Background: There is an increased risk of heart failure and pulmonary edema in pregnancies complicated by hypertensive disorders. However, in a previous study we found that pregnancy protects against fibrosis and preserves angiogenesis in a rat model of angiotensin II induced cardiac hypertrophy. In this study we test the hypothesis that pregnancy protects against negative effects of increased ...

Background: Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) plays an important role for the anticoagulant effect of heparin. Depletion of intravascular TFPI by treatment with unfractionated heparin (UFH), and not by low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), has been suggested to explain the superiority of LMWH in treatment of both arterial and venous thrombosis. The present study was undertaken to investigate ...

Rationale:Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in pregnancy may trigger the lifethreatening catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS). Complement activation is implicated in the pathogenesis, and inhibition of complement factor C5 is suggested as an additional treatment option.<p> Patient concerns, diagnosis and interventions: We present a pregnant patient treated with the C5-inhibitor eculizumab ...

Background: eHealth potentially enhances quality of care and may reduce health care costs. However, a review of systematic reviews published in 2010 concluded that high-quality evidence on the benefits of eHealth interventions was still lacking. Objective: We conducted a systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effectiveness/cost-effectiveness of eHealth interventions in ...

Objective: We aimed to determine the effectiveness of natalizumab (NTZ) by assessing overall No Evidence of Disease Activity 3 (NEDA-3) in a local Norwegian cohort. <p> <p>Background: NTZ is an immunomodulating drug used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). It has typically been used as a second-line treatment, but certain patients with high disease activity have started directly with ...

In observational studies, vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for low bone density and future fractures, whereas a causal relation has been difficult to show in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Similarly, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased bone turnover, but RCTs with vitamin D have not shown conclusive effects. This could be due to inclusion of vitamin D sufficient subjects ...

Hb 6.5% has recently been recommended as an alternative diagnostic criterion for diabetes. The aims of the study were to evaluate the effects of age, sex, and other factors on prevalence of diabetes and to compare risk profiles of subjects with diabetes when defined by Hb and glucose criteria. Subjects were recruited among participants in the longitudinal population-based Tromsø Study. Hb , fasting ...

Background: Diving in cold water is thought to increase the risk of decompression sickness (DCS), especially if the diver is cold during decompression. In this study, we investigated hemodynamic function and DCS risk in an animal model, where cold decompression was followed by rewarming at the surface. <p> <p>Methods: Nine female Sprague Dawley rats had pressure-volume catheters inserted into ...

Objective To investigate the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the maternal heart, fetuses and placentas of pregnant rats. <p>Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to HIIT or sedentary control groups. The HIIT group was trained for 6 weeks with 10 bouts of high intensity uphill running on a treadmill for four minutes (at 85–90% of maximal oxygen consumption) ...

Background - The safety and efficacy of oral anticoagulation for prevention of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with atrial fibrillation and spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage are uncertain. We planned to estimate the effects of starting versus avoiding oral anticoagulation in people with spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and atrial fibrillation.<p> <p>Methods - In this prospective ...