University of the Faroe Islands

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical efficacy of nurse-performed ultrasound-guided intravenous access in oncology patients on the oncological outpatient unit in the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands.

Objective: This study investigates the effects of hybrid training in the form of small-sided football games on health status, blood glucose regulation, muscle metabolism, and well-being in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with additional focus on the impact of concurrent treatment with Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 receptor agonists and Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 inhibitors.
Background: T2DM prevalence has surged globally, characterized by insulin resistance, abnormal insulin secretion, and elevated blood glucose levels, significantly increasing cardiovascular disease risk. Physical activity is known to reduce visceral fat, improve glycaemic control, and lower cardiovascular mortality. However, the interaction between hybrid training and T2DM medication effects remains underexplored.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with men and women aged 40-70 diagnosed with T2DM within the last 10 years. Exclusion criteria include severe micro- or macrovascular complications and pregnancy. Participants (n=800) will be invited and enrolled participants will be randomized in a 60/40 ratio into a football group (FG) or control group (CG), using a stratified randomization approach. Stratification will be based on age, gender and GLP-1 agonist treatment. The FG will engage in 60-minute small-sided football sessions three times per week for 14 weeks. Both groups will undergo pre- and post-intervention assessments, including blood pressure, blood parameters, body composition via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans, physical fitness (Peak oxygen uptake and Yo-Yo Intermittent Endurance Test Level 1), and 24-hour glucose profiling using Continuous Glucose Monitoring systems. Muscle biopsies will be collected from a subset of participants.
Conclusion: This study aims to provide insights into the benefits of hybrid training for T2DM patients, potentially informing new treatment guidelines that integrate exercise and pharmacotherapy to optimize health outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a high disease burden worldwide, both during the acute disease phase and a large group of infected suffering from Long Covid. Long Covid has been subject to a lot of research, even though there is still much not understood. However, the need for time to pass before symptoms can be assessed limits research into Long Covid on a longer timescale.
The worldwide pandemic has shifted after the emergence of the Omicron variant. The number of confirmed COVID cases worldwide has risen to unprecedented levels. Yet, hospitalizations and death do not increase at the same level as with previous variants.
The observed shift in the pandemic with the increasing number of infections with the Omicron variant leads to the urgent question about Long Covid after Omicron infection. This rise has also taken place in the Faroe Islands, with many infections during December 2021 and January 2022. The majority of infections during January 2022 in the Faroe Islands are expected to be of the Omicron variant, presenting the opportunity to investigate symptoms after infection with the Omicron variant.
In this study, we will invite all infected with COVID-19 during January 2022 in the Faroe Islands to answer an online survey regarding symptoms. This survey will be sent out once a month for a total of six times, both focusing on acute symptoms and Long Covid symptoms.
Concurrently, we will send an online survey to Faroese inhabitants recruited in two separate random COVID-19 serological surveys during 2020, which will act as controls.
The knowledge gathered during this study will rapidly bring understanding to the urgent question of Long Covid after Omicron infections. We know that the Omicron variant leads to fewer hospitalizations and death than previous variants, yet the question of Long Covid is still unanswered, and needs rapid answers.