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Aim: To examine possible geographical and temporal differences in the incidence of childhood‐onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Norway, motivated by previous research indicating relevant environmental factors explaining changing epidemiology. Methods: We analysed data from children born in Norway from 2004 to 2012 (n = 541 036) in a registry‐based nationwide study. After validating registry diagnoses against medical records, we defined IBD as ≥2 entries of International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD‐10) codes K50, K51 and K52.3 in the Norwegian Patient registry. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) for IBD across four geographical regions with a south‐to‐north gradient and the incidence by period of birth. Results: By the end of follow‐up on 31 December 2020, 799 IBD diagnoses were identified (Crohn's disease: n = 465; ulcerative colitis, n = 293, IBD: unclassified, n = 41). Compared to children in the southernmost region, there was almost a two‐fold HR for IBD in children in the most Northern region (HR = 1.94, 95% Cl = 1.47–2.57; Mid region: HR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.29–2.19, ptrend <0.001). These estimates remained largely unchanged after adjustment for potential confounding factors. The cohorts born in 2004–2006 and 2010–2012 had comparable cumulative incidences, with a slightly higher incidence for those born in 2007–2009. Conclusion: We observed an increase in the risk of IBD by increasing latitude which may suggest that environmental factors influence the development of IBD, although non‐causal explanations cannot be ruled out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in nanotechnology has advanced rapidly in recent years. Several researchers, however, warn that there is a paucity of research on the ethical, legal, and social implications of nanotechnology, and they caution that ethical reflections on nanotechnology lag behind this fast developing science. In this article, the authors question this conclusion, pointing out that the predicted concrete ethical issues related to the area of nanotechnology are rather similar to those related to the area of biotechnology and biology that have been considered by ethicists since the 1970s. Hence, a knowledge base has already been acquired from ethical reflections on biotechnology and biology, which may be a good starting point and foundation for a discussion of ethical reflections on nanotechnology. The authors argue that a promising approach is the use of basic ethical principles as a method to analyze ethical issues of nanotechnology. (Contains 2 tables, 1 figure and 5 notes.)