SNORW-tag

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.

The Norwegian university started a coronavirus test factory and supplied test facilities around the country

This is the story of how Norway’s largest university tackled the shortage of coronavirus tests at a time when the pandemic was a harsh reality, and the country was inadequately prepared for the crisis.

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.

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.

Global Corona-study led from Norway: Life-saving drugs may be in place this summer

The first results from the large WHO-trial on the effects of existing drugs on Covid-19 could be only 3-4 months away, says John-Arne Røttingen, coordinator of the study.

A pill for celiac disease will come soon, researchers believe

The only treatment for celiac disease today is to avoid gluten for the rest of your life. That can be difficult. But celiac researchers think that a pill or vaccine to treat the disease is not far off.

The Placebo Effect:From mystical magnetism to using our bodies inherent powers

The human body has a remarkable built-in capacity for rectifying its own ailments. “The medical profession should make more use of this,” says Norwegian professor.

More young people are getting ACL injuries than ever before. But surgery isn’t always the solution.

Research shows that children do just fine without surgery. Treatment without surgery means less risk from the surgery itself, one researcher says.

Why testicular cancer can cause weight problems

Researchers at the Cancer Registry of Norway have investigated why many men who survive testicular cancer later suffer from weight problems and high blood pressure. They found greater epigenetic changes in survivors than in other men.

Radiation treatment for prostate cancer increases risk of bladder cancer

Prostate cancer patients who have received radiation have more than twice the risk of getting bladder cancer compared to those who received only hormone therapy. Nevertheless, radiation patients have a much better chance of living longer, according to a new Norwegian study.

Faecal transplantation helped many with IBS

A new Norwegian study reports that many patients treated with faecal transplantation felt completely healthy after treatment. But everyone in the study were given bacteria from a single donor with a special gut flora. So what do the results mean for faecal transplantation in general?

Nasal spray research was not legal – producers have to remove all information about study

The Norwegian company Viiral has violated several paragraphs in the Norwegian Health Research Act, according to the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision. Here are the reasons why their research was considered reckless and illegal.

Can deep brain stimulation help with epilepsy?

Some patients receive little benefit from epilepsy medication. Many have high hopes for treatment that sends electrical impulses through the brain. Results from a new Norwegian study are however not as encouraging as expected.

Electric shock treatment increases volume in large parts of the brain

Using electrical brain stimulation to treat depression affects larger areas of the brain than previously recognized, according to a new study from Bergen.

What’s the lasting effect of surgical knee repair?

For the first time, a researcher has looked at how different surgical methods affect knee function 5-10 years after treatment.

Asthma or EILO: Are misdiagnosed breathing difficulties making children and adolescents less active?

EILO is a breathing problem that can be confused with asthma. Doctor believes many people don’t know they can get help.

A mathematician in the operating room

Mathematician Mathias Barra looks at hospitals as if they are health factories. His goal is to find the safest, most efficient way to organize surgery and the use of shared resources.

Fake chiropractic treatments make for better research

Conducting research on chiropractic care is hard because it is very difficult to fool patients into thinking they have been given a treatment. But a Norwegian PhD candidate believes he has solved this problem.

Frozen ovarian tissue restores women’s fertility

Doctors removed ovarian tissue from women about to undergo chemotherapy – and when it was transplanted after chemo, patients were able to become pregnant.

Charting sores and bruises in multiple colours

Detailed nuances in colour can reveal the age of bruises or detect when sores are not healing properly.

Salvaged donor lungs can save lives

Donor lungs once thought unsuitable for transplant can be salvaged for use by a new method after special treatment in a purpose-built heart and lung machine unit.

Genetic test queues generated by Angelina Jolie

Since Angelina Jolie made her double mastectomy public in 2013, Norwegian women have streamed to hospitals to test against hereditary breast cancer.

Pressuring radiation damaged bones to heal

Pressure chambers help patients who have suffered damage from radiotherapy treatment against cancer. Bones grow better under pressure.

A physician's words can help or hurt

Doctors can help people change their unhealthy lifestyles, but poor communication skills may cause patients to feel shame and guilt.

Fear cancels out placebo effect

Placebos offer no analgesic effect for people who are afraid of pain, a Norwegian study shows.

Sore throats often require no antibiotics

Physicians are too apt to prescribe antibiotics for throat infections. These are often viral, rather than bacterial, streptococci infections.

Fast or slow prostate cancer?

Some types of prostate cancer progress so slowly that the patient never requires treatment. The challenge now is to find out which patients need treatment and which don't.

Oslo terrorism response: fine medical effort despite flaws

Emergency medical teams made significant efforts when they treated the victims of last year's terrorist attacks in Oslo. But there were flaws.

Screening for breast cancer to what effect?

Researchers are disagreeing on whether the Norwegian screening program on breast cancer has had the intended effect.

Height as an infliction

Several hundred Norwegian girls were treated with oestrogen in their childhood to keep them from growing too tall. Nobody has studied what happened to them as adults.

Cutting back on coercion

Psychiatric wards in larger cities in Norway are more apt to use coercive medical care than ones in smaller communities, but reductions are underway.