Health - Sciencenorway.no

90 per cent of Syrian refugees in Norway have had life-threatening experiences

Had been in life-threatening danger before they fled the country or during their attempts to reach safety, according to a new report.

New Norwegian biotechnology could pave the way for development of more efficient drugs

The now patented technology goes under the name “Super Albumin” and is based on the human protein albumin. 15 years of studying this substance may now yield concrete results.

Mercury, bloodletting and animals were weapons in the fight against the shameful epidemic of the 18th century

Sexually transmitted diseases spread through Norway in the 1700s. But was sex their only means of transmission?

This tiny sensor placed under the skin will measure the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes

The Norwegian sensor is to be coupled with Italian technology that administers insulin automatically. “If this is successful it will make life a lot easier for patients with diabetes”, says Norwegian doctor.

Smokers and people who are overweight should be among the first to get the COVID-19 vaccine, researchers believe

There is a strong and clear link between obesity and getting seriously ill from COVID-19. The same goes for smoking. A new Norwegian-British study confirms these links.

Epidurals do not in themselves improve birth experiences

OPINION: Epidurals may slow down a birth and are associated with lower levels of satisfaction with the birth experience. While sometimes necessary, we are skeptical of the extent to which they are offered and used.

Why do we condemn, blame and stigmatize people who have experienced something traumatic?

OPINION: Some trauma victims are met with negative social reactions when they tell others about what they have experienced. Why does this happen?

Norwegian COVID-19 patients: Physicians surprised by length of stay on ventilators

At the onset of the pandemic, Norway created a new coronavirus registry for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Here’s what we know about them so far.

Menstrual capitalism: A lot of people profit from your monthly menstruation

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Menstruation presents an endlessly renewed commercial opportunity for period-product manufacturers, who are finding new ways to infiltrate wider markets in an era when taboos are being chipped away. But issues remain that products can’t solve.

A Norwegian's discovery paved the way for the coronavirus tests we use today

But the Nobel Prize went to an American who figured out how the discovery could be used.

Women are protected against cervical cancer 12 years after getting the HPV-vaccine, according to large Nordic study

The once controversial vaccine appears to have a much longer effect than what has been documented so far.

Here’s how more precise radiation can reduce side effects for cancer patients

Statisticians in Bergen have developed a more personalized approach to radiation therapy that over the long run will reduce side effects in cervical cancer, rectal cancer and prostate cancer.

Cheaper diet soda weakened sales of sugary soda

People choose diet soda over soda with sugar more often if the price is lower and diet soda is the most accessible, according to a new study. Marketing professor says stores will keep putting products with the highest profit margins in the best locations.

No, a woman’s hymen does not reveal whether she has had sexual intercourse or not

“When girls reach puberty, the hymen becomes very elastic and may not tear at all during first sexual intercourse,” says gynaecology researcher.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have caused more violence against women in Norway

A new report uncovers insufficient communication from the Norwegian authorities concerning support for women who are victims of domestic violence during the corona crisis.

90 per cent of those who died with COVID-19 in Norway also had a chronic disease

More than half of them had cardiovascular diseases, according to preliminary numbers from the first three months of the pandemic.

Norwegian girls are reaching puberty earlier

A study from Norway shows that the average age for girls to start puberty has decreased by almost 3 months over the last ten years. Researchers are concerned about the trend.

Not even a Nordic welfare system protects children from the effects of a tough childhood

Children who experience a high degree of adverse events had up to 4.5 times the risk of dying before they were 35 years old as compared to children with few or no challenges, according to a new study from Denmark.

Do men and women have different circadian rhythms?

New research may provide answers as to why some people tolerate being awake at night better than others.

Problems with vision after a stroke often overlooked

Changes in vision may be a symptom of stroke, but this isn’t common knowledge. Stroke sufferers say that their vision problems aren’t given much focus during treatment, a new Norwegian study shows.

Norwegian brain researcher: You don’t need to worry about getting Alzheimer's if you’re a little short on sleep

Sleep researchers regularly warn that poor or too little sleep can lead to Alzheimer's disease. But a group of Norwegian brain researchers who are behind a large research project haven’t found this connection.

Norwegian researchers are developing a new method for detecting breast cancer

Artificial intelligence can help speed the detection of breast cancer. Urgent examinations will be undertaken sooner.

Online therapy can help people with sleep problems

People who participated in digital sleep therapy used less sleep medication afterwards, according to a new Norwegian study.

Promising treatments for COVID-19 were reported early on. So why haven’t there been bigger breakthroughs?

The whole world is looking for solutions. But while vaccine researchers seem to be storming ahead, it’s been much more chaotic for researchers studying COVID-19 treatments.

Patients demand testing of three food additives

Several studies suggest that some additives can cause intestinal inflammation and worsen intestinal diseases. Now the Norwegian National Association against Digestive Diseases wants the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to encourage caution until there is documentation that the substances are safe.

Should you get the flu vaccine this year?

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health fears that vulnerable people may be affected by both influenza and COVID-19. They have ordered more than usual of this year's flu vaccine.

Norway has secured access to a COVID-19 vaccine. So what is it actually made of?

And what will it take for the vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca to succeed?

Cardiologists sound the alarm about e-cigarettes

Young people who never smoked regular cigarettes are damaging their heart health when vaping, a group of cardiologists has warned. But tobacco researcher Karl Erik Lund believes the advantages of e-cigarettes outweigh their disadvantages.

Women who use anabolic steroids encounter masculinizing side effects

The steroids impact their self-esteem, sexuality and social lives, but some women also experience positive side effects.

Flawed experiment sends misleading message about corona-safe gyms

OPINION: Without the presence of coronavirus, the researchers’ hypothesis, that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in training facilities with good hygiene and social distancing measures would be low, cannot be tested.

Is it possible to lose weight while building muscle?

ASK A RESEARCHER: Weight loss requires a dieter to run a calorie deficit. Muscle growth requires a calorie surplus. Still, it is possible to achieve both goals simultaneously, research suggests.

You can build strength without weights

Occlusion training is great for athletes who recover from injury, but it is not a very comfortable workout.

«Pandemics affect women and men differently»

The history of and experiences from previous pandemics give us important information about how to handle today’s corona pandemic.

The story of when Norway ran out of coronavirus tests, and a university started a factory to make them

The Nanoparticles had been under development for several years. The bureaucracy was on speed. The researchers were given everything they needed. And then they started a factory.

This method identified the sickest coronavirus patients best

Emergency rooms use different ways to determine which coronavirus patients will need intensive care the most. One method more accurately predicted which patients would be hardest hit, according to a new study.

When bathing was medicine:What can we learn from doctors who promoted sea bathing back in the day?

During the late 1800s and early 1900s, Norwegian doctors believed that salt stimulated the nerves and that cold water could boost a person’s metabolism.

A range of different COVID-19 vaccines are already being tested in humans. But how will the vaccines actually work?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: At least 200 different vaccines against COVID-19 are under development and more than 20 candidates are being tested on healthy individuals. This gives hope that one or more will give protective immunity. But how are the vaccines designed and are there any obstacles?

We need to talk more about how we want to die, says researcher

In Norway, about twelve per cent of people who died last year did so at home. Why don't more people get a planned ending of their lives, in their own bed?

Coronavirus and training in gyms: Misunderstandings about Randomized Training Trial

OPINION: Joar Vittersø has misunderstood the rationale, design and results of our randomized trial on re-opening of gyms in Norway, write the researchers behind a Norwegian study on the transmission of coronavirus in gyms.

Small additives can make old antibiotics work again

Norwegian researchers have created several promising additives for old antibiotics. But even if they were to reach the market, they would only be a short-term solution. “We can never win the battle against bacteria,” says professor Dag Berild.

Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate gets USD $66 million in development funds

The Norwegian-led vaccine coalition called CEPI has contributed USD $66 million to ensure testing of a Chinese vaccine candidate. The agreement will ensure a fair distribution of the vaccine, if it is successful.

Can an extreme low carb diet be used as medicine?

Several studies in recent years have suggested that the ketogenic diet may work against a variety of diseases, such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

Researchers found higher level of anxiety and depression in people who exercised less during COVID-19 lockdown

Around 14 per cent of study respondents reported that they exercised less following the Norwegian lockdown, while 64 per cent remained unchanged and 22 per cent increased their amount of exercise.

Norwegian researchers have tested music therapy for chronic fatigue

Young people who developed chronic fatigue after having mononucleosis were treated using a combination of music therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy in a small Norwegian study. The results give no clear answers.

Immigrants and men with low incomes and low education levels more likely to die of COVID-19

Men with low incomes, low education and who have never been married are at increased risk of dying from COVID-19. Immigrants from low-income countries are similarly vulnerable, according to a Swedish study.

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is now legal for all pregnant women in Norway. But how does it actually work?

How can a mother's blood test reveal a chromosome defect in the foetus? Knowing how the test works also makes it easier to understand why it doesn't always give an accurate result.

Norway’s coronavirus tracing app halted by Data Protection Authority – too invasive and not useful

“This reduces our ability to fight the spread of the virus that is happening now”, warns Camilla Stoltenberg, director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Public broadcaster's controversial coronavirus article spread disinformation to millions

The public broadcaster NRK corrected the original article and published a follow-up. Nonetheless, the contents of their controversial story about the origins of the coronavirus reached millions of people online.

Your brain may be the organ strengthened the most by physical exercise, says neuroscientist

Long-term studies show that people who are physically active on a regular basis can halve their risk of getting Alzheimer's. Why doesn't everyone use such easily accessible 'medicine'?

Who cares for the men who are left behind?

OPINION: We need more research and less scorn, and a better understanding of the incel phenomenon in order to prevent radicalisation, writes Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair.

Swedes' trust in their experts may be dropping, meanwhile, Norwegians do not want open borders to their neighbour

The Swedes had a great deal of confidence in their coronavirus experts at the start of the pandemic. This is about to change, a recent survey suggests.

Here’s how Norway’s public health institute will figure out what to do if the coronavirus flares up again

A new mathematical model used by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) is like a tiny laboratory inside a computer, says the head of the institute’s modelling group.

Face masks: Why do different countries in the world have such different recommendations?

Some of the answer to this question lies in the history of face masks and western prohibitions and unease related to the covering of faces in public.

One in three Norwegian women has taken the morning-after pill

More than half of them had used emergency contraception more than once in their lives.

Data on how Norwegians move around allow for a finetuned model of calculating the spread of coronavirus

But how accurate are these calculations, and what exactly can they be used for?

Cancer drug helped patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME)

Twenty-two of 40 patients with CFS, chronic fatigue syndrome, achieved clear improvements in physical function after receiving chemotherapy, according to a Norwegian study. But a CFS specialist sees shortcomings in the study.

Many people on the autism spectrum have too much vitamin B12, which is important for brain development and thinking

Sigrun Hope is a consultant and specialist in psychiatry. She thinks she has uncovered what she calls “a small mystery”.

Anabolic steroid use reported by a third of male substance users

A third of male patients seeking treatment for substance abuse had also used anabolic steroids, according to a new study from Oslo University Hospital. This puts them at greater risk for health problems.

How miniature human organs are giving hope to cancer patients

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Organoids. The good, the bad and the beautiful.

The coronavirus pandemic is now the most-covered topic by the Norwegian media — ever

Over the past 70 years, cancer has been the disease that has been most widely covered by Norwegian media, with some exceptions. But then came the coronavirus.

How long does sex normally last before climaxing?

For sure not all night, in case you might have thought so.

A new Norwegian sensor will help you sleep better when your sleep is being monitored

The new Norwegian-developed sleep sensor means that a study subject doesn’t have to sleep with sensors on his or her body. In addition, the fact that it is contactless solves a problem related to the coronavirus crisis, says a Norwegian sleep scientist.

Obesity genes lowered metabolism

Half of the population has genes that can prevent the body from burning calories. When Norwegian researchers knocked out these genes in mice, the mice became extremely thin, even though they ate as much as their rodent brethren.

Can vitamin D protect you from COVID-19?

Several researchers believe we should recommend vitamin D supplements to fight the coronavirus. Some of the cited evidence, however, is produced by researchers sponsored by vitamin-D manufacturers, and one study appears in a predatory journal.

We will have pandemics every ten years, Norway’s Minister of Health told a national newspaper. Is that right?

We've taken a closer look at Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie’s assertion.

Norwegian-British cancer medicine to be tested on British COVID-19 patients

BerGenBio believes it is 80 per cent likely that their bemcentinib pill will help people who are sick with the coronavirus. The pill is now being tested on 120 British patients who have COVID-19.

Can the Coronavirus lead to more peace?

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Researchers have never before seen so many countries declaring a ceasefire because of the same reason.

Norway’s mortality rate during the coronavirus pandemic is probably lower than usual

So far this year — during the coronavirus pandemic — the number of deaths in Norway is probably below the mortality rate from the same weeks in previous years.

No solid evidence to support that trigger points exist, says sports professor

Research is lacking on the effectiveness of trigger point therapy, according to sports professor Kari Bø. Some people refer to trigger points as “muscle knots”, but what does that mean? Our muscles certainly don’t form knots.

Norwegian evidence map may be one of the world's most systematic overviews of research on COVID-19

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health is compiling and categorizing global corona research in what will be one of the most complete resources on COVID-19 research in the world. The research map will soon also include quality assessments of the studies.

Record numbers apply to nursing and medical studies during the coronavirus pandemic

Never before have so many people applied to universities and university colleges in Norway. Almost every tenth applicant wants to become a nurse. Many also want to become doctors.

Multi-drug resistant bacteria: When the immune system during COVID-19 is attacked from two fronts

SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Norwegian COVID-19 patients who get a secondary bacterial infection leading to pneumonia, are better equipped in their struggle against this than Italian patients. Are we doing enough to find new technology against multi-drug resistant bacteria?

Norwegian researchers want to make a universal vaccine covering all coronaviruses

It is possible to make a universal vaccine against the flu virus – one that would give broad protection against all the mutations this virus is famous for. Norwegian researchers are now exploring whether the same method can be used for the coronaviruses.

A Norwegian virus app to help stop the spread of COVID-19

Norway will soon launch an app that can notify people if they have been in contact with someone infected by the coronavirus. The app will also allow authorities to monitor the effect of other measures to stop the spread. One in four Norwegians are sceptical, but half of those surveyed said they will download the app.