| 31. |
- Amaral, Rita, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of individual characteristics and non-respiratory diseases on blood eosinophil count
- 2021
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Ingår i: Clinical and Translational Allergy. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7022. ; 11:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundBlood eosinophil (B-Eos) count is an emerging biomarker in the management of respiratory disease but determinants of B-Eos count besides respiratory disease are poorly described. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the influence of non-respiratory diseases on B-Eos count, in comparison to the effect on two other biomarkers: fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and to identify individual characteristics associated with B-Eos count in healthy controls.MethodsChildren/adolescents (<18 years) and adults with complete B-Eos data from the US National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys 2005–2016 were included, and they were divided into having respiratory diseases (n = 3333 and n = 7,894, respectively) or not having respiratory disease (n = 8944 and n = 15,010, respectively). After excluding any respiratory disease, the association between B-Eos count, FeNO or CRP, and non-respiratory diseases was analyzed in multivariate models and multicollinearity was tested. After excluding also non-respiratory diseases independently associated with B-Eos count (giving healthy controls; 8944 children/adolescents and 5667 adults), the independent association between individual characteristics and B-Eos count was analyzed.ResultsIn adults, metabolic syndrome, heart disease or stroke was independently associated with higher B-Eos count (12%, 13%, and 15%, respectively), whereas no associations were found with FeNO or CRP. In healthy controls, male sex or being obese was associated with higher B-Eos counts, both in children/adolescents (15% and 3% higher, respectively) and adults (14% and 19% higher, respectively) (p < 0.01 all). A significant influence of race/ethnicity was also noted, and current smokers had 17% higher B-Eos count than never smokers (p < 0.001).ConclusionsNon-respiratory diseases influence B-Eos count but not FeNO or CRP. Male sex, obesity, certain races/ethnicities, and current smoking are individual characteristics or exposures that are associated with higher B-Eos counts. All these factors should be considered when using B-Eos count in the management of respiratory disease.
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| 32. |
- Amid Hägg, Shadi, et al.
(författare)
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Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux increases the risk of daytime sleepiness in women
- 2019
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Ingår i: Sleep Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1389-9457 .- 1878-5506. ; 53, s. 94-100
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Daytime sleepiness is common in women and has negative health effects. Nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER) and snoring are risk factors for daytime sleepiness, but the effect of their interaction remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine how nGER and snoring combined affected daytime sleepiness and involuntary falling asleep in women.METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to randomly selected women in 2000 and 2010. Participants who answered questions regarding both nGER and snoring in both questionnaires were included (N = 4882). Daytime sleepiness was defined as severe or very severe problems with daytime sleepiness. Involuntary falling asleep was defined as sometimes, often or very often falling asleep involuntarily during the day. Respondents snoring loudly and disturbingly sometimes, often or very often were defined as snorers. Having nocturnal heartburn or acid reflux sometimes, often or very often was defined as having nGER.RESULTS: Daytime sleepiness was reported by 14% of the participants, involuntary falling asleep by 11%. After adjustment for age, smoking, physical activity, caffeine intake and alcohol dependency, increased odd ratios (ORs) for both daytime sleepiness (adjusted OR 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.9-9.2) and involuntary falling asleep (adjusted OR 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.4) were seen in women with the combination of nGER and snoring at both baseline and follow-up. The association with daytime sleepiness was also strong for those with only persistent nGER but not for those with only persistent snoring.CONCLUSION: Women with nGER were at increased risk of developing daytime sleepiness and snoring augmented this association. In addition, women with both nGER and snoring were also at increased risk of developing involuntary falling asleep.
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| 33. |
- Amid Hägg, Shadi, et al.
(författare)
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Smokers with insomnia symptoms are less likely to stop smoking
- 2020
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Ingår i: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Smoking is associated with sleep disturbances. The aim of this study was to analyze whether sleep disturbances are predictors of smoking cessation and whether continued smoking is associated with the development of sleep disturbances. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to randomly selected men and women in Northern Europe in 1999-2001 (RHINE II) and was followed up by a questionnaire in 2010-2012 (RHINE III). The study population consisted of 2568 participants who were smokers at baseline and provided data on smoking at follow-up. Insomnia symptoms were defined as having difficulty initiating and/or maintaining sleep and/or early morning awakening >= 3 nights/week. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to calculate odds ratios (OR). Results: Subjects with difficulty initiating sleep (adjusted odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 0.6; 0.4-0.8), difficulty maintaining sleep (0.7; 0.5-0.9), early morning awakening (0.6; 0.4-0.8), any insomnia symptom (0.6; 0.5-0.8) or excessive daytime sleepiness (0.7; 0.5-0.8) were less likely to achieve long-term smoking cessation after adjustment for age, BMI, pack-years, hypertension, diabetes, chronic bronchitis, rhinitis, asthma, gender and BMI difference. There was no significant association between snoring and smoking cessation. In subjects without sleep disturbance at baseline, continued smoking increased the risk of developing difficulty initiating sleep during the follow-up period compared with those that had quit smoking (adj. OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.3). Conclusions: Insomnia symptoms and excessive daytime sleepiness negatively predict smoking cessation. Smoking is a risk factor for the development of difficulty initiating sleep. Treatment for sleep disturbances should be included in smoking-cessation programs.
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| 34. |
- Amid Hägg, Shadi, et al.
(författare)
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The negative health effects of having a combination of snoring and insomnia
- 2022
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Ingår i: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL SLEEP MEDICINE. - : American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). - 1550-9389 .- 1550-9397. ; 18:4, s. 973-981
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Study Objectives: Insomnia and snoring are common sleep disorders. The aim was to investigate the association of having a combination of insomnia symptoms and snoring with comorbidity and daytime sleepiness. Methods: The study population comprised 25,901 participants (16-75 years, 54.4% women) from 4 Swedish cities, who answered a postal questionnaire that contained questions on snoring, insomnia symptoms (difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep and/or early morning awakening), smoking, educational level, and respiratory and nonrespiratory disorders. Results: Snoring was reported by 4,221 (16.2%), while 9,872 (38.1%) reported 1 insomnia symptom. A total of 2,150 (8.3%) participants reported both insomnia symptoms and snoring. The association with hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.2-1.6), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.4), asthma (adjusted OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.6-2.3), daytime sleepiness (adjusted OR, 7.9; 95% CI, 7.1-8.8), and the use of hypnotics (adjusted OR, 7.5; 95% CI, 6.1-9.1) was highest for the group with both insomnia symptoms and snoring. Conclusions: Participants with both snoring and insomnia run an increased risk of hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, daytime sleepiness, and use of hypnotics. It is important to consider snoring in patients seeking medical assistance for insomnia and, vice versa, in patients with snoring inquiring about insomnia.
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| 35. |
- Amin, H., et al.
(författare)
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Indoor Airborne Microbiome and Endotoxin: Meteorological Events and Occupant Characteristics Are Important Determinants
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental Science and Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0013-936X .- 1520-5851. ; 57:32, s. 11750-11766
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Minimal research exists onthe factors influencing the indoorbacterial community. Despite their proposed importance for health,here we report environmental factors influencing the composition ofthe indoor bacterial communities. Airborne bacteria and endotoxin may affect asthma andallergies.However, there is limited understanding of the environmental determinantsthat influence them. This study investigated the airborne microbiomesin the homes of 1038 participants from five cities in Northern Europe:Aarhus, Bergen, Reykjavik, Tartu, and Uppsala. Airborne dust particleswere sampled with electrostatic dust fall collectors (EDCs) from theparticipants' bedrooms. The dust washed from the EDCs'clothes was used to extract DNA and endotoxin. The DNA extracts wereused for quantitative polymerase chain (qPCR) measurement and 16SrRNA gene sequencing, while endotoxin was measured using the kineticchromogenic limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) assay. The results showedthat households in Tartu and Aarhus had a higher bacterial load anddiversity than those in Bergen and Reykjavik, possibly due to elevatedconcentrations of outdoor bacterial taxa associated with low precipitationand high wind speeds. Bergen-Tartu had the highest difference (ANOSIM R = 0.203) in & beta; diversity. Multivariate regressionmodels showed that & alpha; diversity indices and bacterial and endotoxinloads were positively associated with the occupants' age, numberof occupants, cleaning frequency, presence of dogs, and age of thehouse. Further studies are needed to understand how meteorologicalfactors influence the indoor bacterial community in light of climatechange.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Amin, Kawa, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for eosinophil and IL-17 mediated inflammation in allergic rhinitis
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical and Molecular Allergy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-7961. ; 18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The aim was to determine the level of inflammatory cytokines, eosinophil cationic protein and IgE in allergic rhinitis (AR) patients.Subjects and methods: Blood samples were taken from 88 AR patients and 88 healthy controls (HC). Each sample was analysed for eosinophil counts by flow cytometry, IgE by ECLIA, ECP, IL-17, and IL-33 by using ELISA test.Results: There was no significant difference between AR patients and the control group in age and gender. Levels of eosinophils, IgE, ECP, IL-17, IL-33 and the total symptom scores were significantly higher in AR patients than the HC (P = 0.0001). Serum ECP correlated with IL-17 (P = 0.041, r = 0.42), IL-33 (P = 0.0001, r = 080), and IgE levels (P = 0.017, r = 0.45) in the R patients. There was no correlation between IL-17 and IL-33. There was a correlation between symptom scores and eosinophils (P = 0.026, r = 0.52), and IgE (P = 0.001, r = 0.60) in the patients. No correlation was observed between symptom scores and ECP, IL-17, and IL-33 in the AR patient.Conclusions: Patients with AR have significant higher serum levels of ECP, IL-17, and IL-33 than healthy controls. This indicates that these markers could be used to in order to diagnose AR and to monitor disease. Inhibitory molecules to IL-17 and IL-33 may be considered as novel treatment strategies.
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| 38. |
- Amin, Kawa, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammation and structural changes in the airways of patients with atopicand nonatopic asthma : BHR group
- 2000
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Ingår i: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 162:6, s. 2295-2301
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to compare the cellular pattern and structural changes in the airway walls of atopic and nonatopic patients with asthma. Bronchial biopsy specimens were obtained from 13 atopic subjects with asthma, nine nonatopic patients with asthma, and seven healthy control subjects and investigated using immunohistochemical methods. The number of eosinophils increased in both asthma groups, but significantly more in the atopic group. The number of mast cells increased similarly in the two asthma groups, whereas the number of neutrophils increased only in the nonatopic asthma group. The number of T-lymphocytes (CD3-, CD4-, CD8-, CD-25-positive cells) was higher in patients with atopic asthma compared with nonatopic asthma. Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-5-positive cells were more frequently found in the atopic asthma group, whereas cells staining for IL-8 were more frequent in the nonatopic group. The degree of epithelial damage was significantly higher in the atopic asthma group compared with the control subjects and the nonatopic asthmatics. The tenascin and laminin layer was significantly thicker in the atopic group compared with the group of nonatopic asthmatics. In the atopic group, there was a significant negative correlation between epithelial integrity (defined as the relative length of intact epithelium) and the eosinophil count and also between the number of CD25-positive cells and epithelial integrity. The number of mast cells correlated positively with the thickness of tenascin- and laminin-positive layers. In conclusion, we provide evidence of different patterns of involvement of inflammatory cells in atopic and nonatopic patients with asthma. There were also structural differences in the bronchial mucous membrane between atopic asthma and nonatopic asthma. This suggests that there are differences in the extent of the immunopathologic response of these clinically distinct forms of asthma.
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| 39. |
- Amin, Kawa, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammation and structural changes in the airways of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome
- 2001
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Ingår i: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 95:11, s. 904-910
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study aimed to compare the cellular pattern and structural changes in the airways of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) with healthy controls. Bronchial biopsy specimens were obtained from seven subjects with pSS and seven healthy controls. All the patients with pSS had increased bronchial responsiveness to methacholine. In the biopsies inflammatory cells, cytokine-producing cells, tenascin and laminin were visual zed by immunostaining. Patients with pSS had a higher number of neutrophils and mast cells than healthy controls, while the number of eosinophils was similar in the two groups. The number of IL-8-positive cells was higher in pSS butthe numbers of IL-4-and IL-5-positive cells were not significantly different between pSS and healthy controls. The numbers of T cells in patients with pSS were higher than in healthy controls, while the numbers of CD25-positive cells were similar to the healthy controls. The degree of epithelial integrity in patients with pSS was significantly lower than in the control group and the tenascin and laminin layers were significantly thicker in the pSS group. There was a correlation between the number of mast cells and the thickness of the tenascin and laminin layers in pSS. In conclusion, we found that the cellular pattern in the bronchial mucosa of patients with pSS displayed large numbers of neutrophils, mast cells and T-lymphocytes. These changes in inflammatory cell numbers seemed to relate to the observed increased epithelial damage and structural changes of the subepithelium. The structural findings, but not the pattern of inflammatory cells, are shared with atopic asthma and may relate to the increased bronchial hyper-responsiveness seen in both diseases.
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| 40. |
- Amin, Kawa, et al.
(författare)
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The extracellular deposition of mast cell products is increased in hypertrophic airways smooth muscles in allergic asthma but not in nonallergic asthma
- 2005
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Ingår i: Allergy. European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0105-4538 .- 1398-9995. ; 60:10, s. 1241-1247
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Bronchial asthma is characterized by airways smooth muscle hypertrophy and infiltration of mast cells in the bronchial mucosa. The aim of this investigation was to study the distribution of mast cells in different compartments in the bronchial mucosa of allergic and nonallergic asthma in relation to airways remodeling. METHODS: Bronchial biopsies were obtained from 29 subjects with allergic and nonallergic asthma and healthy controls. The biopsies were stained for mast cells by means of the tryptase specific antibody AA1. Extracellular deposition of mast cell products were judged on a semi-quantitative scale. Mast cells per mm(2) were counted in epithelium, lamina propria and the smooth muscle compartment. Smooth muscle was visualized by actin antibodies and the proportion of staining of the biopsy estimated. Laminin and tenascin layers were visualized by their respective antibodies. RESULTS: Airways smooth muscle thickness was greater in allergic vs nonallergic asthma (P < 0.001). Mast cells were increased in all three compartments in both allergic and nonallergic asthma, with significantly higher numbers in smooth muscles in allergic asthma (P < 0.03). The extracellular deposition of mast cell products was more common in allergic than nonallergic asthma in lamina propria and smooth muscles (P = 0.025; P = 0.002, respectively). In patients with allergic asthma the numbers of mast cells with extracellular deposition of mast cell products were significantly correlated to the thickness of the laminin and tenascin layers. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that there are large differences between allergic and nonallergic asthmatics as to mast cell activation and airways smooth muscle thickness. Our data implies that mast cells are causally involved in structural alterations in allergic asthma.
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