The public defence will be held as a video conference over Zoom.
The defence will follow regular procedure as far as possible, hence it will be open to the public and the audience can ask ex auditorio questions when invited to do so.
Click here to participate in the public defence
Due to copyright reasons, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. In order for the faculty to have time to process the order, it must be received by the faculty no later than 2 days prior to the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. Inquiries regarding the thesis after the public defence must be addressed to the candidate.
Digital Trial Lecture – time and place
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Jaap Groothoff, Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands
- Second opponent: Professor Bente Jespersen, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Associate Professor Torild Skrivarhaug, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor Henrik Holmstrøm, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Senior Consultant Anna K. Bjerre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
Summary
Each year 5-10 children and adolescents receive a renal transplant in Norway. Children with end stage renal disease have increased risk for future cardiovascular disease. After a successful renal transplantation the risk is reduced but due to immunosuppressive treatment and other factors the risk is still increased compared with the general population. Prevention and early detection of cardiovascular disease is therefore of importance in these patients.
In this cross-sectional study on pediatric renal transplant recipients the PhD candidate and co-workers have shown that simple measures such as early physiotherapy after transplantation and focus on physical activity in the follow-up have positive effects on cardiorespiratory fitness, measured as VO2peak. The patients in the cohort also reported on better quality of life and mental health.
Plasma levels of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) were elevated in the children with a history of renal transplantation compared with both healthy children and children with chronic kidney disease. In contrary to our hypothesis we found no association between GDF-15 and cardiovascular risk factors but found GDF-15 to be strongly correlated with renal function.
There are considerable differences in the plasma fatty acid profile in children with a renal transplant and healthy children. In addition we found that higher levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were associated with lower triglycerides and that high levels of eicosapentaenoic acid were also associated with lower blood pressure.
In conclusion, measures such as early implementation of early physiotherapy after renal transplantation, focus on physical activity in the follow-up and supplementation of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid might contribute to better cardiovascular health after pediatric renal transplantation. GDF-15 is not a suitable biomarker of cardiovascular risk in this population.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.