scores for representing symptom severities over test periods. Six conceptual dimensions were defined; four subjectively-reported: ‘Walking’, ‘Satisfied’, ‘Dyskinesia’ and ‘Off’, and two objectively-measured: ‘Tapping’ and ‘Spiral’. In addition, an overall test score (OTS) was defined to represent the overall condition of a patient during a test period. Results: In LCIG-naïve patients, mean OTS improved startingf rom the first test period on LCIG treatment and this improvement remained statistically significant until month 24 (figure). In contrast to objectively-measured dimensions, mean scores of subjectively-reported dimensions improved significantly throughout the study. In LCIG-non-na€ıve patients, there were no significant changes in mean OTS, except at month 36 (p < 0.01). The OTS correlated adequately with total UPDRS (rho 5 0.59) and total PDQ-39 (0.59). Conclusions: Using the test battery it is possible to monitor PD symptoms over time. The trends of the test scores were strikingly similar to the trends of the clinical rating scores. Correlations between OTS and the rating scales were adequate indic

BACKGROUND: This interim 12-month analysis is a part of an open-label, observational, prospective study on health outcomes and cost impact of levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG, Duodopa) in Parkinson disease (PD). The specific aim was to investigate clinical and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) effects in routine care. METHODS: Unified PD rating scale (UPDRS) was the primary efficacy measurement. PD QoL questionnaire 39 (PDQ-39) assessed HRQoL. Subjects were assessed at baseline, ≥3 months after surgery, and then every 3 months. RESULTS: Twenty-seven treatment-naïve subjects when started with LCIG showed a decrease in UPDRS score that was statistically significant throughout the year: UPDRS total score (mean ± SD), baseline = 52.1 ± 16.1, N = 27, month 0 (first visit; at least 3 months after permanent LCIG) = 43.1 ± 16.7, N = 27, P = 0.003; month 12 = 42.5 ± 22.6, n = 25, P = 0.017. PDQ-39 results also showed a tendency for improvement: PDQ-39 (mean ± SD), baseline = 33.6 ± 10.8, N = 27, month 0 = 27.1 ± 11.8, N = 27, P = 0.001; 12 months = 28.8 ± 12.8, n = 23, P = 0.126. CONCLUSIONS: LCIG provides functional improvement beginning at first visit that is sustained for 12 months.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients report well-being as they are treated with phototherapy. We investigated hormone parameters and psychological well-being after phototherapy in a placebo-controlled study. METHODS: A total of 77 patients with dermatological conditions and 22 healthy volunteers were divided into four groups. The patients received phototherapy either on the whole body or only on hands and/or feet. The volunteers were given either whole-body phototherapy or placebo light. Serum or plasma samples were analysed for cortisol, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, TSH, T(4), T(3) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and urine samples for cortisol. Patients and volunteers answered a questionnaire before and 6 weeks after phototherapy/placebo light. Psychiatric ratings were performed according to the Comprehensive Psychopathological Self-rating Scale for Affective Syndromes, a self-report version of which has been transformed to correspond to the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). RESULTS: In the patients who received whole-body irradiation, we observed a significant improvement in both MADRS score and cognitive-symptom score after the completion of phototherapy. We also observed a significantly higher level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D after phototherapy, but no difference in the other hormone parameters. CONCLUSION: Whole-body phototherapy of patients with dermatological conditions results in improved well-being and significantly higher levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in serum., Funding Agencies: Edvard Welander Foundation and Finsen Foundation

Objective: The aim was to gain knowledge of fibromyalgia (FM) patients on long-term sick leave and with particular difficulties in resuming work, and to compare them with patients with myalgia, back or joint diagnoses, and depression. Methods: Patients were identified by and referred from social insurance offices and were multidisciplinarily examined by three board-certified specialists in psychiatry, orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation medicine. Ninety-two women were diagnosed with FM only. Three female comparison groups were chosen: depression, back/joint diagnoses, and myalgia. Results and conclusions: Ceaseless pain was reported by 73% of FM patients, 54% of back/joint diagnoses patients, 43% of myalgia patients, and 35% of depression patients. The distribution of pain (>50%) in FM patients was to almost all regions of the body, and in depression patients to the lower dorsal neck, upper shoulders and lumbosacral back but not in the anterior body. Reduced sleep was more evident in FM patients. FM patients did not meet more criteria for personality disorder than patients with the other somatic pain conditions. The most common dimension of “personality traits” of somatic pain conditions was the “obsessive compulsive” but at a level clearly below that indicating a personality disorder. More FM patients experienced disabilities, the most common being in the mobility and domestic-life areas.

The AGAVE project is an international collaboration between scientists in the United States, Sweden, Japan, and Germany with the overarching scientific objective of studying the geological, chemical, and biological characteristics of hydrothermal venting on the Gakkel Ridge, the most slowly diverging tectonic plate boundary on Earth. The AGAVE expedition took place on the IB Oden from July 1 - August 10, 2007, and occupied two field sites where evidence of hydrothermal venting had been detected in the water column during the 2001 Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Experiment (AMORE). The first site (~85°N, 7.5°E) is characterized by peridotite outcrops on normal fault scarps, while the second site (~85.5°N, 85°E) is characterized by constructional basaltic volcanism, thereby allowing for a comparative study of hydrothermal processes at two segments of an ultra-slow spreading ridge with contrasting geological and tectonic settings. Five primary oceanographic assets were employed during the expedition; a high-resolution, ship-mounted multi-beam bathymetry system, a CTD/rosette system for surveying and sampling the water column, the PUMA autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for fine-scale water column surveys, the JAGUAR AUV for near-bottom geophysical and photographic surveys, and the CAMPER wireline system for acquiring digital images and samples of the deep seafloor. The combined results from the expedition are significantly expanding our understanding of volcanic and hydrothermal processes on the Gakkel Ridge. Important initial results include the discovery of the Asgard volcanic chain at the 85°E segment, the discovery of extensive microbial mats covering these new volcanoes, the discovery of basaltic glass fragments covering large portions of the seafloor near the volcanoes, and detailed mapping and sampling of water column plumes.

New oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges by magmatic intrusion, volcanic eruptions, tectonic extension and hydrothermal cooling. All these active processes give rise to earthquakes, which are usually too small to be recorded on land, but can be recorded locally with ocean bottom seismometers (OBS). OBS studies on slow and fast spreading ridges have greatly contributed to our understanding of active seafloor spreading. However, at ultraslow spreading rates, predictions of amagmatic spreading proved incorrect and the processes of crustal generation are still poorly understood, partly because of the remote location of the main ultraslow ridges like the Arctic ridge system. No comprehensive microearthquake studies of ultraslow-spreading ridges have yet been undertaken.During the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition in 2001 (AMORE2001), we made a first attempt at observing microearthquakes at Gakkel Ridge using ice floes as platforms for small seismological arrays consisting of four conventional short-period seismic stations. We successfully recorded microearthquakes including a swarm of 200 explosive sounds at the volcanic complex near 85°E which was active in 1999. We interpreted these sounds as signs of ongoing eruptive activity. The presence of a hydrothermal event plume in the water column supported this interpretation.Following this pilot study, we now started a comprehensive and comparative study of the seismicity of ultraslow-spreading ridges. As part of this project, we conducted a microseismicity survey during the Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition 2007 (AGAVE2007). We deployed a network of three seismological arrays around the rift valley at the 85°E volcanic complex greatly improving the detection threshold and location capabilities compared to AMORE2001. The arrays had triangular shape with a central station. Each array measured about 1 km in size and was located on one ice floe. The inter-array distance was 15 km. The arrays recorded continuously at a sampl

QC 20120323

INTRODUCTION: Pilots flying high-performance aircraft increase their acceleration tolerance by using straining maneuvers and anti-G suits. Recently, assisted positive pressure breathing has been added in some aircraft systems. This study assessed the effect of anti-G straining maneuvers on the G-protective properties of one such system, the AGE-39 anti-G ensemble used in the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen aircraft. METHODS: Ten subjects were studied in a centrifuge using each of the following: 1) the AGE-39 in combination with anti-G straining maneuvers (AGSM) throughout each high-G exposure (full maneuver; FM); 2) the AGE-39 in combination with AGSM only during the initial part of each high-G exposure (reduced maneuver; RM). G-tolerance was established during exposures to rapid onset rate (ROR) G profiles with plateau levels ranging from 6.5 to 9.0 G. RESULTS: Mean G-tolerance was > or = 8.8 G (range: 8.5 to > or = 9.0 G) in the RM condition and > or = 9.0 G in all subjects in the FM condition. Mean arterial pressure was 30-50 mm Hg higher (p < 0.001) in the FM than in the RM condition at any given ROR G-load. CONCLUSIONS: AGE-39 in combination with a brief period of straining provide efficient G-protection as illustrated by the finding that all subjects could tolerate 8.5 G while performing AGSM during the initial part of the high-G exposures. However, at 9.0 G, 40% of the subjects had to perform AGSM throughout the duration of the G-exposure. That arterial pressure was only 30-50 mm Hg higher in the FM than RM condition suggests that in the presence of straining maneuvers, pressure breathing makes only a minute contribution to the arterial-pressure response., QC 20111103

HYPOTHESIS: A newly developed hydrostatic anti-G suit is now commercially available. The suit is said to offer a high level of protection against +Gz acceleration. However, past experience shows that it is difficult to produce a hydrostatic suit with effective high-G protection. Careful testing is, therefore, needed to verify its efficacy. METHODS: The G-protective properties of the hydrostatic anti-G suit (Libelle; L) were compared with those of a pneumatic anti-G ensemble (AGE-39) used in the Swedish JAS 39 Cripen aircraft. Three pilots were studied during vertical (+Gz) acceleration in a centrifuge using the following: 1) the L-suit with varied straining maneuvers; 2) the AGE-39 in combination with full anti-G straining maneuvers (AGSM) throughout each high-G exposure (full maneuver; FM); and 3) the AGE-39 in combination with AGSM during the initial part of each high-G exposure (reduced maneuver; RM). G-intensity tolerance was established during exposures to rapid onset rate (ROR) profiles with G-plateau levels ranging from +6.0 to +9.0 Gz. G-endurance was studied during simulated aerial combat maneuvers (SACM) consisting of 10 cycles of 5.5 to 7.5 G. RESULTS: All three pilots tolerated 9.0 G with the pneumatic system both in the RM and FM conditions; their tolerances averaged 6.3 G (range 6.0 to 7.0 G) for the L suit. Thus, during the ROR exposures only the 6.0 G profile was completed by all subjects in all three conditions. At this G-load both muscle straining (as indicated by electromyographic activity in thigh and abdomen) and heart rate were higher in the L than in the RM condition. Mean arterial pressure at eye level was higher in the FM than in the L and RM conditions. Only one subject was able to complete the SACM profile in the L condition. In the RM condition all subjects completed the SACM profile and in the FM condition two subjects completed the SACM. CONCLUSIONS: Whether the AGE-39 was used in combination with maximal AGSM throughout the duration of, QC 20111103

Hypothesis: A newly developed hydrostatic anti-G suit is now commercially available. The suit is said to offer a high level of protection against +Gz acceleration. However, past experience shows that it is difficult to produce a hydrostatic suit with effective high-G protection. Careful testing is, therefore, needed to verify its efficacy. Methods: The G-protective properties of the hydrostatic anti-G suit (Libelle, L) were compared with those of a pneumatic anti-G ensemble (AGE-39) used in the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen aircraft. Three pilots were studied during vertical (+Gz) acceleration in a centrifuge using the following: 1) the L-suit with varied straining maneuvers, 2) the AGE-39 in combination with full anti-G straining maneuvers (AGSM) throughout each high-G exposure (full maneuver, FM), and 3) the ACE-39 in combination with AGSM during the initial part of each high-G exposure (reduced maneuver, RM). G-intensity tolerance was established during exposures to rapid onset rate (ROR) profiles with C-plateau levels ranging from +6.0 to +9.0 Gz. G-endurance was studied during simulated aerial combat maneuvers (SACM) consisting of 10 cycles of 5.5 to 7.5 G. Results: All three pilots tolerated 9.0 C with the pneumatic system both in the RM and FM conditions, their tolerances averaged 6.3 G (range 6.0 to 7.0 G) for the L suit. Thus, during the ROR exposures only the 6.0 G profile was completed by all subjects in all three conditions. At this G-load both muscle straining (as indicated by electromyographic activity in thigh and abdomen) and heart rate were higher in the L than in the RM condition. Mean arterial pressure at eye level was higher in the FM than in the L and RM conditions. Only one subject was able to complete the SACM profile in the L condition. In the RM condition all subjects completed the SACM profile and in the FM condition two subject completed the SACM. Conclusions: Whether the AGE-39 was used in combination with maximal AGSM throughout the duration of