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Abstract Background Endometriosis and adenomyosis are common benign conditions compromising both physical and psychological health, with a negative impact on quality of life. This survey aimed to establish what the users’ perspectives are on best possible care in the context of developing a multidisciplinary center for endometriosis and adenomyosis in Norway. Methods An electronic questionnaire was developed in collaboration between the Norwegian Patient’s Endometriosis Society (NPES) and gynecologists with special interest in endometriosis and adenomyosis. The questionnaire was distributed digitally to the members of NPES in May 2021. Results 938 participants answered the questionnaire. Better patient information, long term therapeutic plans and integration of their partners into their care were the main concerns. Multidisciplinary care was a key issue for the majority, with (n = 775) 89% stating a need for a consultation with a psychologist, (n = 744) 86% at least one consultation with a nutritionist, (n = 733) 85% a physiotherapist, and (n = 676) 78% needing a sex therapist and (n = 935) 99,7% consider research and (n = 934) 99,8% consider quality assurance initiated by the endometriosis center to be important. The qualitative analysis of free text answers revealed a great need for updated and easily accessible information, meeting competent health care professionals and being taken seriously/listened to. Conclusions This survey shows similar perceptions and a high level of agreement regarding their needs amongst people with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis. This survey supports recommendations by the experts that endometriosis/adenomyosis care should be centralized in specialized, multidisciplinary centers. The results of the present work will be valuable for the future planning and development of a multidisciplinary endometriosis center.

AI-based chatbots are becoming an increasingly common part of the frontline of public services. Through natural language, users can write simple queries to a chatbot which answers with appropriate information. We have investigated how a public chatbot operates in actual practice and how it answers the citizens' questions about the rules and regulations for welfare benefits. We use the concept of citizens' informa- tion needs to determine the quality of the chatbot's answers. Information needs are often not formulated from the start as answerable questions. We analyse logs from chat sessions between the chatbot and the citizens, and focus on problems that arise, e.g., that the chatbot gives irrelevant answers or omits important information. The paper shows how the inner workings of the chatbot shapes the answerable questions. We conclude that responsible use of AI (such as chatbots) is a matter of design of the overall service and includes acknowledging that the AI itself can never be responsible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

De fleste som lærer norsk gjennom Introduksjonsprogrammet for nyankomne migranter, er tvungne migranter. Det vil si personer har flyktet fra hjemmene sine på grunn av krig, forfølgelse eller andre faktorer som gjør at flukt forekommer som eneste alternativ for å overleve. Gjennom etnografisk forskning blant 14 overføringsflyktninger fra Den demokratiske republikken Kongo til Norge har vi blitt oppmerksomme på hvordan erfaringer som flyktning kan påvirke investering i språklæring. Med utgangspunkt i historien til en av deltakerne, Joseph, viser vi med denne studien at strukturer som nasjonal og internasjonal flyktningpolitikk ikke bare samspiller med, men også begrenser muligheten til individuelt aktørskap. Vi argumenterer for at en opplevelse av begrenset aktørskap kan være en nøkkel til få forstå tvungne migranters investering i språklæring.

Andrespråksforskning er et komplekst forskningsområde, siden mange faktorer spiller inn i prosessen med å lære et nytt språk. Noen av faktorene kan ikke uten videre måles. Særlig vanskelig er det å måle subjektive faktorer, som innlærernes egne reaksjoner, holdninger og følelser. En måte å få innsikt i slike subjektive aspekter ved andrespråkslæring på, er å studere narrativer. Narrativer er personlige fortellinger, gjerne med et tidsaspekt eller en vending, der fortelleren deler erfaringer, opplevelser, vurderinger og følelser. I og med at individer er ulike og opplever språkopplæring ulikt, kan man ikke generalisere ut fra enkeltindividets opplevelser slik de formidles gjennom narrativer, men snarere erkjenne at disse gir innsikt i det mangfoldet av opplevelser som finnes. I denne artikkelen presenterer vi ulike aspekter ved bruk av narrativer som metode i andrespråksforskning i norsk kontekst. Vi diskuterer fenomener man kan studere gjennom bruk av narrativ metode (f.eks. identitet, aktørskap og investeringer), ulike definisjoner av narrativer (sjanger versus tankeredskap), valg angående innhenting og klargjøring av narrativer til bruk i forskning, samt måter å analysere narrativer på. Vi konkluderer ved å peke på forskningshull i andrespråksfeltet i Norge som vi mener kan fylles ved bruk av narrativ metode.

The 2015 Paris Agreement was widely greeted with enthusiasm. We assess the short-term and long-term potential effectiveness of Paris. Concerning short-term effectiveness, we contend that while Paris scores high on participation, and reasonably high on the depth of the parties’ commitments (ambition), its Achilles’ heel will likely be compliance. Concerning long-term effectiveness, we argue that Paris does little to restructure states’ incentives so as to avoid free riding. At worst, it might end up as a failure, much like Kyoto did. On the other hand, domestic and international norms could continue to develop in a direction that makes it more and more difficult for individuals, firms, and states alike to ignore the plea to limit and reduce their carbon footprints. Technological progress that gradually reduces abatement costs, combined with leadership by major emitters such as the United States, might further strengthen climate cooperation and enhance other countries’ willingness to follow through. However, deep political polarization continues to represent a significant barrier to U.S. leadership on climate change.

I denne artikkelen har vi en talerfokusert tilnærming til det å lære språk i voksen alder. Målet vårt er å svare på en oppfordring fra flere forskere om at taleres egne erfaringer med og perspektiver på språkinnlæring bør komme fram i andrespråksforskningen. Fokuset vårt er rettet mot en gruppe voksne flyktninger fra Den demokratiske republikken Kongo, og vi ser på hvordan de opplevde den norskopplæringen de fikk som nyankomne til Norge. Et kjennetegn ved disse personene er at de er svært flerspråklige; de hadde allerede bred erfaring med å lære nye språk da de begynte å lære norsk. Vi har studert et utvalg narrativer der de forteller om sine erfaringer fra norskopplæring. Temaene for narrativene er kartlegging for kursplassering, lærernes kvalifikasjoner, antall timer per kurs og norskpraksis på arbeidsplass. Deltakerne stiller seg kritiske til flere aspekter ved den opplæringen de fikk. De fremstår som selvsikre språkinnlærere og framforhandler ulike identiteter. Narrativene gir et innblikk i disse personenes verden, deres egne behov og refleksjoner rundt norskopplæring for flyktninger. De minner oss på det mangfoldet av opplevelser som finnes blant målgruppen for andrespråksopplæring. Nøkkelord: narrativer, norsk som andrespråk, talerfokuserte tilnærminger, identitet, voksne flyktninger “Talk to the wood? Talk to the machine?” Adult refugees’ narratives from Norwegian classes Abstract In this article, we have a speaker-centered approach to adult additional language learning. Our aim is to answer the call from several researchers to take learners’ own perspectives and experiences into account in research on learning. Our focus is on how a group of adult refugees from the Democratic republic of Congo experienced the language program they attended when they arrived in Norway. A characteristic of the participants is that they are extremely multilingual, and had already extensive language learning experience when they started to learn Norwegian. Our data are narratives where they tell about their experiences from Norwegian classes. The topics of the narratives are assessment, teacher qualifications, number of teaching hours and language internships at workplaces. The participants express criticism towards several aspects of the programs they attended. They seem to be self-confident language learners and negotiate different identities. The narratives give us an insight into their worlds, needs and reflections on education for refugees. They remind us of the multitude of experiences that exist among members of the target group of language education programs. Keywords: narratives, additional language learning, speaker-centered approaches, identity, adult refugees

Women pregnant following kidney transplantation are at high risk of preeclampsia. Identifying the effects of preeclampsia on pregnancy outcome and allograft function in kidney transplanted women, and predicting which women will require more targeted follow-up and possible therapeutic intervention, could improve both maternal and neonatal outcome. In this retrospective cohort study of all pregnancies following kidney transplantation in Norway between 1969 and 2013, we used medical records to identify clinical characteristics predictive of preeclampsia. 175 pregnancies were included, in which preeclampsia was diagnosed in 65. Pregnancies with preeclampsia had significantly higher postpartum serum creatinine levels, higher risks of preterm delivery, caesarean delivery, and small for gestational age infants. In the final multivariate model chronic hypertension (aOR = 5.02 [95% CI, 2.47-10.18]), previous preeclampsia (aOR = 3.26 [95% CI, 1.43-7.43]), and elevated serum creatinine (≥125 μmol/L) at the start of pregnancy (aOR = 5.79 [95% CI, 1.91-17.59]) were prognostic factors for preeclampsia. Based on this model the risk was 19% when none of these factors were present, 45-59% risk when one was present, 80-87% risk when two were present, and 96% risk when all three were present. We suggest that the risk of preeclampsia in pregnancies in kidney transplanted women can be predicted with these variables, which are easily available at the start of pregnancy.

The majority of older people wish to continue to live at home for as long as possible. As a consequence, the healthcare system, including cancer care, is located in urban areas and people living in rural areas must commute to gain access to the services offered. The aim of this study was to investigate how older people, who live on their own, experience living with incurable cancer and commuting for palliative care in rural Norway. A case study was designed and informants were recruited not because they were typical but because they were deemed to have the potential to contribute to knowledge about the phenomenon of being an older person who has been diagnosed with incurable cancer and lives alone in a rural area. Three major categories were identified: “Hovering between hope and fear, Stressful commuting to palliative care, and Being exhausted. The findings indicated that older people who have been stricken with incurable cancer and who live alone in rural areas have to walk the palliative path alone. A common feature of all the informants is that they do not speak out and they do not complain. Even though the trend in healthcare is towards centralized treatment, shorter and more effective stays in hospital, and policlinic (policlinic services are a place where healthcare services can be accessed without the need for an overnight stay in hospital, usually such clinics are located close to a hospital) treatment and care, not all older persons manage to take care of themselves. The findings suggest that nurses should pay more attention to these patients’ needs for care at different levels of the healthcare service.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and tolerability of a cream (Rilastil Xerolact PB) containing a mixture of prebiotics and postbiotics, and to validate the PRURISCORE itch scale in the management of atopic dermatitis. Methods: The study is based on 396 subjects of both sexes in three age groups (i.e., infants, children, adults) suffering from mild/moderate Atopic Dermatitis, recruited from 8 European countries and followed for 3 months. Results: The product demonstrated good efficacy combined with good/very good tolerability in all age groups. In particular, SCORAD, PRURISCORE and IGA scores decreased significantly over the course of the study. The PRURISCORE was preferred to VAS by the vast majority of patients. Conclusion: Even though the role of prebiotics and postbiotics was not formally demonstrated since these substances were part of a complex formulation, it can be reasonably stated that prebiotics and postbiotics have safety and standardization features that probiotics do not have. In addition they are authorized by regulatory authorities, whereas topical probiotics are not.