| 1. |
- Amundin, Mats, 1947-, et al.
(författare)
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An echolocation visualization and interface system for dolphin research
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 0001-4966 .- 1520-8524. ; 123:2, s. 1188-1194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study describes the development and testing of a tool for dolphin research. This tool was able to visualize the dolphin echolocation signals as well as function as an acoustically operated "touch screen." The system consisted of a matrix of hydrophones attached to a semitransparent screen, which was lowered in front of an underwater acrylic panel in a dolphin pool. When a dolphin aimed its sonar beam at the screen, the hydrophones measured the received sound pressure levels. These hydrophone signals were then transferred to a computer where they were translated into a video image that corresponds to the dynamic sound pressure variations in the sonar beam and the location of the beam axis. There was a continuous projection of the image back onto the hydrophone matrix screen, giving the dolphin an immediate visual feedback to its sonar output. The system offers a whole new experimental methodology in dolphin research and since it is software-based, many different kinds of scientific questions can be addressed. The results were promising and motivate further development of the system and studies of sonar and cognitive abilities of dolphins. © 2008 Acoustical Society of America.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Lotta, et al.
(författare)
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Use of participatory scenario modelling as platforms in stakeholder dialogues
- 2008
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Ingår i: Water S.A.. - 0378-4738 .- 1816-7950. ; 34:4, s. 439-447
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A participatory methodology, based on dialogues between stakeholders and experts has been developed and tested in the drainage area to Kaggebo Bay in the Baltic Sea. This study is focused on the EU Water Framework Directive, with emphasis on reduction of eutrophication. The drainage area is included in the WFD administrative area of the Motala Strom River basin. A similar approach is now applied in a recently initiated project in the Thukela River basin, with focus on impacts of climate change on water resources. The methodology is based on the idea that a catchment model serves as a platform for the establishment of a common view of present conditions and the causes behind these conditions. In the following steps, this is followed by model-assisted agreement on environmental goals (i.e. what do we want the future to look like?) and local agreement on a remedy or mitigation plans in order to reduce environmental impact (e. g. eutrophication); alternatively to adapt to conditions that cannot be determined by local actions (e. g. climate change). By involving stakeholder groups in this model-supported stepwise process, it is ensured that all stakeholder groups involved have a high degree of confidence in the presented model results, and thereby enable various actors involved to share a common view, regarding both present conditions, goals and the way to reach these goals. Although this is a process that is time-(and cost-) consuming, it is hypothesised that the use of this methodology is two-pronged: it increases the willingness to carry out remedies or necessary adaptations to a changing environment, and it increases the level of understanding between the various groups and therefore ameliorates the potential for future conflicts. Compared to traditional use of model results in environmental decision-making, the experts role is transformed from a one-way communication of final results to assistance in the various steps of the participatory process.
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| 3. |
- André, Malin, 1949-, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnosis-prescribing surveys in 2000, 2002 and 2005 in Swedish general practice : Consultations, diagnosis, diagnostics and treatment choices
- 2008
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 40:8, s. 648-654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to present diagnostic patterns, diagnostics used and antibiotic treatment in relation to guidelines in 3 repeated diagnosis-prescription studies conducted simultaneously in general practice in 5 Swedish counties, during 1 week in November 2000, 2002 and 2005. General practitioners (GPs) at the participating health centres were asked to complete a form for all patients with symptoms of an infectious disease. During the studied periods a total of 15,371 consultations was registered. Consultations with GPs diagnosed as respiratory tract infection (RTI), especially consultations for sore throat, decreased considerably between y 2000 and 2005. The percentage of patients allocated an RTI diagnosis and prescribed an antibiotic declined significantly from 54% to 49% and the decline was most pronounced among children. Penicillin V remained the dominant antibiotic prescribed throughout the study periods. For lower urinary tract infections there was a significant change in choice of prescribed antibiotics with an increase for pivmecillinam and nitrofurantoin and a decrease for trimethoprim, in accordance with recommendations. The results indicate a quite close adherence to current guidelines, with changes in the pattern of consultations as well as in the management of infectious diseases in general practice in Sweden.
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| 4. |
- Aspenberg, Per, 1949-, et al.
(författare)
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Fixed or loose? Dichotomy in RSA data for cemented cups
- 2008
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Ingår i: Acta Orthopaedica. - Basingstoke : Medical Journals Sweden AB. - 1745-3674 .- 1745-3682. ; 79:4, s. 467-473
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Roentgen stereometric analysis (RSA) cannot discern whether a single prosthesis is fixed or migrating below the detection level. Samples of patients usually show migration values that appear to be continuously distributed. Is there such continuity, or is there a dichotomy between stable and migrating prostheses? The hypothesis of a dichotomy has, to our knowledge, not been tested. We present an exploratory evaluation of such a dichotomy using a mixture distribution algorithm. METHODS: We analyzed the migration (as determined by RSA) of 147 cemented acetabular cups of 7 different designs by using a new set of algorithms for frequency distribution analysis called Rmix. RESULTS: We first analyzed a migration vector, regardless of direction. After 2 years there was a significant dichotomy between 2 lognormal subgroups within the sample. Although some types of cups were over-represented in one of the subgroups, neither cup design, sex, nor operating department could explain the dichotomy into two groups, which appears to reflect the existence of two basically different types of behavior of the cups. We next analyzed the migration along the 3 axes in space, and found a similar dichotomy. During the second year, around 80% of the patients belonged to a distinct, normally distributed subgroup with a mean not different from 0 mm and a small variation. The remainder differed significantly from this subgroup and showed migration. INTERPRETATION: There is a dichotomy in migration pattern. During the second postoperative year, most cups belonged to a subpopulation that appeared stable. The remainder is probably at risk of loosening. For a single type of prosthesis, the relative size of the stable subgroup may be a good index of the expected performance. The possibility of detecting subgroups within a seemingly continuous sample might be useful in many fields of medicine.
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| 5. |
- Backstrand, K., et al.
(författare)
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Total hydrocarbon flux dynamics at a subarctic mire in northern Sweden
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 113, s. G03026-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This is a study of the spatial and temporal variability of total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions from vegetation and soil at a subarctic mire, northern Sweden. THCs include methane (CH4) and nonmethane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), both of which are atmospherically important trace gases and constitute a significant proportion of the carbon exchange between biosphere and atmosphere. Reliable characterization of the magnitude and the dynamics of the THC fluxes from high latitude peatlands are important when considering to what extent trace gas emissions from such ecosystems may change and feed back on climate regulation as a result of warmer climate and melting permafrost. High frequency measurements of THC and carbon dioxide (CO2) were conducted during four sequential growing seasons in three localities representing the trophic range of plant communities at the mire. The magnitude of the THC flux followed the moisture gradient with increasing emissions from a dry Palsa site (2.2 +/- 0.1 mgC m(-2) d(-1)), to a wet intermediate melt feature with Sphagnum spp. (28 +/- 0.3 mgC m(-2) d(-1)) and highest emissions from a wet Eriophorum spp. site (122 +/- 1.4 mgC m(-2) d(-1)) (overall mean +/- 1 SE, n = 2254, 2231 and 2137). At the Palsa site, daytime THC flux was most strongly related to air temperature while daytime THC emissions at the Sphagnum site had a stronger relation to ground temperature. THC emissions at both the wet sites were correlated to net ecosystem exchange of CO2. An overall spatial correlation indicated that areas with highly productive vegetation communities also had high THC emission potential.
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| 6. |
- Bakhtadze, Ekaterine, et al.
(författare)
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Common variants in the TCF7L2 gene help to differentiate autoimmune from non-autoimmune diabetes in young (15-34 years) but not in middle-aged (40-59 years) diabetic patients
- 2008
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Ingår i: Diabetologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0012-186X .- 1432-0428. ; 51:12, s. 2224-2232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Type 1 diabetes in children is characterised by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells and the presence of certain risk genotypes. In adults the same situation is often referred to as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). We tested whether genetic markers associated with type 1 or type 2 diabetes could help to discriminate between autoimmune and non-autoimmune diabetes in young (15-34 years) and middle-aged (40-59 years) diabetic patients. In 1,642 young and 1,619 middle-aged patients we determined: (1) HLA-DQB1 genotypes; (2) PTPN22 and INS variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms; (3) two single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs7903146 and rs10885406) in the TCF7L2 gene; (4) glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and IA-2-protein tyrosine phosphatase-like protein (IA-2) antibodies; and (5) fasting plasma C-peptide. Frequency of risk genotypes HLA-DQB1 (60% vs 25%, p =9.4x10(-34); 45% vs 18%, p= 1.4x10(-16)), PTPN22 CT/TT (34% vs 26%, p=0.0023; 31% vs 23%, p=0.034), INS VNTR class I/I (69% vs 53%, p=1.3x10(-8); 69% vs 51%, p=8.5x10(-5)) and INS VNTR class IIIA/IIIA (75% vs 63%, p=4.3x10(-6); 73% vs 60%, p=0.008) was increased in young and middle-aged GAD antibodies (GADA)-positive compared with GADA-negative patients. The type 2 diabetes-associated genotypes of TCF7L2 CT/TT of rs7903146 were significantly more common in young GADA-negative than in GADA-positive patients (53% vs 43%; p=0.0004). No such difference was seen in middle-aged patients, in whom the frequency of the CT/TT genotypes of TCF7L2 was similarly increased in GADA-negative and GADA-positive groups (55% vs 56%). Common variants in the TCF7L2 gene help to differentiate young but not middle-aged GADA-positive and GADA-negative diabetic patients, suggesting that young GADA-negative patients have type 2 diabetes and that middle-aged GADA-positive patients are different from their young GADA-positive counterparts and share genetic features with type 2 diabetes.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Bartha, Erzsebet, et al.
(författare)
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Could benefits of epidural analgesia following oesophagectomy be measured by perceived perioperative patient workload?
- 2008
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Ingår i: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-5172 .- 1399-6576. ; 52:10, s. 1313-1318
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A controversy exists whether beneficial analgesic effects of epidural analgesia over intravenous analgesia influence the rate of post-operative complications and the length of hospital stay. There is some evidence that favours epidural analgesia following major surgery in high-risk patients. However, there is a controversy as to whether epidural analgesia reduces the intensive care resources following major surgery. In this study, we aimed at comparing the post-operative costs of intensive care in patients receiving epidural or intravenous analgesia.Methods: Clinical data and rates of post-operative complications were extracted from a previously reported trial following thoraco-abdominal oesophagectomy. Cost data for individual patients included in that trial were retrospectively obtained from administrative records. Two separate phases were defined: costs of pain treatment and the direct cost of intensive care.Results: Higher calculated costs of epidural vs. intravenous pain treatment, 1,037 vs. 410 Euros/patient, were outweighed by lower post-operative costs of intensive care 5,571 vs. 7,921 Euros/patient (NS).Conclusion: Higher costs and better analgesic effects of epidural analgesia compared with intravenous analgesia do not reduce total costs for post-operative care following major surgery.
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| 9. |
- Baumann, Pia, et al.
(författare)
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Stereotactic body radiotherapy for medically inoperable patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer - a first report of toxicity related to COPD/CVD in a non-randomized prospective phase II study.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-8140 .- 1879-0887. ; 88:3, s. 359-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In a retrospective study using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in medically inoperable patients with stage I NSCLC we previously reported a local control rate of 88% utilizing a median dose of 15Gyx3. This report records the toxicity encountered in a prospective phase II trial, and its relation to coexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardio vascular disease (CVD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty patients were entered in the study between August 2003 and September 2005. Fifty-seven patients (T1 65%, T2 35%) with a median age of 75 years (59-87 years) were evaluable. The baseline mean FEV1% was 64% and median Karnofsky index was 80. A total dose of 45Gy was delivered in three fractions at the 67% isodose of the PTV. Clinical, pulmonary and radiological evaluations were made at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 36 months post-SBRT. Toxicity was graded according to CTC v2.0 and performance status was graded according to the Karnofsky scale. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 23 months, 2 patients had relapsed locally. No grade 4 or 5 toxicity was reported. Grade 3 toxicity was seen in 12 patients (21%). There was no significant decline of FEV1% during follow-up. Low grade pneumonitis developed to the same extent in the CVD 3/17 (18%) and COPD 7/40 (18%) groups. The incidence of fibrosis was 9/17 (53%) and pleural effusions was 8/17 (47%) in the CVD group compared with 13/40 (33%) and 5/40 (13%) in the COPD group. CONCLUSION: SBRT for stage I NSCLC patients who are medically inoperable because of COPD and CVD results in a favourable local control rate with a low incidence of grade 3 and no grade 4 or 5 toxicity.
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| 10. |
- Bendroth, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of ethyl glucuronide in hair with phosphatidylethanol in whole blood as post-mortem markers of alcohol abuse
- 2008
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Ingår i: Forensic Science International. - : Elsevier BV. - 0379-0738 .- 1872-6283. ; 176:1, s. 76-81
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a direct metabolite of ethanol and has been used as a marker of alcohol abuse in both urine and hair. This study investigated the value of EtG testing in post-mortem hair for diagnostic improvement of alcohol abuse in forensic medicine. Material from 70 consecutive medico-legal autopsies was collected in accordance with the recommendations on ethics by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine. A method for determination of EtG in hair samples was developed using ultra performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-MS/MS; LOQ, 2.5 pg/mg). The result of the EtG analysis was compared with the findings of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) in femoral whole blood, as measured by high performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light-scattering detector (HPLC–ELSD; LOQ, 0.22 μmol/l). Evaluation of liver histology and anamnestic evidence of alcohol abuse of the deceased were taken in consideration for the interpretation. Measurable levels of EtG were present in 49 of the 70 autopsy cases whereas PEth was present in 36. Thirty-nine cases had EtG levels above the cutoff limit (≥30 pg/mg) compared with 29 for PEth (≥0.7 μmol/l). Fifteen cases had EtG as exclusive indicator for alcohol abuse compared with four cases for PEth. These findings suggest that measurements of EtG in hair may provide improved diagnostic information on alcohol abuse, due to a long retrospective time-window for detection and stability of EtG in hair in the decaying cadaver. However, an EtG level below the cutoff does not completely exclude previous alcohol abuse.
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