Convenient and worth the price? Identifying early users and predicting future use of book streaming services

The printed book has been resilient to change, and the adoption of e-books has been slow. In this context, few studies have addressed a potential turn to streaming services for books. This paper examines the adoption of book streaming in the Norwegian market, where the market-leaders Storytel and Fabel report rapid increases in number of subscribers. We examine who these early adopters are, and what may predict future use of streaming services among non-users. Theoretically, the study is situated within the fields of innovation diffusion and technology acceptance. The study is based on a cross-sectional online survey with a representative sample of the Norwegian population. Results show that users are younger and more educated, and that book streaming is more popular among women than men. The audiobook format allows for flexible ways of consuming books, complementing rather than replacing the printed book. For non-users, results show that convenience value and price value predict behavioural intention to use book streaming services. While emotional attachment to printed books has been found to act as a barrier for adoption of e-books, its negative effect on behavioural intention for book streaming services is only modest.

TheraPearl Eye Mask and Blephasteam for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction: a randomized, comparative clinical trial

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the most common cause of dry eye disease (DED). In this study, we aimed to compare the effects of eyelid warming treatment using either TheraPearl Eye Mask (Bausch & Lomb Inc., New York, USA) or Blephasteam (Spectrum Thea Pharmaceuticals LTD, Macclesfield, UK) in a Norwegian population with mild to moderate MGD-related DED. An open label, randomized comparative trial with seventy patients (49 females, 21 males; mean age 53.6 years). Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with Blephasteam (n = 37) or TheraPearl (n = 33). All received a hyaluronic acid based artificial tear substitute (Hylo-Comod, Ursapharm, Saarbrücken, Germany). Patients were examined at baseline, and at three and six months initiation of treatment. Treatment efficacy was primarily evaluated by fluorescein breakup time (FBUT) and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scores. Other outcome measures included ocular surface staining (OSS), Schirmer’s test, and meibomian quality and expressibility. Baseline parameter values did not differ between the groups. After six months of treatment, Blephasteam improved FBUT by 3.9 s (p < 0.01) and OSDI by 13.7 (p < 0.01), TheraPearl improved FBUT by 2.6 s (p < 0.01) and OSDI by 12.6 (p < 0.01). No difference between treatments was detected at 6 months (p = 0.11 for FBUT and p = 0.71 for OSDI), nor were there differences in the other tested parameters between the treatment groups. Blephasteam and TheraPearl are equally effective in treating mild to moderate MGD in a Norwegian population after 6-months of treatment.Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT03318874; Protocol ID: 2014/1983; First registration: 24/10/2017.

Heritability of distichiasis in Havanese dogs in Norway

Background Distichiasis is a presumed inherited eyelid disease, characterized by misplaced eyelashes. The effect on eye health and animal welfare varies between individuals; most mild cases show no clinical signs, but some affected animals develop painful corneal disease. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and heritability of distichiasis in the Norwegian population of Havanese dogs. Results A total of 1156 Havanese were included in the study. Out of these, 168 were affected with distichiasis, making the prevalence in our sample 14.5% (95% CI 12.5–16.6%). There was no sex predisposition. Most affected individuals were graded “mildly affected”. The estimates generally showed high heritabilities, which varied between 0.276 (linear model) and 0.720 (Bayesian threshold model). The linear estimates, after conversion to the underlying scale (h2l = 0.664–0.674), corresponds well to the results of the Bayesian models. Conclusions The estimated heritability of distichiasis in Havanese is high and the prevalence is moderate. The high heritability indicate that a significant selection response could be obtained by simple mass selection. To secure good animal welfare, it’s important to control the number of affected individuals and especially the severely affected.

Serious Life Events in People with Visual Impairment Versus the General Population

The present study aimed to examine the lifetime exposure to serious life events in people with visual impairment compared with the general population. Data were derived from a telephone survey including a probability sample of 736 adults with visual impairment (response rate: 61%). The lifetime prevalence of direct experiences with seventeen different categories of serious life events (Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5)) were compared to that obtained from the general Norwegian population (N = 1792, 36% response rate). Altogether, 68% of people with visual impairment had been directly exposed to at least one serious life event, with equal rates among males and females (p = 0.59). The prevalence of serious life events was higher than for the general population (60%, p < 0.001), especially for fire or explosions, serious accidents, sexual assaults, life-threatening illness or injury, and severe human suffering. In conclusion, our results indicate that people with visual impairment are more prone to experiencing serious life events. This highlights the need for preventive strategies that reduce the risk of serious life events in this population.

Undiagnosed diabetes based on HbA1c by socioeconomic status and healthcare consumption in the Tromsø Study 1994–2016

IntroductionWe aimed to investigate whether the proportion of undiagnosed diabetes varies by socioeconomic status and healthcare consumption, in a Norwegian population screened with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c).Research design and methodsIn this cohort study, we studied age-standardized diabetes prevalence using data from men and women aged 40–89 years participating in four surveys of the Tromsø Study with available data on HbA1c and self-reported diabetes: 1994–1995 (n=6720), 2001 (n=5831), 2007–2008 (n=11 987), and 2015–2016 (n=20 170). We defined undiagnosed diabetes as HbA1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) and no self-reported diabetes. We studied the association of education, income and contact with a general practitioner on undiagnosed diabetes and estimated adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) from multivariable adjusted (age, sex, body mass index) log-binomial regression.ResultsHigher education was associated with lower prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes. Those with secondary and tertiary education had lower prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes (aPR for tertiary vs primary: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.66). Undiagnosed as a proportion of all diabetes was also significantly lower in those with tertiary education (aPR:0.78, 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.93). Household income was also negatively associated with prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. Across the surveys, approximately 80% of those with undiagnosed diabetes had been in contact with a general practitioner the last year, similar to those without diabetes.ConclusionsUndiagnosed diabetes was lower among participants with higher education. The hypothesis that those with undiagnosed diabetes had been less in contact with a general practitioner was not supported.

De-labelling penicillin allergy in acutely hospitalized patients: a pilot study

Background Penicillin allergy prevalence is internationally reported to be around 10%. However, the majority of patients who report a penicillin allergy do not have a clinically significant hypersensitivity. Few patients undergo evaluation, which leads to overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The objective of this study was to monitor prevalence and implement screening and testing of hospitalized patients. Methods All patients admitted to the medical department in a local hospital in Oslo, Norway, with a self-reported penicillin allergy were screened using an interview algorithm to categorize the reported allergy as high-risk or low-risk. Patients with a history of low-risk allergy underwent a direct graded oral amoxicillin challenge to verify absence of a true IgE-type allergy. Results 257 of 5529 inpatients (4.6%) reported a penicillin allergy. 191 (74%) of these patients underwent screening, of which 86 (45%) had an allergy categorized as low-risk. 54 (63%) of the low-risk patients consented to an oral test. 98% of these did not have an immediate reaction to the amoxicillin challenge, and their penicillin allergy label could thus be removed. 42% of the patients under treatment with antibiotics during inclusion could switch to treatment with penicillins immediately after testing, in line with the national recommendations for antibiotic use. Conclusions The prevalence of self-reported penicillin allergy was lower in this Norwegian population, than reported in other studies. Screening and testing of hospitalized patients with self-reported penicillin allergy is a feasible and easy measure to de-label a large proportion of patients, resulting in immediate clinical and environmental benefit. Our findings suggest that non-allergist physicians can safely undertake clinically impactful allergy evaluations.