Our latest publications

Selected publications

• Hanage WP, Fraser C, Tang J, Connor T, Corander J. (2009) Hyper-recombination, diversity and antibiotic resistance in the pneumococcus. Science, 324, 1454-1457.
• John A. Lees, Minna Vehkala, Niko Välimäki, Simon R. Harris, Claire Chewapreecha, Nicholas J. Croucher, Pekka Marttinen, Mark R. Davies, Andrew C. Steer, Steven Y. C. Tong, Antti Honkela, Julian Parkhill, Stephen D. Bentley, Jukka Corander (2016) Sequence element enrichment analysis to determine the genetic basis of bacterial phenotypes. Nature Communications, doi:10.1038/ncomms12797.
• Marcin J. Skwark, Nicholas J Croucher, Santeri Puranen, Claire Chewapreecha, Maiju Pesonen, Ying Ying Xu, Paul Turner, Simon R. Harris, Stephen B. Beres, James M. Musser, Julian Parkhill, Stephen D. Bentley, Erik Aurell, Jukka Corander (2017) Interacting networks of resistance, virulence and core machinery genes identified by genome-wide epistasis analysis. PloS Genetics, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006508.
• Michael Gutmann, Jukka Corander (2016). Bayesian Optimization for Likelihood-Free Inference of Simulator-Based Statistical Models. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 17 (125), 1-47.
• Jukka Corander, Christophe Fraser, Michael U. Gutmann, Brian Arnold, William P. Hanage, Stephen D. Bentley, Marc Lipsitch, Nicholas J. Croucher (2017). Frequency-dependent selection in vaccine-associated pneumococcal population dynamics. Nature Ecology & Evolution, DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0337-x.
• Emily Richardson, Rodrigo Bacigalupe, Ewan Harrison, Lucy Weinert, Samantha Lycett, Manouk Vrieling, Kirsty Robb, Paul Hoskisson, Matthew Holden, Edward Feil, Gavin Paterson, Steven Tong, Adebayo Shittu, Willem van Wamel, David Aanensen, Julian Parkhill, Sharon Peacock, Jukka Corander, Mark Holmes, and Ross Fitzgerald (2018) Gene exchange drives the ecological success of a multi-host bacterial pathogen. Nature Ecology & Evolution, doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0617-0.
• Johan Pensar, Santeri Puranen, Brian Arnold, Neil MacAlasdair, Juri Kuronen, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Maiju Pesonen, Yingying Xu, Aleksi Sipola, Leonor Sánchez-Busó, John A Lees, Claire Chewapreecha, Stephen D Bentley, Simon R Harris, Julian Parkhill, Nicholas J Croucher, Jukka Corander (2019) Genome-wide epistasis and co-selection study using mutual information. Nucleic Acids Research, doi: 10.1093/nar/gkz656.
• Caroline Colijn, Jukka Corander, Nicholas J. Croucher (2020) Designing ecologically-optimised pneumococcal vaccines using population genomics. Nature Microbiology, DOI: 10.1038/s41564-019-0651-y.
• Rebecca A Gladstone, Alan McNally, Anna K. Pöntinen, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, John A. Lees, Kusti O. Skytén, François Cléon, Martin O. K. Christensen, Bjørg C. Haldorsen, Kristina K. Bye, Karianne W. Gammelsrud, Reidar Hjetland, Angela Kümmel, Hege E. Larsen, Paul Christoffer Lindemann, Iren H. Löhr, Åshild Marvik, Einar Nilsen, Marie T. Noer, Gunnar S. Simonsen, Martin Steinbakk, Ståle Tofteland, Marit Vattøy, Stephen D. Bentley, Nicholas J. Croucher, Julian Parkhill, Pål J. Johnsen, Ørjan Samuelsen, Jukka Corander (2021) Emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli causing bloodstream infections: a nationwide longitudinal microbial population genomic study in Norway between 2002-2017. Lancet Microbe, doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(21)00031-8.
• Anu Kantele, Esther Kuenzli, Steven J Dunn, David AB Dance, Paul N Newton, Viengmon Davong, Sointu Mero, Sari H Pakkanen, Andreas Neumayr, Christoph Hatz, Ann Snaith, Teemu Kallonen, Jukka Corander, Alan McNally (2021) Prospective study of intestinal multidrug-resistant bacteria contracted by visitors to a high-endemic setting: daily real-time sampling abroad to analyse acquisition rates and dynamics of colonisation. Lancet Microbe, doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30224-X.
• Anna K. Pöntinen, Janetta Top, Sergio Arredondo-Alonso, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Ana R. Freitas, Carla Novais, Rebecca A. Gladstone, Maiju Pesonen, Rodrigo Meneses, Henri Pesonen, John A. Lees, Dorota Jamrozy, Stephen D. Bentley, Val Fernandez Lanza, Carmen Torres, Luisa Peixe, Teresa M. Coque, Julian Parkhill, Anita C. Schürch, Rob J. L. Willems, Jukka Corander (2021) Apparent nosocomial adaptation of the generalist major pathogen Enterococcus faecalis predates the modern hospital era. Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21749-5.
• Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Clare Ling, Chrispin Chaguza, Susannah J Salter, Pattaraporn Hinfonthong, Elissavet Nikolaou, Natalie Tate, Andrzej Pastusiak, Claudia Turner, Claire Chewapreecha, Simon DW Frost, Jukka Corander, Nicholas J Croucher, Paul Turner, Stephen D Bentley (2022) Pneumococcal within-host diversity during colonisation, transmission and treatment. Nature Microbiology, doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01238-1.
• Jukka Corander, William P Hanage, Johan Pensar (2022). Causal discovery for the microbiome. Lancet Microbe, DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00186-0.
• Sebastiaan J. van Hal, Rob J. L. Willems, Theodore  Gouliouris, Susan A. Ballard, Teresa M. Coque, Anette M. Hammerum, Kristin Hegstad, Mette Pinholt, Benjamin P. Howden, Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar, Guido Werner, Katsunori Yanagihara, Ashlee M. Earl, Katherine E. Raven, Jukka Corander, Rory Bowden (2022) The interplay between community and hospital Enterococcus faecium clones within healthcare settings, a genomic analysis. Lancet Microbe, doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(21)00236-6.
• Harry A. Thorpe, Ross Booton, Teemu Kallonen, Marjorie J. Gibbon, Natacha Couto, Virginie Passet, Juan Sebastian Lopez Fernandez, Carla Rodrigues, Louise Matthews, Sonia Mitchell, Richard Reeve, Sophia David, Cristina Merla, Marta Corbella, Carolina Ferrari, Francesco Comandatore, Piero Marone, Sylvain Brisse, Davide Sassera, Jukka Corander, Edward J. Feil (2022) A large-scale genomic snapshot of Klebsiella spp. isolates in Northern Italy reveals limited transmission between clinical and non-clinical settings. Nature Microbiology, doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01263-0.
• Jessica K. Calland, Kaisa Haukka, Stephen W. Kpordze, Atanyiwoen Brusah, Marta Corbella, Cristina Merla, Ørjan Samuelsen, Edward J. Feil, Davide Sassera, Akosua B. Karikari, Courage K. S. Saba, Harry A. Thorpe, Jukka Corander (2023) Population structure and antimicrobial resistance among Klebsiella isolates sampled from human, animal, and environmental sources in Ghana: A cross-sectional genomic One Health study. Lancet Microbe, DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00208-2.
• Tommi Mäklin,  Harry A. Thorpe,  Anna K. Pöntinen,  Rebecca A. Gladstone,  Yan Shao,  Maiju Pesonen,  Alan McNally,  Pål J. Johnsen,  Ørjan Samuelsen,  Trevor D. Lawley,  Antti Honkela,  Jukka Corander (2022) Strong pathogen competition in neonatal gut colonization. Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35178-5.
• Sergio Arredondo-Alonso, George Blundell-Hunter, Zuyi Fu, Rebecca A. Gladstone, Alfred Fillol-Salom, Jessica Loraine, Elaine Cloutman-Green, Pål J. Johnsen, Ørjan Samuelsen, Anna K. Pöntinen, François Cléon, Susana Chavez-Bueno, Miguel Ángel De la Cruz, Miguel A. Ares, Manivanh Vongsouvath,  Agnieszka Chmielarczyk, Carolyne Horner, Nigel Klein, Alan McNally, Joice Neves Reis, José R. Penadés, Nicholas R. Thomson, Jukka Corander, Peter W. Taylor, Alex J. McCarthy (2023) Evolutionary and Functional History of the Escherichia coli K1 Capsule. Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39052-w.
• Anna K. Pöntinen, Rebecca A. Gladstone, Henri Pesonen, Maiju Pesonen, François Cléon, Benjamin J. Parcell, Teemu Kallonen, Gunnar Skov Simonsen, Nicholas J. Croucher, Alan McNally, Julian Parkhill, Pål J. Johnsen, Ørjan Samuelsen, Jukka Corander (2024) Modulation of multi-drug resistant clone success in Escherichia coli populations: a longitudinal multi-country genomic and antibiotic usage cohort study. Lancet Microbe, DOI: 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00292-6.

• Paja-García, Alejandra; becerra, Rafael Romero; Aittokallio, Tero Antero & López, Alberto (2026). Biomarker discovery and patient stratification in pancreatic cancer using incomplete multi-omics data. PLoS Computational Biology. ISSN 1553-734X. 22(9), p. e1014735–e1014735. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1014735. Full text in Research Archive
• Pöntinen, Anna Kaarina; Trung, Nguyen Vinh; Mallawaarachchi, Sudaraka; Gladstone, Rebecca Ashley; Kuronen, Juri & Samuelsen, Ørjan [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2026). Mapping the evolutionary path towards multi-drug resistance in the pandemic Escherichia coli ST131 lineage. Microbial Genomics. 12(9). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001795. Full text in Research Archive
• Vumbaca, Michela; Biffignandi, Gherard Batisti; Cavanna, Caterina; Bellinzona, Greta; Corbella, Marta & Mileto, Irene [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Genomic Characterization of Candida spp. Highlights a Persistent, Azole-Resistant C. parapsilosis Clone Circulating in a Tertiary Care Hospital During the First COVID-19 Wave. Mycopathologia. ISSN 0301-486X. 191(2). doi: 10.1007/s11046-026-01070-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Yeasts belonging to the Candida genus typically reside on the mucosal surface and within the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract as commensals. Under conditions of host vulnerability, they can act as opportunistic pathogens, leading to various forms of candidiasis, including candidemia. Such infections can be particularly problematic when caused by isolates that exhibit resistance to antifungal drugs, which are becoming more prevalent in many regions. One hundred and seven samples of Candida spp. were isolated from patients with candidemia in the hospital San Matteo in Pavia (Italy) over a period of 6 years, from 2015 to the first COVID wave in spring 2020. In order to understand the epidemiology of Candida infections in this hospital setting, the isolates were whole-genome sequenced, confirming that most belonged to C. parapsilosis and C. albicans. Comparative genomics revealed that isolates of C. albicans were genomically diverse, indicative of repeated introductions in the hospital from the community. C. parapsilosis isolates on the other hand belonged to two groups of highly similar isolates, representing strains capable of long-term persistence in the hospital. All isolates of the main persistent group were resistant to fluconazoleresulting from the Y132F substitution in ERG11 and the N455D substitution in UPC2, while presenting variable levels of resistance to voriconazole and itraconazole. Interestingly, with the exception of the single isolate susceptible to both voriconazole and itraconazole, all the 61 isolates presented one unreported missense mutation in MRR1 (S1907C).

• Yaqub, Sheraz; Valberg, Morten; Bjørnbeth, Bjørn Atle; Angelsen, Jon-Helge; Brudvik, Kristoffer Watten & Eilertsen, Ina [Show all 43 contributors for this article] (2026). Aspirin after curative-intent treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases (ASAC): a multicentre, phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology. ISSN 2468-1253. doi: 10.1016/s2468-1253(26)00260-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Colorectal cancer frequently metastasises to the liver. Recurrence after curative-intent treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases is common. Aspirin has shown preventive and antitumour effects in colorectal cancer, but its role after treatment of metastatic disease is uncertain. We aimed to establish whether adjuvant aspirin improves disease-free survival after curative-intent treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases. Methods In this phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted at 14 centres in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, patients who had undergone curative-intent treatment for colorectal cancer liver metastases were randomly assigned (1:1), stratified by study site using a centrally generated computerised sequence with variable block sizes, to aspirin 160 mg per day or matching placebo for up to 3 years or until recurrence, death, or treatment discontinuation. The primary outcome was disease-free survival in the full analysis set, comprising all patients who initiated study treatment. The trial is completed and this is the final analysis. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03326791, and EudraCT, 2014-003601-15. Findings Between Dec 15, 2017, and Jan 27, 2022, 466 patients were randomly assigned, of whom 428 initiated study treatment and were included in the full analysis set (217 assigned aspirin and 211 assigned placebo); 272 (64%) were male, 156 (36%) were female, and the mean age was 62·2 years. 269 disease-free survival events occurred (138 in the aspirin group and 131 in the placebo group). Aspirin did not improve disease-free survival (hazard ratio [HR] for recurrence or death 1·08 [95·44% CI 0·85–1·38]; p=0·58). Median disease-free survival was 1·13 years (95·44% CI 0·92–1·44) with aspirin and 1·40 years (1·11–1·69) with placebo. Overall survival at 36 months was 76% (95% CI 69·4–82·7) with aspirin and 85% (79·5–90·8) with placebo (HR for death 1·64 [95% CI 1·01–2·65]; p=0·045). Time to recurrence did not differ between groups (adjusted cause-specific HR 1·06 [95% CI 0·83–1·35]; p=0·64). 24 serious adverse events occurred in 17 (8%) of 217 patients in the aspirin group and five serious adverse events occurred in four (2%) of 211 patients in the placebo group. Clinically relevant adverse events and serious adverse events that occurred more commonly in the aspirin group than in the placebo group were myocardial infarction (two vs 0), epistaxis (four vs 0), duodenal ulcer (two vs 0), and cerebral haemorrhage (two vs 0). There were no treatment-related deaths. Interpretation Adjuvant aspirin did not improve disease-free survival and was associated with lower overall survival and more serious adverse events. These findings do not support routine use of aspirin after curative-intent treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases.

• Hermansen, Johanne Uthus; Kong, Weikaixin; Brodersen, Andrea M; Yanping, Yin; Urban, Aleksandra & Rein, Idun Dale [Show all 25 contributors for this article] (2026). A functional prognostic model predicts progression‐free survival in patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with ibrutinib + venetoclax. HemaSphere. 10(9). doi: 10.1002/hem3.70467. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Targeted therapies have improved outcomes for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL); yet, not all achieve durable responses. Existing prognostic models, developed for chemoimmunotherapy, have limited predictive value for newer targeted combinations. Here, we used data from a randomized phase II clinical trial to identify predictors of progression‐free survival (PFS) in response to Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) + B‐cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‐2) inhibitor combination therapy. We studied the functional, genetic, and clinical characteristics of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CLL treated with ibrutinib + venetoclax in the VISION/HO141 clinical trial (NCT03226301). Ex vivo drug sensitivity testing, (phospho)protein profiling, and immunophenotyping were performed on baseline peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 177 patients. Ex vivo drug sensitivity correlated with clinical responses to single‐agent therapies. (Phospho)protein patterns reflected intracellular pathway activity and predicted ex vivo drug sensitivity. Using stringent feature selection and regularized ridge regression to prevent overfitting, we integrated functional, genetic, and clinical data sets and identified six features—sensitivity to VEGFR‐2‐, JAK1/2 + Bcl‐2‐, and BTK + PI3K‐inhibitors; phosphorylation ratios of Bcl‐2:BTK and p90RSK:PLCγ2; and frequency of CD8 + T cells—that together outperformed the International Prognostic Index for CLL (CLL‐IPI) and other clinical scores in predicting PFS. These findings demonstrate that a prognostic model based on the functional features of CLL cell signaling and interaction with the microenvironment has the potential to improve upon conventional prognostic scores, warranting further clinical validation also in the frontline setting.

• Robsahm, Trude Eid; Skog, Anna; Veierød, Marit Bragelien; Roscher, Ingrid; Brevig, Trine & Ghiasvand, Reza [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Nationwide study of cutaneous basal cell carcinoma incidence trends in Norway, 2012–2022. Cancer Epidemiology. ISSN 1877-7821. 105. doi: 10.1016/j.canep.2026.103210.
• Torland, Anne Vold; Geisler, Jürgen; Azimzade, Youness; Frafjord, Astri; Nilsen, Hogne Røed & Buer, Linn [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2026). Multi-platform analysis of the tumor immune microenvironment associated with breast cancer subtypes. Oncoimmunology. ISSN 2162-4011. 15(1). doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2025.2610535. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Breast cancer is genetically and histologically heterogenous, and is influenced by a variety of factors, including the tumor microenvironment (TME). The PAM50 subtypes; Luminal A, Luminal B, Normal-like, Basal-like and Her2-enriched, are associated with different tumor phenotypes and overall survival. The quantity and quality of immune cell infiltration in breast tumors play a key role in cancer development and progression and are associated with survival and treatment response. We used multiplex immunohistochemistry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and two deconvolution algorithms to explore the immune landscape across PAM50 subtypes. Immunostaining of CD3+ T cells, tryptase+ mast cells, CD20+ B cells, CD68+ CD163+ macrophages, and CD66b+ granulocytes revealed marked differences in tumor immune infiltrates according to breast cancer subtypes. Luminal tumors were relatively deprived of T cells and B cells, while exhibiting sparse to moderate amounts of macrophage infiltration. In contrast, Her2-enriched tumors exhibited a moderate immune presence, with sparse to moderate T cell infiltration and moderate infiltration of B cells and macrophages. At the other end of the spectrum, Basal-like tumors stood out for their strikingly rich immune environment and are heavily infiltrated by T cells, B cells, and macrophages. The results from the single-cell and deconvolution analyses confirmed subtype-specific immune microenvironments, which also allowed us to observe increased levels of natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells in Her2-enriched and Basal-like subtypes. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate significant differences in the immune tumor microenvironmentbetween the established breast cancer molecular subtypes.

• Dalessandro, Matteo & Thoresen, Magne (2026). Methods of Selective Inference for Linear Mixed Models: A Review and Empirical Comparison. International Statistical Review. ISSN 0306-7734. doi: 10.1111/insr.70063. Full text in Research Archive
• Liu, Qinghua; Vitelli, Valeria; Mannino, Carlo; Frigessi, Arnoldo & Scheel, Ida (2026). Pseudo-Mallows for Efficient Probabilistic Preference Learning. International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML). doi: https:/arxiv.org/pdf/2205.13911. Full text in Research Archive
• Tverdal, Aage; Selmer, Randi Marie & Thelle, Dag Steinar (2026). Associations between beer, wine, and spirits consumption and major mortality outcomes in 187,294 Norwegian men and women, with a focus on low-level wine intake. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. ISSN 1403-4948. doi: 10.1177/14034948261459749. Full text in Research Archive
• Nilsen, Jeannette; Sand, Kine M. K.; Al-Khabbaz, Hana J.; Ligtenberg, Lennart Maximilian van; Mester, Simone & Mathiesen, Line [Show all 28 contributors for this article] (2026). Fusion of IgG antibodies to albumin inhibits transport across the placenta. Science immunology. 11(122). doi: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aee5151. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Immunoglobulin G (IgG)–based monoclonal antibodies are effective therapies for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and migraine. However, they are actively transported across the placenta by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), limiting their use during pregnancy. Using mouse models and an ex vivo human placental perfusion system, we show that although FcRn binds albumin independently of IgG, albumin is not transported to the fetus in mice or across human placental tissue. Fusion of IgG to albumin markedly reduced transplacental transport in both models while preserving the prolonged plasma half-life conferred by FcRn. Similarly, fragment antigen–binding fragments fused to engineered albumin with enhanced FcRn binding showed minimal fetal exposure. In a mouse model of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, albumin fusion of an anti–human platelet antigen IgG reduced fetal antibody transfer and attenuated thrombocytopenia in the offspring. These findings identify albumin as an attractive fusion partner for biologics intended to minimize fetal exposure during pregnancy.

• Sousa, Ana Rita Sequeira de; Klemsdal, Tor Ole; Ghiasvand, Reza; Svendsen, Mette; Birkeland, Kåre Inge & Sveen, Kari Anne (2026). Lifestyle modifications in individuals with blood pressure beyond treatment target despite pharmacological treatment: design and baseline characteristics of the MeDiPA randomised controlled trial. Blood Pressure. ISSN 0803-7051. 35(1). doi: 10.1080/08037051.2026.2705014. Full text in Research Archive
• Sveen, Anita; Stenersen, Jakob Mørkved; Asenso, Theophilus Quachie; Klokkerud, Solveig Knoph; Kranjec, Christian & Eilertsen, Ina [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2026). Exceptional treatment responses and molecular markers among 103 colorectal cancer cell lines. Molecular Biomedicine. 7. doi: 10.1186/s43556-026-00551-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Patients with colorectal cancer have few molecularly guided treatment options. Cancers with exceptional treatment response are valuable models for discovery of molecular response mechanisms and might reveal new predictive biomarkers to guide treatment selection. However, the rarity of events is a clinical challenge. We performed integrated high-throughput drug sensitivity testing (n = 620 drugs) and molecular analyses of 103 colorectal cancer cell lines to build an in vitro foundation for exceptional treatment responses and their molecular markers. Exceptional responses were scored by a two-way outlier detection approach and were identified in 67 unique cell line-drug pairs (0.13% of all pairs tested). This involved 35 cell lines (34.0%) and 49 drugs (7.9%) representing standard, experimental, and non-oncology drugs of diverse classes. Plausible response mechanisms on the gene, protein, and/or pathway expression levels were identified at baseline in 89.6% of the 67 pairs. Experimental validation confirmed treatment-induced marker suppression in seven of eight selected pairs, including target engagement of kinase inhibitors and downregulation of markers of extended response mechanisms. Recurrent exceptional sensitivity to the same drug in different cell lines involved functionally convergent molecular mechanisms, but rarely precisely the same marker. Most exceptional sensitivities (77.8%) could be predicted with multivariable transcriptomic models. In conclusion, this study provides in vitro support for biomarker-guided prescreening to potentially obtain exceptional treatment response to diverse drugs and therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer. Most exceptional responses have a clear molecular underpinning. The study also provides a large and openly available pharmaco-transcriptomics resource for colorectal cancer cell lines.

• Asgari, Fatemeh; Vitelli, Valeria & Sailer, Uta (2026). Functional Structural Equation Modeling with Latent Variables. Structural Equation Modeling. ISSN 1070-5511. p. 1–9. doi: 10.1080/10705511.2026.2702102. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Handling latent variables in Structural Equation Models (SEMs) where both the latent variables and their corresponding indicators are random curves presents significant challenges, especially with sparse data. We develop a novel family of Functional Structural Equation Models (FSEMs) incorporating latent variables modeled as Gaussian Processes (GPs). The model adapts to cases when the random curves’ realizations are observed over a sparse subset of the domain. To extract smooth estimates for the functional parameters, we employ a penalized likelihood approach and evaluate the performance of the proposed model using simulation studies and a real data example, suggesting our model performs well. Supplementary materials are available online.

• Bratteteig, Mari; Grydeland, May; Anderssen, Sigmund Alfred; Ruud, Ellen; Torsvik, Ingrid Kristin & Thorsen, Lene [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2026). Weekly physical activity trajectories in short- and long-term survivors of childhood cancer: the PACCS and SURfit studies. Journal of cancer survivorship. ISSN 1932-2259. doi: 10.1007/s11764-026-02086-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose Identify and describe weekly physical activity (PA) trajectories in adolescent and adult childhood cancer survivors (survivors), describe characteristics of survivors following different PA trajectories, and compare PA trajectories to controls. Methods This study includes adolescent (9–18 years) survivors and controls from the Physical Activity in Childhood Cancer Survivors (PACCS) study and adult (18–49 years) survivors from the survivor fitness (SURfit) study and controls from the Norwegian National Physical Activity Survey 2. Weekly trajectories of accelerometer-measured PA were identified by multivariate latent class mixed models using daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous and light PA (MVPA, LPA). Survivors’ characteristics related to different PA trajectories were assessed using a descriptive approach, and PA trajectories between survivors and controls were visually compared. Results We identified four PA trajectories among adolescents (Low regular; Medium, drop weekend; Medium, peak Friday; and Medium regular) and four among adult survivors (Medium regular; Medium, drop weekend; Medium regular MVPA, high regular LPA; and High, drop weekend). The main factors related to the different PA trajectories were sex, age at assessment, sleep, and (parental) education, whereas diagnosis seemed important in adolescent survivors only. In adolescents, trajectories were comparable between survivors and controls, while in adults, only three trajectories were comparable. The allocation to the different trajectories was more favorable in adolescent survivors (fewer in the Low trajectory) and adult survivors (no Low regular MVPA trajectory was identified in survivors) compared to controls. Implications for Cancer Survivors Our findings show many different behavioral approaches to accumulate PA over a week. They highlight the need for targeted PA interventions in a subset of survivors (i.e., adolescent, female survivors of CNS tumors). Developing interventions to prevent PA drops on the weekend holds high potential.

• Johansen, Sara Hassing; Edvardsen, Elisabeth; Raastad, Truls; Ruud, Ellen; Deng, Wei Hai & Bratteteig, Mari [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Associations Between Physical Fitness and Fatigue in Adolescent Childhood Cancer Survivors: The PACCS Study. Pediatric Blood & Cancer. ISSN 1545-5009. doi: 10.1002/1545-5017.70478. Full text in Research Archive
• Kandula, Sasikiran; Rø, Gunnar Øyvind Isaksson; Leblanc, Marissa Erin & Blasio, Birgitte Freiesleben de (2026). Categorical short-term forecasts of respiratory pathogens in Europe. Epidemics. ISSN 1755-4365. 56, p. 1–9. doi: 10.1016/j.epidem.2026.100938. Full text in Research Archive
• Zykova, Svetlana; Plaksienko, Anna; Solevåg, Anne Lee; Brigtsen, Anne Karin; Michelsen, Trond Melbye & Sørbye, Ingvil Krarup [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). Neonatal reference intervals for salivary steroids: focus on prematurity, stressful events and perinatal betamethasone. Frontiers in Pediatrics. 14. doi: 10.3389/fped.2026.1808446. Full text in Research Archive
• Willoch-Allen, Katarina; Zhao, Zhi; Duran, Pilar Ayuda; Mikaeloff, Flora; Struyf, Nona & Österroos, Albin [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). A multi-center study on the consistency of drug sensitivity testing in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. NPJ precision oncology. 10(1). doi: 10.1038/s41698-026-01480-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Clinical implementation of patient cell-based drug testing is hampered by inconsistencies and irreproducible results. Using linear mixed models and drug response data from four cohorts of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (n = 993 samples), we identified sources of variability in ex vivo drug sensitivity testing across the studies. We identified several experimental factors, including the time until sample was tested, the type of culture media and viability assay, which led to systematic differences in drug sensitivity profiles. We further investigated the effects of sample types (fresh or frozen) and disease status (diagnosis, relapse, or refractory), and observed that peripheral blood samples resulted in higher drug sensitivity levels, compared to those derived from bone marrow. Technical factors, such as the type of plate reader and centrifugation procedure, further contributed to the response variability depending on the chosen drug response metric. These factors need to be standardized for improved consistency in functional precision medicine studies.

• Ugland, Stein Håvard; Fagerberg, Øystein Tyri; Ugland, Terje; Mjaaland, Knut Erik; Pripp, Are Hugo & Nordsletten, Lars (2026). SPAIRE Approach Versus Direct Anterior Approach in Hemiarthroplasty for Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JBJS Open Access. 11(3). doi: 10.2106/JBJS.OA.26.00171. Full text in Research Archive
• Rockne, Russell C.; Andersen, Morten; Anderson, Alexander R. A.; Basanta, David; Bentivegna, Angela & Benzekry, Sebastien [Show all 19 contributors for this article] (2026). The future of mathematical oncology in the age of AI. npj Systems Biology and Applications. 12(1). doi: 10.1038/s41540-026-00656-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This perspective article discusses emerging advances at the interface of mechanistic modeling and data-driven machine learning, highlighting opportunities for AI to accelerate discovery, improve predictive modeling, and enhance clinical decision-making. We address critical limitations of current AI approaches and propose a perspective on a future where AI augments mechanistic rigor, clinical relevance, and human creativity under the umbrella of a redefined understanding of Mathematical Oncology.

• Johansen, Kristoffer Robin; Nes, Bjarne Martens; Malmo, Vegard; Myrstad, Marius; Thelle, Dag Steinar & Heitmann, Kim Arne [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2026). Impact of Physical Activity on Stroke and Mortality in Individuals With and Without Atrial Fibrillation: The HUNT Study and the Tromsø Study. Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA). doi: 10.1161/jaha.126.048812. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Although physical activity (PA) is associated with a reduced risk of stroke and mortality, its impact among individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains insufficiently explored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the impact of PA on stroke and mortality, both overall and with respect to AF diagnosis. Methods We included 87 340 participants, of which 6539 had AF, from 2 Norwegian population‐based studies, the Tromsø Study and the HUNT (Trøndelag Health Study). Information about AF, stroke, and death were obtained from national health registries. Participants were classified as inactive (reference) or performing low, moderate, or high PA on the basis of a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using multivariable adjusted flexible parametric survival models. Results During a median follow‐up of 13.5 years, 3415 strokes and 7833 deaths occurred. The respective stroke risk reduction associated with low, moderate, and high PA was 9% (95% CI, 1%–16%), 19% (95% CI, 11%–27%) and 18% (95% CI, 8%–26%). Mortality was reduced by 11% (95% CI, 7%–14%), 18% (95% CI, 14%–22%), and 22% (95% CI, 18%–27%). Similar benefits were observed for both stroke and mortality when stratifying by presence or absence of AF. Among individuals with AF, an increased life expectancy was observed, with gains of 0.50 (95% CI, 0.22–0.78), 0.66 (95% CI, 0.31–1.01) and 1.15 (95% CI, 0.77–1.53) years, respectively. Conclusions PA was associated with a reduced risk of stroke and mortality, and similar benefits were observed irrespective of AF diagnosis. Our findings suggest that PA may complement current medical treatment strategies in individuals with AF.

• Shawrob, K.S.M.; Sagen, A.S.; Lunde, Tracy Munthali; Sribasgaran, Biramitha; Ghafoor, Saba & Al-Haroni, M. [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Mapping Antibiotic Resistance Determinants in Oral Streptococci. Journal of Dental Research. ISSN 0022-0345. doi: 10.1177/00220345261462871. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Antibiotic resistance is a global priority in health care. Leveraging thousands of whole-genome sequences, here we reveal the core resistance determinants of oral streptococci, focusing on assessing pattern variability and gene exchange across commensals and pathogens. Genomic information was obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Determinants of antibiotic resistance were identified using AMRFinderPlus and the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database. ICEscreen was employed for calling of integrative and conjugative elements. Variability and recombination in penicillin-binding protein sequences were assessed with MMseqs2 and fastGEAR. A total of 2,087 genomes from 15 species were included, representing the mitis, mutans, anginosus, salivarius, and bovis groups. We observed 3,576 hits from 55 unique resistance genes conferring resistance to 11 antibiotic classes. The species with the most resistance determinants per genome against unique antibiotic classes were Streptococcus mitis (2.7), Streptococcus oralis (2.5), Streptococcus parasanguinis (1.9), Streptococcus gallolyticus (1.3), and Streptococcus anginosus (1.2). The 2 latter species also presented the most diverse composition of determinants. Over 1,800 integrative and conjugative elements were predicted across all genomes, with nearly 17% carrying at least 1 antibiotic resistance gene. Penicillin-binding protein variation analyses showed a high diversity in the mitis group. Even though S. mitis and S. oralis composed less than 4% of the genomes included in the analyses, they were recognized as sources of DNA for over a third of recombination events in pbp1a and nearly half for both pbp2b and pbp2x in β-lactam-resistant isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae . In summary, we show that tetracycline and macrolide resistance were highly abundant and tightly connected to integrative and conjugative elements. Further, recent recombination data in pbp loci show frequent genetic exchange from oral streptococci to β-lactam-resistant S. pneumoniae . Fundamentally, assessing triggers and the dynamics of genetic exchange across species is central to the development of strategies aiming to mitigate the impact of antibiotic resistance.

• Gerber, Felix; Gupta, Ravi; Sanchez-Samaniego, Giuliana; Lejone, Thabo Ishmael; Tahirsylaj, Thesar & Raeber, Fabian [Show all 29 contributors for this article] (2026). Community health worker-led versus facility-based type 2 diabetes care in rural Lesotho: a cluster-randomized trial within the ComBaCaL cohort study. BMC Medicine. 24(1). doi: 10.1186/s12916-026-04943-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Type 2 diabetes poses a growing public health burden in low- and middle-income countries, where major gaps in access to chronic care persist. Task-shifting to Community Health Workers (CHWs) and the use of digital clinical decision support systems may bridge these gaps. Randomized trials evaluating CHW-led care models in which CHWs initiate, titrate, and monitor first-line diabetes treatment are lacking. Methods We conducted a cluster-randomised trial nested within the ComBaCaL (Community-Based Chronic Care Lesotho) cohort (NCT05596773). The cohort spans 103 rural villages in Lesotho, managed by trained, supervised CHWs. After home-based screening of cohort participants ≥40 years old or with body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, all with type 2 diabetes were enrolled in the trial. In intervention villages, CHWs - guided by a tablet-based clinical decision support system - provided care, including initiation and monitoring of metformin, atorvastatin and aspirin. In control villages, participants were referred to facility-based care. The primary analysis included participants with uncomplicated and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (fasting glucose ≥7 mmol/l) on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at 12 months. Results From 13 May 2023 to 31 January 2024, 5’785 cohort participants were screened, 252 (4·4%) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and 103 (51 control, 52 intervention) included in the primary analysis (73·8% female, mean age 62·3 ± 12·8 years, mean HbA1c 7·2 ± 1·4%). At 12 months, HbA1c was 7·1 ± 1·9% in the control arm and 6·5 ± 1·3% in the intervention arm (adjusted mean difference −0·46%, 95%CI −1·14 to 0·22). Engagement in care was higher in the intervention arm. No relevant difference in safety outcomes was observed. Conclusions CHW-led, clinical decision support system-assisted management of type 2 diabetes, including first-line drug prescription, may improve engagement in care and glycaemic control in rural low-resource settings. Larger studies are required to confirm these findings.

• Azimzade, Youness; Haugen, Mads; Kristensen, Vessela N.; Frigessi, Arnoldo & Luque, Alvaro Kohn (2026). Explainable machine learning-guided integrated multiomics analysis reveals macrophage-driven immune suppression in breast cancer. Nature Communications. 17(1). doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-73617-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Despite thorough characterizations of cellular compositions within the breast tumor microenvironment (TME), their implications for disease progression and patient prognosis remain poorly understood. Unraveling these effects is vital for identifying potential targets to improve treatment outcomes. In this study, we devise an explainable machine learning (XML) pipeline to scrutinize the associations between TME cellular constituents and relapse-free survival (RFS). By applying this pipeline to estimated cell fractions in the METABRIC and TCGA datasets and comparing these results with associations to pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), we create a comprehensive catalog of the TME’s role based on 5000 patient samples. Our findings reveal an unexpected dichotomy in which macrophages correlate positively with pCR but negatively with RFS, particularly within estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and Luminal A and B (LumA/B) cancer subtypes. We show that this pattern is driven by heterogeneity in breast tumors characterized by increasing levels of macrophage infiltration. Through imaging mass cytometry (IMC) data analysis, we find that macrophages tend to accumulate in the vicinity of HLA-ABChi epithelial cells as their frequency increases in tumor tissues and that they also express elevated levels of HLA-ABC protein. In both IMC and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, we uncover a significant association between these HLA-ABChi macrophages and regulatory and exhausted T cells (TReg and TEx), suggesting their involvement in immune suppression, likely by creating a chronically activated immunosuppressive TME. Subsequent cell-cell communication analysis predicts interactions between HLA-ABChi macrophages and TEx cells via the ligands SIGLEC9, ALCAM, and CSF1, and with TReg cells through APP, ANGPTL4, and SIGLEC9 signaling. Considering the clinical relevance of macrophages in ER+ (LumA/B) subtypes, this work enhances the characterization of macrophage-associated immune suppression in these tumors and identifies potential targets for immunomodulatory strategies.

• Giorcelli, Anastasia; Valberg, Morten; Green, Adele C.; Veierød, Marit Bragelien; Costa, Denise Reis & Gran, Jon Michael [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2026). Risk of recurrence of stage I to III melanoma in Norway, 2008–2022. European Journal of Cancer. ISSN 0959-8049. 245. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2026.116940. Full text in Research Archive
• Torkildsen, Øivind; Brustad, Hilde Kjelgaard; Høgestøl, Einar August; Alstadhaug, Karl Bjørnar; Bhan, Alok & Flemmen, Heidi Øyen [Show all 22 contributors for this article] (2026). Rituximab versus Ocrelizumab in Newly Diagnosed Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. New England Journal of Medicine. ISSN 0028-4793. 395(1), p. 44–53. doi: 10.1056/nejmoa2600993. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  BACKGROUND Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies are effective for relapsing multiple sclerosis. However, data from head-to-head trials are lacking. METHODS In this phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, noninferiority trial, we randomly assigned adults with newly diagnosed relapsing multiple sclerosis and recent disease activity in a 3:2 ratio to receive rituximab or ocrelizumab every 6 months for 24 months. The primary end point was the absence of new or enlarging lesions on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from month 6 to month 24. Noninferiority was defined as a lower limit of the 95% confidence interval for the risk difference (ritux- imab minus ocrelizumab) of greater than or equal to −10 percentage points. Secondary end points included efficacy and safety. RESULTS A total of 218 participants underwent randomization; 216 received treatment (132 assigned to the rituximab group and 84 assigned to the ocrelizumab group). Between months 6 and 24, the estimated probability of having no new or enlarging lesions detected on T2-weighted MRI was 92.2% with rituximab and 94.8% with ocrelizumab, corresponding to a risk difference of –2.6 percentage points (95% confidence interval, –9.4 to 4.3), which met the prespecified noninferiority criterion. Relapse rates, dis- ability outcomes, and cognitive-performance profiles appeared to be similar in the two groups. Infections were more common in the rituximab group than in the ocreliz- umab group (in 82% vs. 69% of participants), although the percentage of participants with serious adverse events was similar in the two groups (8% and 7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS In participants with newly diagnosed relapsing multiple sclerosis and recent disease activity, rituximab was noninferior to ocrelizumab in suppressing disease activity as detected by MRI from 6 to 24 months, with a similar incidence of serious adverse events.

• Valaas, Lars-Johan; Søberg, Helene Lundgaard; Rasmussen, Mari Storli; Steenstrup, Sophie; Brunborg, Cathrine & Røe, Cecilie [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Effects of sub-symptom threshold aerobic exercise on persistent postconcussion symptom burden and exercise intolerance: a randomized controlled trial. Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal (PTJ). ISSN 0031-9023. 106(6). doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzag049. Full text in Research Archive
• Moro, Ornella; Schopf, Thomas Roger Griesbeck; Veierød, Marit Bragelien & Sebastiani, Giovanni (2026). Temporal trends in the probability of melanoma diagnosis in four Nordic countries, 1973-1999. Cancer Causes and Control. ISSN 0957-5243. 37(6). doi: 10.1007/s10552-026-02181-w. Full text in Research Archive
• Barile, Veronica; Kuzikov, Maria; Cui, Weiyingqi; Ianevski, Aleksandr; Iannelli, Federica & Roca, Maria Serena [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2026). Standardized workflow enables reproducibility of drug synergism detection: Results from a multi-center in vitro ring test on complex drug combinations in pancreatic cancer models. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. ISSN 0753-3322. 200. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2026.119575. Full text in Research Archive
• Austad, Gunnar; Geitung, Jonn Terje; Thomas, Owen Matthew Truscott & Tonstad, Serena (2026). Discriminating established cardiovascular disease using a novel multiterritory ultrasound plaque burden measure (wTPT): findings from the P-SONAR study. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. 26. doi: 10.1186/s12872-026-05807-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objective Ultrasound-imaging of subclinical atherosclerosis may refine cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment, but quantification methods vary and often include carotid arteries only. Because atherosclerosis is multiterritory, global (carotid–femoral) plaque quantification may better reflect systemic burden. We examined whether a novel multiterritory measure, weighted total plaque thickness (wTPT), better discriminates established CV disease than traditional risk factors and plaque measures. Methods In 5 418 participants (59.8 ± 8.1 years; 53.0% women) from the Prospective Screening Of Non-invasive Atherosclerosis Risk study, plaque burden was assessed across 12 carotid and femoral segments using wTPT, maximal plaque thickness (MPT), plaque count, and number of arteries with plaque. Discrimination of prior CV disease was evaluated using c-statistics, net reclassification improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results Global wTPT showed the strongest discrimination of established CV disease (c-statistic 0.85 [95% CI: 0.83–0.87]), outperforming alternative plaque measures (p < 0.001). Adding global wTPT to risk factors improved discrimination from 0.84 to 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87–0.91), NRI 0.71 (95% CI: 0.57–0.84) and IDI 0.058 (95% CI: 0.004–0.071). Femoral wTPT outperformed carotid wTPT (p < 0.001), and global wTPT exceeded both (p = 0.014). Across wTPT quartiles, odds of prior CV disease increased stepwise: 2.0 (95% CI: 0.89–4.4), 4.2 (95% CI: 2.0–8.6), and 10.0 (95% CI: 5.0–20.1) versus the lowest quartile. Conclusion Global wTPT showed superior discrimination of established CV disease and added substantial incremental discriminative value beyond standard risk factors. These findings support wTPT as a marker of systemic atherosclerosis and a strong candidate for future outcome-based risk refinement. If prospectively validated, wTPT may contribute to improved risk stratification by identifying individuals with a high systemic atherosclerotic burden.

• Yoon, Chang Ho; Sjöholm, Daniel; Wickstrøm, Kristin; Danielsen, Anders Skyrud; Prebensen, Christian Haugland & Valik, John Karlsson [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). Multicenter Validation of Clinical Sepsis Phenotypes. JAMA Network Open. 9(6). doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.16134. Full text in Research Archive
• Günther, Felix; Brustad, Hilde Kjelgaard; Frigessi, Arnoldo & Britton, Tom (2026). Quantifying the impact of social activities on SARS-CoV-2 transmission using Google mobility reports. PLOS Global Public Health. 6(5 May). doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006368. Full text in Research Archive
• Ekman-Ordeberg, Gunvor; Jonsson, Maria; Blomberg, Marie; Melin, Malin; Stjernholm-Vladic, Ylva & Gidlöf, Sebastian B. [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). Priming of labor with tafoxiparin in nulliparous term pregnant women with unripe cervix—Proof-of-concept and dose-finding results from a randomized controlled trial. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. ISSN 0001-6349. doi: 10.1111/aogs.70232. Full text in Research Archive
• Perrier, Flavie; Ahimbisibwe, Ashley; Valberg, Morten; Green, Adele C.; Ghiasvand, Reza & Rueegg, Corina Silvia [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Exploring the paradoxical association of sun exposure and melanoma-specific mortality: The Norwegian Women and Health (NOWAC) Study. European Journal of Cancer. ISSN 0959-8049. 241. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2026.116787. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Paradoxically, some studies have found that high sun exposure, a well-known cause of melanoma, is associated with lower mortality among melanoma patients. In the Norwegian Women and Health cohort, we aimed to investigate associations between pre-diagnosis sun exposure and melanoma-specific and overall death, and the potential impact of unmeasured confounding and selection bias (conditioning on melanoma diagnosis) on any observed association between markers of high sun exposure and death. Methods We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) by Cox regression, observed covariate E-values, bias-adjusted HRs, and performed frailty analysis. Results Among 2234 patients with a first melanoma (311 deaths, 168 from melanoma; mean follow-up 8.0 years), we found significantly reduced risk of melanoma-specific (HR=0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.24–0.68) and overall (HR=0.49, 95%CI=0.33–0.72) death for ever- versus never-sunburn and a negative trend for cumulative number of sunburns (ptrend≤0.001), but not for sunbathing vacations (HR=0.69, 95%CI=0.37–1.27, melanoma-specific death). Neither the E-value approach nor bias-adjusted HRs suggested a large degree of unmeasured confounding for the sunburn-death association. However, frailty analysis suggested that selection may partly explain the association. Conclusion While sunburns appear protective, this association might reflect unobserved heterogeneity in melanoma risk and selection bias, and the associations may not represent a true causal effect.

• Osnes, Magnus Nygård; Taxt, Arne Michael; Gladstone, Rebecca Ashley; Bjørnstad, Martha Langedok; Straume, Daniel & Eldholm, Vegard (2026). Genomic epidemiology of Streptococcus pneumoniae GPSC6: post-vaccine expansion of β-lactam-susceptible serotype 24F in Europe. Microbial Genomics. 12(5). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001697. Full text in Research Archive
• Balaguera, Nathalia Chica; Andersen, Aram Nikolai; Munoz, Sara Orellana; Llorente, Ignacio Garcia; P, Aurélie Nguéa & Nakken, Sigve [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2026). Time-resolved functional genomics using deep learning reveals global hierarchical control of autophagy. Nature Cell Biology. ISSN 1465-7392. 28(3), p. 465–479. doi: 10.1038/s41556-025-01837-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recycling of cellular components through autophagy maintains homeostasis in changing nutrient environments. Although its core mechanisms are extensively studied, understanding of its systems-wide dynamic regulation remains limited, particularly regarding how autophagy is inactivated once nutrients are restored. Here we mapped the genetic network that controls activation and inactivation of autophagy during nitrogen changes by combining time-resolved high-content imaging, deep learning and latent feature analysis. This dataset, termed AutoDRY, categorizes 5,919 mutants based on nutrient response kinetics and their contributions to autophagosome formation and clearance. Integrating these profiles with functional and genetic network data uncovered hierarchical and multilayered control of autophagy and revealed multiple new regulatory pathways. Notably, we identified the retrograde pathway as a pivotal time-varying modulator that tunes the expression of core autophagy genes and plays a central role in autophagy inactivation. Together, this study establishes a systems-level resource to guide future investigations of autophagy.

• Jassowicz, Lena; Feng, Fangyoumin; Warta, Rolf; Heinicke, Fatima; Wöllner, Amélie & Briesch, Hannah [Show all 43 contributors for this article] (2026). Dissecting the cellular architecture of breast cancer brain metastases reveals prognostically distinct immune landscapes. Cancer Cell. ISSN 1535-6108. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2026.03.016. Full text in Research Archive
• Olsen, Inge Christoffer; Zheng, Lu; Amstutz, Alain; Yazdanpanah, Yazdan; König, Franz & Fleming, Thomas R. [Show all 105 contributors for this article] (2026). The federated trials approach; an opportunity for global collaboration in health emergencies. EClinicalMedicine. 93. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103809. Full text in Research Archive
• Ibsen, Jørgen; Hov, Maren Ranhoff; Holodinsky, Jessalyn Kathryn; Kaasa, Per Olav; Pripp, Are Hugo & Lund, Christian G. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Rural Computed Tomography - a model for access to rapid stroke care in sparsely populated areas? BMC Health Services Research. 26(1). doi: 10.1186/s12913-026-14307-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Patients living in rural districts may have limited access to acute stroke treatment due to long transport times to hospital facilities with radiology and revascularization therapy. This study simulates the utility of transferring acute diagnostics and treatment into rural areas by deployment of rural Computed Tomography (CT) services. Methods In Hallingdal county, Norway, a CT and thrombolytic station is operated in a local medical centre. We hypothetically deployed similar stations in rural Norway to explore the impact of such model of prehospital rural acute stroke treatment on ambulance transport times and patient outcomes after ischemic stroke. In addition, we described consequent changes in transport strategy for patients with suspected Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) stroke. Results Significant reductions in hypothetical transport times were obtained after deployment of 30 rural CT stations. The part of the Norwegian population not eligible for thrombolysis within the recommended time window due to long transport time decreased from 11% to 1% (p< 0.001). By simulation of 1000 ischemic strokes, the estimated odds ratio for good outcome judged by modified Rankin Scale after thrombolysis for the rural population increased from 1.37 to 1.61 (p < 0.001). When LVO stroke was suspected, rural CT stations slightly increased the geographical area in which patients would receive local thrombolysis before transport to endovascular treatment. Conclusions Deployment of rural CT stations may facilitate rapid triage and early thrombolysis for patients with acute ischemic stroke living furthest away from hospital and this concept may be applicable to other health care systems worldwide. However, further research is needed to confirm its utility in the clinical setting.

• Bålsrud, Pia; Ulven, Stine Marie; Hjartåker, Anette; Ottestad, Inger Olaug; Retterstøl, Kjetil & Schwab, Ursula [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Association between dietary protein intake and frailty index among home-dwelling older adults; an 8-year follow-up study. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. ISSN 1279-7707. 30(6). doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2026.100850. Full text in Research Archive
• Leitzinger, Nils; Falk, Ragnhild Sørum; Jespersen, Henrik; Eide, Nils; Green, Adele C. & Robsahm, Trude Eid [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Trends in incidence and survival for uveal melanoma in Norway, 1993–2021. British Journal of Ophthalmology. ISSN 0007-1161. doi: 10.1136/bjo-2025-327605. Full text in Research Archive
• Eide, Per Kristian; Hovd, Markus; Valnes, Lars Magnus; Pripp, Are Hugo & Ringstad, Geir Andre (2026). When blood hits the brain: altered glymphatic and dural lymphatic function after surface bleeds. Acta Neurochirurgica. ISSN 0001-6268. 168. doi: 10.1007/s00701-025-06760-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background The impact of acute subdural hematoma (aSDH) on measures of glymphatic–meningeal lymphatic function has not previously been reported. We present a descriptive observational study including a small case series—one patient following unilateral aSDH, three following unilateral subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and three control subjects—providing new insights into the differential effects of surface intracranial bleeds. Methods The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent gadobutrol (0.5 mmol), administered intrathecally, was used as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tracer. Multiphase contrast-enhanced MRI was performed to assess glymphatic tracer enrichment. CSF tracer clearance to blood, serving as a proxy for dural lymphatic function, was estimated using population pharmacokinetic modeling. All hemorrhagic cases involved unilateral bleeds, allowing within-subject comparison between affected and unaffected hemispheres. Results The series included one patient with aSDH (2.8 months post-event), three patients with unilateral SAH (mean 5.8 months post-event), and three age-matched, near-healthy reference subjects. Compared with controls, glymphatic tracer enrichment 24 h post-injection was slightly increased on the affected hemisphere in the aSDH case, whereas SAH patients showed markedly reduced enrichment on the affected side. Tracer distribution in controls was symmetrical. CSF clearance to blood was notably reduced in the aSDH case compared with references, suggesting impaired dural lymphatic function. Conclusion This small descriptive series suggests that aSDH and SAH may differentially affect glymphatic and dural lymphatic functions. While glymphatic enrichment appeared only modestly altered after aSDH, it was severely impaired following SAH. In contrast, CSF clearance to blood was markedly reduced in the aSDH case, potentially reflecting compromised dural lymphatic drainage. The limited number of cases prevent broad generalization, but these findings offer novel hypothesis-generating observations that may inform future studies on the effects of surface intracranial hemorrhages on brain clearance pathways.

• Ekelund, Ulf; Tarp, Jakob; Ding, Ding; Sanchez-Lastra, Miguel Adriano; Dalene, Knut Eirik & Anderssen, Sigmund Alfred [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2026). Deaths potentially averted by small changes in physical activity and sedentary time: an individual participant data meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. The Lancet. ISSN 0140-6736. 407(10526), p. 339–349. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)02219-6. Full text in Research Archive
• Feyling, Anders Christian; Ponzi, Erica; Heier, Tom; Kristiansen, Stig R. & Rosseland, Leiv Arne (2026). Impact of normalizing the acceleromyographic train-of-four ratio on detecting residual paralysis—a cohort study. BMC Anesthesiology. 26(1). doi: 10.1186/s12871-026-03755-6. Full text in Research Archive
• Skeie, Ivar; Bech, Anne Berit; Clausen, Thomas; Hjemsæter, Arne Jan; Landheim, Anne Signe & Monsbakken, Bent Berntsen [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Comparison of mortality and causes of death between treatment-engaged individuals with severe alcohol or opioid use disorder: a prospective 19-year clinical cohort study. BMC Psychiatry. 26(1), p. 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12888-026-07832-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  BACKGROUND: Comparisons of long-term mortality between alcohol-use-disorder (AUD) and opioid-use-disorder (OUD) groups within clinical cohorts are scarce. This study aimed to do this within one clinical cohort comprising groups suffering various severe substance use disorders. METHODS: Design: Observational cohort design. Prospective study of mortality 1998–2016, Cox regression. Sample/setting: 464 persons in specialist SUD treatment at start of observation period. Three subgroups defined by SUD characteristics at the beginning of the observation period, were studied: participants with 1) OUD, on opioid agonist treatment (OAT), (OUD/OAT-group), 2) AUD, no other SUDs (AUD-alone group), 3) AUD as part of a poly-substance-use disorder (AUD/PSUD group). Measures/covariates: Comparison of mortality risks and causes of death (somatic diseases/traumatic causes/substance-induced deaths/unknown cause) between OUD/OAT versus AUD-alone, and AUD-alone versus AUD/PSUD groups. Hazard ratio (HR) adjusted for baseline age (1 January 1998), sex, and socioeconomic/SUD characteristics. RESULTS: AUD-alone versus OUD/OAT: Unadjusted mortality risk was higher in the AUD-alone group [HR 1.99 (95% CI 1.33–2.99)]. However, in adjusted analysis type of SUD showed no statistically significant association with increased mortality [aHR 0.91 (0.54–1.54)], only male sex and increasing baseline age were independently associated with increased mortality risk. Cause-of-death distributions were very similar and somatic diseases caused over 50% of deaths in both groups. AUD-alone versus AUD/PSUD: Unadjusted mortality risk was higher in the AUD-alone group [(HR 2.57 (1.65–4.00)]. However, in adjusted analysis type of SUD showed no statistically significant association with increased mortality [aHR 1.40 (0.81–2.44)], only male sex, increasing baseline age, and “not being in work or education at study inclusion” were independently associated with increased mortality risk. Substance-induced deaths were most common in the AUD/PSUD group (43%). CONCLUSION: In adjusted analyses there were no statistically significant differences in mortality risk between the three subgroups. Somatic diseases were the main cause of death. Besides efforts to improve social rehabilitation and to treat the substance use disorders as such, early and targeted lifestyle interventions, and measures for early detection, treatment and follow-up of somatic disorders are essential to reduce mortality in both AUD and OUD populations. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable

• Moreira-Soares, Maurício; Fossen, Erlend I. F.; Bilbao-Jayo, Aritz; Almeida, Aitor; Lopez-Perez, Laura & Alonso, Itziar [Show all 16 contributors for this article] (2026). Joint probability framework for the development and validation of a prognostic model for the conditional outcome of quality of life: a retrospective study in historical European cohorts of survivors of head and neck cancer. The Lancet Digital Health. 8(5). doi: 10.1016/j.landig.2025.100976. Full text in Research Archive
• Viktorisson, Adam; Khatib, Ilham Al; Bashir, Muwada; Nyberg, Fredrik; Lissner, Lauren & Thelle, Dag Steinar (2026). Long-term incidence of atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular outcomes in men and women with sinus rhythm: a 20-year follow-up of the INTERGENE population-based cohort. Open heart. 13(1). doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2025-003944. Full text in Research Archive
• Zobolas, John; George, Anne-Marie; Alberto, López,; Sebastian, Fischer,; Marc, Becker, & Aittokallio, Tero Antero (2026). Prognostic biomarker discovery in pancreatic cancer through hybrid ensemble feature selection and multi-omics data | BioData Mining | Springer Nature Link. BioData Mining. doi: 10.1186/s13040-026-00546-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Accurate prediction of patient survival using high-dimensional multi-omics data requires effective feature selection methods that balance predictive performance, sparsity, and stability to enable reproducible and transparent prognostic biomarker discovery. Existing approaches often rely on ad hoc thresholds, limiting their reproducibility and clinical utility. We developed a hybrid ensemble feature selection (hEFS) framework that integrates data subsampling with multiple prognostic models, combining embedded and wrapper-based strategies for survival prediction. Features are ranked using a voting-theory-inspired aggregation approach across models and subsamples, while the optimal feature subset is determined via Pareto front optimization, eliminating the need for user-defined thresholds. We benchmarked hEFS against conventional CoxLasso using 100 Monte Carlo cross-validation iterations on multi-omics datasets from three pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cohorts, assessing sparsity, stability, redundancy, discrimination, and computational cost. Across all cohorts, hEFS selected substantially fewer and more stable features than CoxLasso (~10 vs. ~60 per modality), with lower variance, while still maintaining comparable discrimination performance with clinical baselines (C-index ~0.54–0.60). Feature redundancy was low, and ensemble subsampling further improved stability. Prognostic performance depended mainly on modality choice, rather than integration model, with gene expression plus clinical variables achieving the highest discrimination power (C-index ~0.64). hEFS provides a fully automated, interpretable, and reproducible framework for multi-omics biomarker discovery in high-dimensional survival analysis. By producing sparse, yet stable biomarker panels without loss of predictive power, hEFS represents a practical tool for integrative multi-omics modeling and it is openly available in the mlr3fselect R package.

• Tyrdal, Mari Kristine; Perrier, Flavie; Røe, Cecilie; Natvig, Bård; Wahl, Astrid Klopstad & Veierød, Marit Bragelien [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Treatment trajectories among patients with musculoskeletal disorders in Norway–a register-based cohort study over 2 years. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. ISSN 0281-3432. 44(1), p. 1–15. doi: 10.1080/02813432.2026.2633751. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objective Explore treatment trajectories over a two-year follow-up among patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Norway and investigate the associations with education and country of origin. Design Register-based cohort study. Settings Data were obtained from three national registers, the Norwegian Control and Payment of Health Reimbursements Database (KUHR), the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) and Statistics Norway (SSB). Subjects Patients diagnosed with MSDs in 2015 in primary healthcare according to the International Classification of Primary Care, second edition (ICPC-2). Main outcome measures Treatment trajectory classes of healthcare use over a 2-years follow-up were generated using group-based multi-trajectory modelling, for all patients registered with MSDs and three common diagnoses: spine pain, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. Results From the analysis, four treatment trajectory classes of healthcare use were identified for MSD patients overall; low (75%), stable (10%), descending (9%) and high use (5%). The pattern was almost similar for the three diagnostic groups. High use was primarily caused by consistent high use of physiotherapy. For MSD patients overall, low education increased the probability of being in the low and stable use classes, while high education increased the probability of being in the descending use class. Patients with Norway as country of origin, were less likely to be in the class with low use and more likely to be in the class with descending use. Conclusion Using nationwide register data and group-based multi-trajectory modelling show that about 75% of all patients with MSD, consulting primary healthcare in Norway, were classified as low users of healthcare services and 5% were classified as high users. Overall, both education and country of origin were associated with the treatment trajectory classes. However, high use was not associated with neither education nor country of origin.

• Gladstone, Rebecca Ashley; Pesonen, Maiju; Pöntinen, Anna Kaarina; Mäklin, Tommi; MacAlasdair, Neil Zhang Nian Zhong & Thorpe, Harry [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2026). Identification of transporter-dependent capsular loci associated with the invasive potential of Escherichia coli. Nature Microbiology. doi: 10.1038/s41564-026-02283-w. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Bacterial polysaccharide capsules contribute to antigenic diversity and immune evasion. Escherichia coli infections, including those caused by extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), cause substantial antimicrobial resistance-associated morbidity and mortality. However, much-needed genotypic methods for E. coli capsule typing to aid epidemiological analysis and therapeutic design are lacking. Here we describe the curation of an in silico typing database for group 2 and 3 ATP-binding cassette transporter-dependent capsule (K) loci from 18,185 kps-positive E. coli genomes from all continents and its application to carriage and ExPEC disease cohorts. Capsules K1, K5 and K2 were the most common types in European BSIs, and together with K100 and K52 they were responsible for 58% of multidrug resistance, with differing associations with invasiveness. Homologous recombination, insertion sequences and plasmids were associated with capsular gene exchange. These findings improve understanding of capsule epidemiology and evolution to inform future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to combat ExPEC infections.

• Butt, Baddar Pervaiz; Sørbye, Halfdan; Ladekarl, Morten; Stokmo, Henning Langen; Lothe, Inger Marie Bowitz & Fawad, Haris [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2026). Efficacy of FOLFIRINOX in digestive neuroendocrine carcinoma. Journal of Neuroendocrinology (JNE). ISSN 0953-8194. 38(4). doi: 10.1111/jne.70168. Full text in Research Archive
• Blomstedt, Paul; Mesquita, Diego; Rivasplata, Omar; Lintusaari, Jarno; Sivula, Tuomas & Corander, Jukka [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Meta-Analysis of Bayesian Analyses. Bayesian Analysis. ISSN 1936-0975. 21(1), p. 229–254. doi: 10.1214/24-BA1465. Full text in Research Archive
• Ianevski, Aleksandr; Nader, Kristen; Nguyen, Julia; Sorger, Helena; Timonen, Sanna & Julia, Edith [Show all 27 contributors for this article] (2026). Multiomics Profiling of T-cell Leukemia and Lymphoma Enables Targeted Therapeutic Discovery. Cancer Research. ISSN 0008-5472. 86(2), p. 295–309. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-0881. Full text in Research Archive
• Getz, Vilde; Pleym, Karin; Dammen, Toril; Husebye, Einar; Sverre, Elise Christine Bjørkholen & Papageorgiou, Constantinos [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Clinical and psychosocial factors predicting persistent smoking in hospitalized patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease: A prespecified analysis of two randomized controlled trials. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation. 12. doi: 10.18332/tpc/217328. Full text in Research Archive
• Ross, Theodor Anton; Pöntinen, Anna Kaarina; Holsbø, Einar; Samuelsen, Ørjan; Hegstad, Kristin & Kampffmeyer, Michael [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Machine learning-based lineage prediction from antimicrobial susceptibility testing phenotypes for Escherichia coli sequence type 131 clade C surveillance across infection types. Microbial Genomics. 12(1). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001608. Full text in Research Archive
• Sellevoll, Hilde Bastøe; Andresen, Ina Jungersen; Westerberg, Ane Cecilie; Degnes, Maren-Helene Langeland; Ueland, Thor & Zucknick, Manuela [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Placental Protein Release and Uptake From the Fetal Circulation in Healthy Term Pregnancies—A Human In Vivo Exploratory Study. The FASEB Journal. ISSN 0892-6638. 40(3). doi: 10.1096/fj.202503626R. Full text in Research Archive
• Palomares, Alfonso Diz-Lois; Blasio, Birgitte Freiesleben De; Chan, Louis Yat Hin; Ruscio, Francesco Di & Midtbø, Jørgen E. (2026). Combining an agent-based model with Gaussian process emulation to model the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Norway. Epidemics. ISSN 1755-4365. 54. doi: 10.1016/j.epidem.2026.100895. Full text in Research Archive
• Larsen, Vilde Bergstad; Gunnes, Nina; Gran, Jon Michael; Dahl, Jesper; Bøås, Håkon & Watle, Sara Sofie Viksmoen [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). Adverse events following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination in norwegian adolescents. Scientific Reports. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-45261-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Norwegian COVID-19 vaccination campaign of adolescents from April 2021 necessitated surveillance of potential adverse events following immunization (AEFI). In this nationwide study of 496,432 adolescents, AEFI incidence rate ratios (IRRs) after first- and second-dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination were compared to IRRs in unvaccinated subjects, and a self-controlled case series analysis was done as a secondary analysis. Seventeen pre-selected potential AEFIs were investigated: Anaphylactic reaction, Acute appendicitis, Lymphadenopathy, Arrhythmia, Cerebrovascular events, Death, Encephalomyelitis and meningitis, Epilepsy and convulsions, Facial nerve palsy, Herpes zoster, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, Myocarditis and pericarditis, Venous thromboembolic events, Arthropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome, IgA vasculitis, and Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Most AEFI were rare among adolescents, with few cases, and there was no statistically significant increase in the incidence of AEFIs after first-dose vaccination. Increased IRRs of anaphylactic reaction, lymphadenopathy, appendicitis, and myocarditis and pericarditis were observed following second-dose vaccination.

• Mathisen, Charlotte Bache-Wiig; Nyström, Niklas; Bazov, Igor; Øyås, Ove; Zucknick, Manuela & Andersen, Svend [Show all 23 contributors for this article] (2026). A novel diagnostic serum protein signature for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - JPGN. ISSN 0277-2116. doi: 10.1002/jpn3.70379. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Objectives Diagnostic delay is common in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD), and fecal calprotectin (FCP) is often limited by challenges with sample collection. Therefore, we aimed to identify and validate a blood‐based diagnostic protein signature of PIBD. Methods Proteins were analyzed using proximity extension assay in plasma samples from treatment‐naïve pediatric patients in a Swedish inception cohort referred for suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and validated in an independent Norwegian population‐based pediatric inception cohort. Diagnostic performance was estimated by the area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The discovery cohort included 58 patients with PIBD and 36 symptomatic controls without evidence of IBD, while the validation cohort consisted of 79 patients with PIBD and 37 symptomatic controls. In total, 154 proteins were examined. Univariable analyses identified 26 differentially regulated proteins for PIBD versus symptomatic controls in the discovery cohort ( q  < 0.05), whereas 29 proteins were differentially regulated in the validation cohort. Using regularized logistic regression, we identified a diagnostic model of 31 proteins that differentiated PIBD from symptomatic controls in the discovery cohort (AUC = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.74–0.90). The protein signature was further reduced to a clinically relevant biomarker consisting of high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP) and seven other proteins with diagnostic capacity (AUC = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.78–0.92) outperforming hsCRP in the validation cohort ( p  = 0.006). Conclusions We identified and validated a blood‐based protein signature for PIBD with superior diagnostic performance compared to hsCRP. Given the challenges of fecal sample collection, further assay development may enable integration of these biomarkers into diagnostic pathways for PIBD. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02727959.

• Slettahjell, Hanne Bjørg; Strøm, Vegard; Thoresen, Magne; Strøm, Mona; Glott, Thomas & Biering-Sørensen, Fin [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Effects of an Individualized Dietitian-Led Nutrition Intervention on Body Composition During the First Year After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. ISSN 2405-4577. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2026.103133. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background & Aims Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) induces rapid and adverse changes in body composition, yet effective strategies to prevent excess fat accumulation are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an individualized dietitian-led nutrition intervention on change in fat mass and related markers of adiposity during the first year following SCI. Methods In this single-center, open-label randomized controlled trial, adults with subacute traumatic SCI were randomized to an individualized dietitian-led intervention or usual care. The primary outcome was change in total fat mass (FM) over one year, assessed by multifrequency bioimpedance analysis. Secondary outcomes included fat mass index (FMI), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), waist circumference, fat-free mass (FFM), fat-free mass index (FFMI), body weight, body mass index (BMI) and biomarkers (fasting glucose, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test, HbA1c, LDL, HDL and triglycerides). Intention-to-treat analyses used mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, and neurological severity. Results Sixty-two participants were randomized (32 intervention, 30 control). Participants were predominantly male (76%) with a mean age of 48 (SD 17) years. At 1 year, the adjusted between-group difference in FM change was −1.5 kg (95% CI −4.8 to 1.9; p = 0.39). Significant between-group differences were observed for VAT (−0.5 L; 95% CI −1.0 to −0.1; p = 0.02) and waist circumference (−4.0 cm; 95% CI −7.0 to −1.0; p = 0.01), with borderline significance for FMI (−1.6 kg/m2; 95% CI −3.2 to 0.0; p = 0.05). No significant between-group differences were observed for body weight, BMI, fat-free mass, or biomarkers. Sensitivity and per-protocol analyses yielded consistent results. Conclusions Although the intervention did not significantly affect the primary endpoint of total fat mass, between-group differences were observed for VAT and waist circumference. These findings suggest that structured, individualized dietetic care initiated during SCI rehabilitation and continued post-discharge may attenuate accumulation of abdominal adiposity. Longer-term follow-up is needed to determine whether early attenuation of abdominal adiposity translates into reduced cardiometabolic risk and improved functional outcomes.

• Rasmussen, Anders Johan Orland; Nordseth, Trond; Stenehjem, Jo; Gran, Jon Michael; Lien, Lars & Rosseland, Leiv Arne (2026). Risk of Suicide in Patients With Traumatic Injuries. JAMA Network Open. 9(1). doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.54168. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Importance Previous studies suggest that critically injured patients are at increased risk of suicide following discharge, but these have mainly been single-center studies or had limited data on comorbidities and socioeconomic factors. Objective To examine the risk of suicide after hospitalization for traumatic injuries. Design, Setting, and Participants This nationwide register-based cohort study used data from 5 Norwegian nationwide health registries and Statistics Norway between 2014 and 2020. Patients registered in the Norwegian Trauma Registry (NTR) for whom trauma team activation at hospital arrival was mandated by national guidelines between 2015 and 2018 were matched to general-population controls on gender and birth year in a 1:10 ratio according to a matched cohort design. Patients discharged alive were followed-up for a minimum of 2 years. All Norwegian hospitals treating patients with traumatic injuries provide data to the NTR. The final analysis was conducted in April 2025. Exposures Traumatic injury, admitted to hospital, and registered in the NTR. Main Outcomes and Measures The outcome of interest was suicide, as registered in the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. Cumulative incidence ratios (CIR) of suicide with 95% CIs, taking nonsuicidal death as a competing event into account, were estimated. Adjustments for Charlson Comorbidity Index, previous psychiatric illness, and socioeconomic position (SEP) were conducted using inverse probability of treatment weights. Results A total of 25 536 patients with traumatic injuries (165 897 [67%] male; mean [SD] age, 41 [23] years) were matched to 247 095 controls, with a mean (SD) age of 41 (23) years and 68% male. The cumulative incidences of suicide were 0.18% at 2 years and 0.34% and 5 years for patients with traumatic injuries and 0.02% at 2 years and 0.05% at 5 years for controls (2-year CIR, 9.3 [95% CI, 5.4-13.0]; 5-year CIR, 6.9 [95% CI, 4.4-9.1]). Patients with traumatic injury were older at the age of suicide compared with controls (mean [SD] age, 43 [19] years vs 36 [17] years; P  = .03) and female patients with traumatic injury had higher incidence of suicide compared with female controls (36% vs 17%; P  = .005). Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of patients in Norway discharged alive after critical injury, a 9-fold increased risk of suicide after 2 years was observed. These findings suggest that follow-up is warranted for possible psychological distress in this patient group.

• Kazemi, Amirhossein; Kristianslund, Eirik; Sexton, Joseph; Fagerli, Karen Minde; Provan, Sella Aarrestad & Olsen, Inge Christoffer (2026). A head-to-head comparison of TNF-α inhibitors as the first biologic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology. ISSN 1462-0324. 65(2). doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keag007. Full text in Research Archive
• Tverdal, Aage; Selmer, Randi Marie & Thelle, Dag Steinar (2026). Beyond smoking: Education, marital status and mortality in 513,552 Norwegians - PubMed. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. ISSN 1403-4948. doi: 10.1177/14034948251391598. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  An educational gradient in mortality persists in the absence of smoking and is more pronounced among the unmarried. Marital status appears to modify the relationship between education and mortality, underscoring the need to consider social and relational factors in health inequality research.

• Kaiser, Daniel; Frigessi, Arnoldo; Ramezani-Kebrya, Ali & Ricaud, Benjamin (2026). CogniLoad: A Synthetic Natural Language Reasoning Benchmark With Tunable Length, Intrinsic Difficulty, and Distractor Density. International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR). doi: https:/openreview.net/forum?id=0Sex2H5Jnn. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Current benchmarks for long-context reasoning in Large Language Models (LLMs) often blur critical factors like intrinsic task complexity, distractor interference, and task length. To enable more precise failure analysis, we introduce CogniLoad, a novel synthetic benchmark grounded in Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). CogniLoad generates natural-language logic puzzles with independently tunable parameters that reflect CLT's core dimensions: intrinsic difficulty ($d$) controls intrinsic load; distractor-to-signal ratio ($\rho$) regulates extraneous load; and task length ($N$) serves as an operational proxy for conditions demanding germane load. Evaluating 22 SotA reasoning LLMs, CogniLoad reveals distinct performance sensitivities, identifying task length as a dominant constraint and uncovering varied tolerances to intrinsic complexity and U-shaped responses to distractor ratios. By offering systematic, factorial control over these cognitive load dimensions, CogniLoad provides a reproducible, scalable, and diagnostically rich tool for dissecting LLM reasoning limitations and guiding future model development.

• Tverdal, Aage; Selmer, Randi Marie & Thelle, Dag Steinar (2026). Beyond smoking: Education, marital status and mortality in 513,552 Norwegians. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. ISSN 1403-4948. doi: 10.1177/14034948251391598. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Smoking is closely linked to socioeconomic status and risk of death. We examined the extent to which educational disparities in mortality can be explained by smoking. Methods: We analysed data from 513,552 men and women aged 25–69 years, excluding individuals with a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or cancer. The educational level was lower (less than 10 years), upper (10–12 years) and higher (13 or more years). We employed the direct method to estimate age-adjusted mortality rates and used the Cox proportional hazards model to calculate hazard ratios, using a higher educational level as the reference level. We ran models among non-smokers with interaction terms, educational level and another variable. Based on Akaike information criterion, we performed stratified analyses by marital status among non-smokers. Results: The hazard ratio for lower educational level in men was 1.38 (1.31–1.45) in non-smokers and 1.57 (1.49–1.66) in smokers. The figures for women were almost identical. Among non-smoking men, the hazard ratio for lower educational level was 1.28 (1.21–1.35) for the ever married and 2.20 (1.93–2.52) for the unmarried men. In women the figures were the same. For non-smoking men and women combined, the population attributable risk ascribed to upper or lower educational level was 17% for the ever married and 35% for the unmarried. Conclusions: An educational gradient in mortality persists in the absence of smoking and is more pronounced among the unmarried. Marital status appears to modify the relationship between education and mortality, underscoring the need to consider social and relational factors in health inequality research.

• Gibbon, Marjorie J.; Couto, Natacha; Cozens, Keira; Habib, Samia; Cowley, Lauren & Aanensen, David M. [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2026). Convergence and global molecular epidemiology of Klebsiella pneumoniae plasmids harbouring the iuc3 virulence locus: a population genomic analysis. Lancet Microbe. 7(2). doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101236. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen of humans and animals. In the past five years, increasing reports of convergent strains that carry both virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) have raised serious public health concerns. The aim of this study is to describe the global diversity of plasmids carrying iuc3 (a key virulence factor in K pneumoniae associated with pigs and clinical isolates) from diverse settings, and their role in the emergence of convergent strains through hybridisation with plasmids carrying ARGs. Methods This population genomic analysis study was designed to describe both the global and local diversity of iuc3-carrying plasmids from diverse sources, and the co-occurrence of iuc3 with ARGs. We used all 4148 Klebsiella spp isolates from two large One-Health studies (SpARK, Italy, and OH-DART, Thailand), including 191 Klebsiella isolates from pigs, 635 from clinical isolates, 1040 from hospital and community carriage, and 2282 from other sources. Short-read sequencing of Klebsiella isolates was performed as part of the SpARK study. We sequenced Klebsiella isolates from the OH-DART (MicrobesNG, Birmingham, UK; HiSeq and NovaSeq, Illumina San Diego, CA, USA; GridION, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford, UK) and SpARK (MinION or GridION, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford, UK) studies. We also retrieved plasmid sequences carrying iuc3 from the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). To ascertain the degree of diversity, evolutionary dynamics, and structuring across ecological and geographical axes, we detected ARGs and virulence loci, analysed clustering patterns and generated approximate maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees. Findings We identified 48 K pneumoniae isolates with iuc3 in the SpARK data and 79 in the OH-DART data. Three (2·4%) of these 127 isolates were from clinical sources, 73 (57·5%) were from pig or pork meat. iuc3 isolates corresponded to multiple (n=47) host sequence types (STs), with ST35, ST45, ST881, ST25, and ST967 harbouring iuc3 in both datasets. We generated hybrid assemblies for 44 (SpARK) and 36 (OH-DART) isolates, plus a single iuc3 isolate from Germany. 53 (65·4%) of these isolates were from pigs, three (3·7%) from clinical sources, and 25 (30·9%) from other sources. There were an additional 48 iuc3 positive isolates from our collections for which only short read data was available. A single iuc3-positive Klebsiella oxytoca isolate from a pig farm was detected in the SpARK data, which was also sequenced. We identified 330 iuc3-positive isolates and 58 iuc3-carrying plasmid assemblies from NCBI, of which 83 (21·4%) were from clinical sources, 120 from pigs (30·9%), and 185 (47·7%) from other sources or of unknown provenance. These isolates were from K pneumoniae except two isolates of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp similipneumoniae and one of Enterobacter hormaechei. The combined dataset of 517 iuc3 plasmids ranged in size from 110 375 bp to 365 580 bp and mostly corresponded to multiple IncFIB(K) and IncFII replicon types. We found seven convergent K pneumoniae plasmids in the Thai data: six from fresh markets and one from a neighbouring hospital. These plasmids emerged through the hybridisation of cocirculating iuc3 plasmids and plasmids encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), although none of these seven plasmids carried genes encoding carbapenemases. We also identified putative cocirculating parental plasmids carrying iuc3 and ESBL-encoding genes. Clustering and phylogenetic analysis resolved the iuc3 plasmid sequences into three groups, which were consistent using both complete plasmid sequences (n=139) and short-read data (n=517). In the complete plasmid sequence data, 66 strains contained group 1 plasmids, 38 strains contained group 2 plasmids, and 35 strains contained group 3 plasmids. Group 3 plasmids are mostly carried by isolates circulating in hospitals throughout Asia, with occasional examples in Europe and elsewhere, and carry multiple ARGs and potential virulence factors. By contrast, group 1 plasmids are commonly carried by porcine isolates in Europe, and group 2 are a heterogeneous mixture of geographical and ecological sources. Interpretation Plasmid hybridisation occurs frequently outside of the health-care environment and can lead to the convergence of resistance and virulence traits. Generating complete plasmid sequences from regional population-scale samples facilitates the identification of convergent plasmids and their putative parental plasmids. Three robust groups of iuc3 plasmids were resolved, which show both epidemiological and geographical differences; one of these groups was associated with clinical isolates in Asia and warrants targeted plasmid surveillance.

• Larsen, Bjørn Kjetil; Laake, Petter; Strype, Jon & Ødegård, Atle (2026). Validating the Perception of Sex Offenders Scale (PSO) Among Norwegian Students in Health, Social Work, and Police Education. BMC Measurement Instruments for the Social Sciences. 8(2026). doi: 10.5964/miss.19995. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Reliable instruments are essential for studying perceptions of individuals convicted of sexual offences across cultural contexts. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Sex Offenders Scale (PSO) among Norwegian students in nursing, social education, social work, and police education (N = 282). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we tested the fit of the PSO’s original three-factor structure. The model showed mixed fit (RMSEA = .072; SRMR = .072; CFI = .86; TLI = .84). Internal consistency was satisfactory for Sentencing and Management and Stereotype Endorsement (α = .82 and .70), but low for Risk Perception (α = .53). Internal validity indices were uneven: composite reliability was acceptable for Sentencing and Management and Stereotype Endorsement (CR = .89 and .71), but not for Risk Perception (CR = .58), and AVE values were below recommended thresholds across factors, particularly for Risk Perception (AVE = .227). Free-text responses indicated that participants primarily had rape and child sexual abuse in mind when responding to the PSO. Overall, the PSO shows promise in a Norwegian student context, but the Risk Perception dimension appears to require refinement before the scale can be used confidently for research and educational purposes.

• Pickering, Sarah Jai Hazell; Galigniana, Natalia Maricel; Abdelhalim, Mohamed; Sørensen, Anita Løvstad; Madsen-Østerbye, Julia-Kristina & Zucknick, Manuela [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2026). Multimodal epigenetic and enhancer network remodeling shape the transcriptional landscape of human beige adipocytes. Communications Biology. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-09469-8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Abstract Epigenetic regulation is a key determinant of adipocyte fate, driving the differentiation toward white or thermogenic beige phenotypes in response to environmental cues. To dissect the mechanisms orchestrating this plasticity in human adipocytes, we conducted an integrative analysis of transcriptomic, epigenomic and enhancer connectome dynamics throughout white and beige adipogenesis. Using a machine learning approach, we show that the white transcriptional program is tightly linked to promoter-level modulation of H3K27ac and chromatin accessibility, whereas the beige-specific induction of mitochondrial genes is driven by promoter remodeling of H3K4me3, underscoring distinct epigenetic mechanisms for white or beige specification. Adipocyte beiging is accompanied by a targeted reorganization of the 3D genome, characterized by increased recruitment of short-range enhancers controlling thermogenesis genes, enriched for C/EBP transcription factor binding sites. Our findings highlight the multimodal regulation of the beige adipocyte fate, driven by the interplay of chromatin state transitions, enhancer rewiring, and transcription factor dynamics.

• Qvigstad, Lars Fredrik; Aas, Kirsti; Tulipan, Andreas Julius; Hole, Knut Håkon; Storås, Anne Marie Holck & Hammarström, Clara Louise [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2025). Clinical Trial Protocol for prePSMA: A Multicenter, Randomized, Noninferiority Trial of Preoperative Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography as Triage for Extended Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection in Patients Scheduled for Robot-assisted Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy. European Urology Focus. 11(6), p. 915–920. doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2025.07.010. Full text in Research Archive

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• Eskeland, Gunnar; Glad, Ingrid Kristine & Frigessi, Arnoldo (2026). Europa må regulere KI | DN. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Høvdingene innen kunstig intelligens (KI) babler om trusler mot menneskeheten og ber om regulering, og da kreves skepsis i responsen (jf. Mogstad og Hardings kronikk i DN 2. oktober: «Hvorfor innovere når man kan regulere?»).Det de ber om, skal de ikke få.Ikke i Europa.

• Maltzahn, Niklas Nyboe; Kvalvaag, Elisabeth Myrset; Hjellvik, Vidar; Anjum, Mariam; Skovlund, Eva & Wisløff, Torbjørn [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2026). Causal effects of modifying CHA2DS2Va guidelines on incidence of ischemic stroke. Full text in Research Archive
• Kvalvaag, Elisabeth Myrset; Maltzahn, Niklas Nyboe; Hjellvik, Vidar; Anjum, Mariam; Skovlund, Eva & Wisløff, Torbjørn [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2026). Factors associated with initiation of oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation. Full text in Research Archive
• Greve, Jan; Grün, Bettina; Malsiner-Walli, Gertraud; Frühwirth-Schnatter, Sylvia & Vitelli, Valeria (2026). Induced Priors in Bayesian Mixture Models [R package fipp version 1.0.1]. Full text in Research Archive
• Greve, Jan (2026). Named Entity Swapping for Metadata Anonymization in a Text Corpus. Full text in Research Archive
• Vitelli, Valeria (2026). AI instruments for better health. doi: https:/www.uio.no/english/research/strategic-research-areas/life-science/norway-life-science-conference/11-february-2026.html. Full text in Research Archive
• Vitelli, Valeria (2026). The Bayesian Mallows Model for Tied Rankings. doi: https:/ssc.ca/sites/default/files/meetings/ssc2026-program-without-abstracts.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Vitelli, Valeria (2026). Latent Function-on-Scalar Regression Models for Observed Sequences of Binary Data. doi: https:/ifcs2026.unimib.it/scientific-conference-program/. Full text in Research Archive
• Vitelli, Valeria (2026). Bayesian genome-wide clustering and variable selection of transcriptomic data via rank-based mixtures. doi: https:/events.conf.app/event/fe1bf927-baa2-4933-9e99-2efcafa0fcdd/agenda/6f738381-9780-46d6-bf62-f16dd1ba843f. Full text in Research Archive
• Skaara, Turid Rygh; Puco, Katarina; Dyvik, Ingrid; Slørdahl, Kathinka Schmidt; Falk, Ragnhild Sørum & Brabrand, Sigmund [Show all 32 contributors for this article] (2026). Alteration-matched therapy in advanced lung cancer: results from the IMPRESS-Norway study. Full text in Research Archive
• Wally, Youssef; Ell, Basil; Ricaud, Benjamin; Mylius-Kroken, Johan; Giese, Martin & Kampffmeyer, Michael [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Biologically Informed Across Space and Time Modelling of the Tumour Microenvironment. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding spatial cell organisation in the tumour microenvironment is critical for cancer research, as it provides key insights into disease mechanisms. In this ongoing work, we explore two approaches that incorporate biological knowledge while analysing the tumour microenvironment. Firstly, we embed single-cell instances into a Lorentzian latent space using a fully hyperbolic variational autoencoder, which we have previously shown to retain significantly more biologically relevant information than Euclidean alternatives. Secondly, we adopt taxonomy-aware spatial association rule mining for quantifying cell interaction behaviour beyond pairwise interactions.

• Wally, Youssef; Mylius-Kroken, Johan; Kampffmeyer, Michael; Ehsani, Rezvan; Ell, Basil & Ricaud, Benjamin [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Biologically Informed Modelling of the Tumour Microenvironment: Hyperbolic Representation Learning and Hierarchical Association Rules. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding spatial cell organisation in the tumour microenvironment is critical for cancer research, as it provides key insights into disease mechanisms. In this ongoing work, we explore two approaches that incorporate biological knowledge while analysing the tumour microenvironment. Firstly, we embed single-cell instances into a Lorentzian latent space using a fully hyperbolic variational autoencoder, which we have previously shown to retain significantly more biologically relevant information than Euclidean alternatives. Secondly, we adopt taxonomy-aware spatial association rule mining for quantifying cell interaction behaviour beyond pairwise interactions.

• Sagen, Andreas Solberg; Shawrob, Kazi Shefaul Mulk; Lunde, Tracy Munthali; Sribasgaran, Biramitha; Ghafoor, Saba & Al-Haroni, Mohammed [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Mobile Genetic Elements Drive Antibiotic Resistance in Oral Streptococci. Full text in Research Archive
• Zuccato, Lorenzo; George, Anne-Marie; Vitelli, Valeria; Frigessi, Arnoldo; Giese, Martin & Scheel, Ida (2026). Bridging Statistical and Logical Perspectives on Inconsistency. Full text in Research Archive
• Wally, Youssef; Ell, Basil; Ricaud, Benjamin; Mylius-Kroken, Johan; Giese, Martin & Kampffmeyer, Michael [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Extracting Knowledge from Spatial Biology: Evaluating Cell Type Hierarchies in Breast Cancer Imaging Data. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hyperbolic representation learning has shown compelling advantages over conventional Eu- clidean representation learning in modelling hierarchical relationships in data. In this work, we evaluate its potential to capture biological relations between cell types in highly multiplexed imaging data, where capturing subtle, hierarchical relationships between cell types is crucial to understand tissue composi- tion and functionality. Using a recent and thoroughly validated 42-marker Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) dataset of breast cancer tissue, we embed cells into both Euclidean and Lorentzian latent spaces via a fully hyperbolic variational autoencoder. We then introduce an information-theoretic framework based on k-nearest neighbour estimators to rigorously quantify the clustering performance in each geom- etry using mutual information and conditional mutual information. Our results reveal that hyperbolic embeddings retain significantly more biologically relevant information than their Euclidean counter- parts. We further provide open-source tools to extend Kraskov-Stögbauer-Grassberger based mutual information estimation to Lorentzian geodesic spaces, and to enable UMAP visualizations with hyper- bolic distance metrics. This work contributes a principled evaluation method for geometry-aware learning and supports the growing evidence of hyperbolic geometry’s benefits in spatial biology. Code is available at: https://github.com/youssefwally/FlatlandandBeyond

• Wally, Youssef; Ell, Basil; Ricaud, Benjamin; Giese, Martin; Vitelli, Valeria & Milosevic, Vladan [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Representing cell type hierarchies in breast cancer. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding the spatial organisation of cells within tissues is fundamental for cell niches discovery. Advances in spatial omics technologies now yield high-resolution maps of cell populations across tissue sections, yet computational methods for systematically discovering recurrent, interpretable multi-cell assemblies remain limited, particularly when cell type annotations are organised in hierarchical taxonomies. Cell type ontologies in modern atlases naturally form hierarchies, ignoring this structure leads to either redundant or missed niche patterns. We present our on-going work for cell niche discovery based on spatial association rule mining that is explicitly aware of these hierarchical relationships. By propagating colocation evidence through the taxonomy, we are able to identify multi-cell-type assemblies that co-occur significantly across tissue regions at both fine-grained and coarser levels of cell-type resolution, reducing redundancy while improving interpretability

• Wally, Youssef; Ell, Basil; Ricaud, Benjamin; Giese, Martin; Vitelli, Valeria & Milosevic, Vladan [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Cell Niche discovery via taxonomy-aware spatial association rule mining. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding the spatial organisation of cells within tissues is fundamental for cell niches discovery. Advances in spatial omics technologies now yield high-resolution maps of cell populations across tissue sections, yet computational methods for systematically discovering recurrent, interpretable multi-cell assemblies remain limited, particularly when cell type annotations are organised in hierarchical taxonomies. Cell type ontologies in modern atlases naturally form hierarchies, ignoring this structure leads to either redundant or missed niche patterns. We present our on-going work for cell niche discovery based on spatial association rule mining that is explicitly aware of these hierarchical relationships. By propagating colocation evidence through the taxonomy, we are able to identify multi-cell-type assemblies that co-occur significantly across tissue regions at both fine-grained and coarser levels of cell-type resolution, reducing redundancy while improving interpretability

• Wally, Youssef; Ell, Basil; Ricaud, Benjamin; Giese, Martin; Milosevic, Vladan & Vitelli, Valeria [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Cell Niche discovery via taxonomy-aware spatial association rule mining. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Understanding the spatial organisation of cells within tissues is fundamental for cell niches discovery. Advances in spatial omics technologies now yield high-resolution maps of cell populations across tissue sections, yet computational methods for systematically discovering recurrent, interpretable multi-cell assemblies remain limited, particularly when cell type annotations are organised in hierarchical taxonomies. Cell type ontologies in modern atlases naturally form hierarchies, ignoring this structure leads to either redundant or missed niche patterns. We present our on-going work for cell niche discovery based on spatial association rule mining that is explicitly aware of these hierarchical relationships. By propagating colocation evidence through the taxonomy, we are able to identify multi-cell-type assemblies that co-occur significantly across tissue regions at both fine-grained and coarser levels of cell-type resolution, reducing redundancy while improving interpretability

• Perrier, Flavie; Rimal, Raju; Green, Adele C; Rueegg, Corina Silvia; Ghiasvand, Reza & Gjersvik, Petter [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). Breslow thickness and melanoma-specific death in patients diagnosed with thin cutaneous melanoma in 1983-2019. Full text in Research Archive
• Haukeland-Parker, Stacey; Jervan, Øyvind; Ghanima, Waleed; Spruit, Martijn A.; Holst, Rene & Gleditsch, Jostein [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2026). Exercise capacity, dyspnoea and health-related quality of life six months after exercise- based rehabilitation in patients with persistent dyspnea following pulmonary embolism. Full text in Research Archive
• Isaksen, Irja Minde; Skeie, Guri; Brustad, Magritt; Kværner, Ane Sørlie; Thoresen, Magne & Hjartåker, Anette (2026). Dietary protein source and colorectal cancer risk in a prospective cohort of Norwegian women: preliminary results. Full text in Research Archive
• Pripp, Are Hugo (2026). Grafikkens grammatikk. Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening (Tidsskriftet). ISSN 0029-2001. 146(5). doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.26.0031. Full text in Research Archive
• Haff, Ingrid Hobæk; Griesbauer, Elisabeth Maria; Czado, Claudia & Frigessi, Arnoldo (2026). Synthetic data with vine copulas – balancing utility and privacy. Full text in Research Archive
• Angelsen, Madeleine Elisabeth; Najar, Hemen; Svendsen, Mette; Thoresen, Magne; Peleikis, Dawn Elisabeth & Retterstøl, Kjetil (2026). Clinical dietitian-led nutrition counseling and exercise to reduce cardiovascular risk in adults living with a BMI above 27 and severe mental illness: the NORMI-Heart trial protocol. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1700251. Full text in Research Archive
• Zucknick, Manuela (2025). The potential of Bayesian modelling for complex biomedical data. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Biomedical data are characterised by large heterogeneity. Technical challenges result in noise and biases, e.g. through measurement errors, but more importantly, biological variability between individuals and conditions is large. This is even more the case in disease, which is a deviation from the normal healthy state, and each patient differs from this norm in a different way. Statistical modelling is concerned with delineating and understanding the different sources of heterogeneity. Bayesian statistics offers a unified approach to the modelling, which allows us to keep track of all sources of variability, even in complex hierarchical model setups. I will illustrate the potential of Bayesian modelling for complex biomedical data structures through examples from precision medicine and cancer drug screens.

• Brabrand, Sigmund; Steinskog, Eli Sihn Samdal; Blix, Egil Støre; Flobak, Åsmund; Puco, Katarina & Fagereng, Gro Live [Show all 20 contributors for this article] (2025). 3137O IMPRESS-Norway: A nationwide precision-oncology study for off-label targeted therapies - Results from the first 1,740 patients. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2025.08.1609. Full text in Research Archive
• Babigumira, Ronnie; Stenehjem, Jo; Veierød, Marit B. & Grimsrud, Tom Kristian (2026). Cohort Profiling, Data Harmonization and Epidemiological Analysis of Benzene Exposure and Cancer Risk in the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers Cohort. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788234808708. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This thesis is situated within occupational cancer epidemiology and examines occupational exposures and cancer incidence among Norwegian offshore petroleum workers. It aimed to profile the Norwegian Offshore Petroleum Workers (NOPW) cohort and evaluate cancer incidence compared to the general population, harmonize work histories for exposure quantification, and examine associations between benzene exposure and risk of lung and colorectal cancer (CRC). The NOPW cohort comprises approximately 28,000 offshore petroleum workers who completed a survey containing information on work history, sociodemographic characteristics, and lifestyle factors. Cancer incidence was assessed through linkage with the Cancer Registry of Norway. To improve exposure assessment, a harmonization method was developed to address overlapping employment records before linkage to job exposure matrices. Associations between occupational benzene exposure and cancer risk were examined prospectively among male cohort members. The findings showed a small excess of overall cancer risk compared with the Norwegian general population, with increases of 7% among males and 13% among females. Elevated risks were observed for pleural mesothelioma, breast cancer, and prostate cancer in males, and for melanoma and acute myeloid leukaemia in females. Harmonization of overlapping employment records reduced the cohort's total employment duration by 10%, demonstrating the importance of this procedure for accurate exposure assessment. For lung cancer, a pattern of increased risk was observed with increasing benzene exposure, although these associations were not statistically significant for lung cancer overall. Positive associations were identified between duration of benzene exposure and lung adenocarcinoma. For CRC, positive associations were found for overall CRC, right sided colon cancer, and rectal cancer with respect to both average exposure intensity and duration. No clear associations were found for left sided colon cancer, although an increased risk was observed in the highest quartile of average intensity compared with unexposed workers. Overall, the thesis provides a detailed profile of the NOPW cohort, presents a method for handling overlapping employment records, and contributes with new insights into benzene’s etiological role for lung cancer and CRC.

• Wickstrøm, Kristin; Amundsen, Erik Koldberg; Vitelli, Valeria & Prebensen, Christian Haugland (2026). Supervised and unsupervised modeling on routine clinical and laboratory variables for diagnosis, prognosis and subgrouping of infectious diseases. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788234807787. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this thesis we used supervised and unsupervised models on patients with infectious diseases, with a focus on laboratory variables from patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). These models are used for diagnosis, prognosis, and subgrouping of patients. In the first part of the thesis, we evaluated four published supervised models for prediction of outcomes in COVID‑19 patients. Using cohorts from Oslo and London, we found that all models performed worse and with greater variability than in their original studies. Recalibration improved performance and the results highlight the importance of validating prediction models across different populations. Next, we developed a supervised model to predict infection using Sysmex cell population (CP) data from patients with suspected sepsis. These research parameters are produced by hematology instruments when analyzing white blood cells and reflect the cells morphology and degree of activation. Among the parameters, monocyte complexity (MO‑X) and neutrophil fluorescence activity (NEUT‑RI) showed the strongest individual predictive value. Using LASSO and backward selection, we created a four‑variable model that performed slightly below C‑reactive protein (CRP) alone. The multilayer perceptron model demonstrated the best calibration, particularly when CRP was added. Further standardization and external validation are required before clinical use. Finally, we explored unsupervised clustering to identify subgroups of sepsis patients. Unlike the SENECA study, which reported four phenotypes, our analyses did not reproduce these subgroups. A large multicenter replication study with cohorts from Oslo, Karolinska, and Oxford also failed to reproduce the SENECA subgroups, suggesting that these phenotypes may not generalize across populations. In the Oslo cohort, seven clusters were more stable and clinically distinct. Further validation of the seven clusters should be conducted.

• Greve, Jan & Sablica, Lukas (2025). Named Entity Swapping for Metadata Anonymization in a Text Corpus. arxiv.org. doi: https:/arxiv.org/abs/2505.21128. Full text in Research Archive
• Greve, Jan (2025). A New Representation of Ewens-Pitman's Partition Structure and Its Characterization via Riordan Array Sums. arxiv.org. doi: https:/arxiv.org/abs/2503.05034. Full text in Research Archive

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