| 1. |
- Abdeldaim, Guma M. K., et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative fucK gene polymerase chain reaction on sputum and nasopharyngeal secretions to detect Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia
- 2013
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Ingår i: Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease. - : Elsevier. - 0732-8893 .- 1879-0070. ; 76:2, s. 141-146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the fucK gene was developed for specific detection of Haemophilus influenzae. The method was tested on sputum and nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) from 78 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). With a reference standard of sputum culture and/or serology against the patient's own nasopharyngeal isolate, H. influenzae etiology was detected in 20 patients. Compared with the reference standard, fucK PCR (using the detection limit 10(5) DNA copies/mL) on sputum and NPA showed a sensitivity of 95.0% (19/20) in both cases, and specificities of 87.9% (51/58) and 89.5% (52/58), respectively. In a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, sputum fucK PCR was found to be significantly superior to sputum P6 PCR for detection of H. influenzae CAP. NPA fucK PCR was positive in 3 of 54 adult controls without respiratory symptoms. In conclusion, quantitative fucK real-time PCR provides a sensitive and specific identification of H. influenzae in respiratory secretions.
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| 2. |
- Abdurahman, Samir, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Activity of the small modified amino acid alpha-hydroxy glycineamide on in vitro and in vivo human immunodeficiency virus type 1 capsid assembly and infectivity
- 2008
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Ingår i: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. - 0066-4804 .- 1098-6596. ; 52:10, s. 3737-3744
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Upon maturation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virion, proteolytic cleavage of the Gag precursor protein by the viral protease is followed by morphological changes of the capsid protein p24, which will ultimately transform the virus core from an immature spherical to a mature conical structure. Virion infectivity is critically dependent on the optimal semistability of the capsid cone structure. We have reported earlier that glycineamide (G-NH(2)), when added to the culture medium of infected cells, inhibits HIV-1 replication and that HIV-1 particles with aberrant core structures were formed. Here we show that it is not G-NH(2) itself but a metabolite thereof, alpha-hydroxy-glycineamide (alpha-HGA), that is responsible for the antiviral activity. We show that alpha-HGA inhibits the replication of clinical HIV-1 isolates with acquired resistance to reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors but has no effect on the replication of any of 10 different RNA and DNA viruses. alpha-HGA affected the ability of the HIV-1 capsid protein to assemble into tubular or core structures in vitro and in vivo, probably by binding to the hinge region between the N- and C-terminal domains of the HIV-1 capsid protein as indicated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry results. As an antiviral compound, alpha-HGA has an unusually simple structure, a pronounced antiviral specificity, and a novel mechanism of antiviral action. As such, it might prove to be a lead compound for a new class of anti-HIV substances.
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| 3. |
- Abdurahman, Samir, 1965-, et al.
(författare)
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Isolation and characterization of a small antiretroviral molecule affecting HIV-1 capsid morphology
- 2009
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Ingår i: Retrovirology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1742-4690. ; 6, s. 34-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Formation of an HIV-1 particle with a conical core structure is a prerequisite for the subsequent infectivity of the virus particle. We have previously described that glycineamide (G-NH2) when added to the culture medium of infected cells induces non-infectious HIV-1 particles with aberrant core structures. Results: Here we demonstrate that it is not G-NH2 itself but a metabolite thereof that displays antiviral activity. We show that conversion of G-NH2 to its antiviral metabolite is catalyzed by an enzyme present in bovine and porcine but surprisingly not in human serum. Structure determination by NMR suggested that the active G-NH2 metabolite was alpha-hydroxy-glycineamide (alpha-HGA). Chemically synthesized alpha-HGA inhibited HIV-1 replication to the same degree as G-NH2, unlike a number of other synthesized analogues of G-NH2 which had no effect on HIV-1 replication. Comparisons by capillary electrophoresis and HPLC of the metabolite with the chemically synthesized alpha-HGA further confirmed that the antiviral G-NH2-metabolite indeed was alpha-HGA. Conclusion: alpha-HGA has an unusually simple structure and a novel mechanism of antiviral action. Thus, alpha-HGA could be a lead for new antiviral substances belonging to a new class of anti-HIV drugs, i.e. capsid assembly inhibitors.
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| 4. |
- Abraham-Nordling, Mirna, et al.
(författare)
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Incidence of hyperthyroidism in Sweden
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Journal of Endocrinology. - 0804-4643 .- 1479-683X. ; 165:6, s. 899-905
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: The incidence of hyperthyroidism has been reported in various countries to be 23-93/100000 inhabitants per year. This extended study has evaluated the incidence for similar to 40% of the Swedish population of 9 million inhabitants. Sweden is considered to be iodine sufficient country. Methods:All patients including children, who were newly diagnosed with overt hyperthyroidism in the years 2003-2005, were prospectively registered in a multicenter study. The inclusion criteria are as follows:clinical symptoms and/or signs of hyperthyroidism with plasma TSH concentration below 0.2 mIE/l and increased plasma levels of free/total triiodothyronine and/or free/total thyroxine. Patients with relapse of hyperthyroidism or thyroiditis were not included. The diagnosis of Graves' disease (GD), toxic multinodular goiter (TMNG) and solitary toxic adenoma (STA), smoking, initial treatment, occurrence of thyroid-associated eye symptoms/signs, and demographic data were registered. Results:A total of 2916 patients were diagnosed with de novo hyperthyroidism showing the total incidence of 27.6/100 000 inhabitants per year. The incidence of GD was 21.0/100 000 and toxic nodular goiter (TNG=STA+TMNG) occurred in 692 patients, corresponding to an annual incidence of 6.5/100 000. The incidence was higher in women compared with men (4.2:1). Seventy-five percent of the patients were diagnosed with GD, in whom thyroid-associated eye symptoms/signs occurred during diagnosis in every fifth patient. Geographical differences were observed. Conclusion:The incidence of hyperthyroidism in Sweden is in a lower range compared with international reports. Seventy-five percent of patients with hyperthyroidism had GD and 20% of them had thyroid-associated eye symptoms/signs during diagnosis. The observed geographical differences require further studies.
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| 5. |
- Agnew, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Factors associated with work ability in patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorder grade II-III : a cross-sectional analysis
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. - : FOUNDATION REHABILITATION INFORMATION. - 1650-1977 .- 1651-2081. ; 47:6, s. 546-551
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate the factors related to self-perceived work ability in patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorder grades II-III.Design: Cross-sectional analysis.Patients: A total of 166 working age patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorder.Methods: A comprehensive survey collected data on work ability (using the Work Ability Index); demographic, psychosocial, personal, work- and condition-related factors. Forward, stepwise regression modelling was used to assess the factors related to work ability.Results: The proportion of patients in each work ability category were as follows: poor (12.7%); moderate (39.8%); good (38.5%); excellent (9%). Seven factors explained 65% (adjusted R-2 = 0.65, p < 0.01) of the variance in work ability. In descending order of strength of association, these factors are: greater neck disability due to pain; reduced self-rated health status and health-related quality of life; increased frequency of concentration problems; poor workplace satisfaction; lower self-efficacy for performing daily tasks; and greater work-related stress.Conclusion: Condition-specific and psychosocial factors are associated with self-perceived work ability of individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorder.
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| 6. |
- Ahlin, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
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Cyclin A is a proliferative marker with good prognostic value in node-negative breast cancer
- 2009
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Ingår i: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 18:9, s. 2501-2506
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Proliferative markers are not recommended as prognostic factors for clinical use in breast cancer due to lack of standardization in methodology. However, proliferation is driving several gene expression signatures emphasizing the need for a reliable proliferative marker IF or clinical use. Studies suggest that cyclin A is a prognostic marker with satisfying reproducibility. We investigated cyclin A as a prognostic marker in node-negative breast cancer using previously defined cutoff values. Patients and Methods: In a case-control study, we defined 190 women who died from breast cancer as cases and 190 women alive at the time for the corresponding case's death as controls. Inclusion criteria were tumor size <= 50 mm, no lymph node metastases and no adjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor tissues were immunostained for cyclin A using commercially available antibodies. Results: We found a statistically significant association between expression of cyclin A and breast cancer death in a univariate model: odds ratio for cyclin A(ave) 2.7 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7-4.3] and cyclin A(max) 3.4 (CI, 2.1-5.5). Corresponding odds ratio for Ki67 were Ki67(ave) 1.9 (CI, 1.2-3.1) and Ki67(max) 1.7 (CI, 1.1-2.7) and for grade 3.1 (CI, 1.8-5.1). Cyclin A was strongly correlated to Ki67 and grade why a model including all was not appropriate. Conclusions: Cyclin A is a prognostic factor for breast cancer death in node-negative patients using standardized methodology regarding scoring and cutoff values. Adding cyclin A as a proliferative marker to established clinicopathologic factors will improve the separation of low and high risk breast cancer.
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| 7. |
- Ahlroth Pind, Caroline, et al.
(författare)
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Pharmacological treatment of asthma in Sweden from 2005 to 2015
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Asthma. - : Marcel Dekker. - 0277-0903 .- 1532-4303. ; 61:4, s. 313-321
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Despite access to effective therapies many asthma patients still do not have well-controlled disease. This is possibly related to underuse of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and overuse of short-acting β2-agonists (SABA). Our aim was to investigate longitudinal trends and associated factors in asthma treatment.METHODS: Two separate cohorts of adults with physician-diagnosed asthma were randomly selected from 14 hospitals and 56 primary health centers in Sweden in 2005 (n = 1182) and 2015 (n = 1225). Information about symptoms, maintenance treatment, and use of rescue medication was collected by questionnaires. Associations between treatment and sex, age, smoking, education, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, allergic asthma, and symptom control were analyzed using Pearson's chi2-test. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression.RESULTS: Maintenance treatment with ICS together with long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) and/or montelukast increased from 39.2% to 44.2% (p = 0.012). The use of ICS + LABA as-needed increased (11.1-18.9%, p < 0.001), while SABA use decreased (46.4- 41.8%, p = 0.023). Regular treatment with ICS did not change notably (54.2-57.2%, p = 0.14). Older age, former smoking, and poor symptom control were related to treatment with ICS + LABA/montelukast. In 2015, 22.7% reported daily use of SABA. A higher step of maintenance treatment, older age, obesity, shorter education, current smoking, allergic asthma, low or very high physical activity, and a history of exacerbations were associated with daily SABA use.CONCLUSIONS: The use of ICS + LABA both for maintenance treatment and symptom relief has increased over time. Despite this, the problem of low use of ICS and high use of SABA remains.
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| 8. |
- Ahlsson, Anders, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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A Swedish consensus on the surgical treatment of concomitant atrial fibrillation
- 2012
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal. - London, United Kingdom : Informa Healthcare. - 1401-7431 .- 1651-2006. ; 46:4, s. 212-218
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia among patients scheduled for open heart surgery and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. According to international guidelines, symptomatic and selected asymptomatic patients should be offered concomitant surgical AF ablation in conjunction with valvular or coronary surgery. The gold standard in AF surgery is the Cox Maze III ("cut-and-sew") procedure, with surgical incisions in both atria according to a specified pattern, in order to prevent AF reentry circuits from developing. Over 90% of patients treated with the Cox Maze III procedure are free of AF after 1 year. Recent developments in ablation technology have introduced several energy sources capable of creating nonconducting atrial wall lesions. In addition, simplified lesion patterns have been suggested, but results with these techniques have been unsatisfactory. There is a clear need for standardization in AF surgery. The Swedish Arrhythmia Surgery Group, represented by surgeons from all Swedish units for cardiothoracic surgery, has therefore reached a consensus on surgical treatment of concomitant AF. This consensus emphasizes adherence to the lesion pattern in the Cox Maze III procedure and the use of biatrial lesions in nonparoxysmal AF.
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| 9. |
- Ahmad, I., et al.
(författare)
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Validity of diagnoses, treatment dates, and rating scales in the Swedish national quality register for electroconvulsive therapy
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0803-9488 .- 1502-4725. ; 76:2, s. 96-103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The Swedish national quality register for electroconvulsive therapy (Q-ECT) contains data on patients receiving treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Sweden. Aim This study determined the validity of diagnoses, treatment dates, and rating scales in the Q-ECT by investigating the degree of accordance between data from the Q-ECT and patient records. Materials and methods From January 2016 to December 2017, 200 treatment series were randomly selected from the Q-ECT. The corresponding patient records were requested from the treating hospitals. Data on the indicative diagnosis, dates for the first and the last ECT session, and rating scales were compared between the Q-ECT and patient records using (i) a strict and (ii) a liberal method of assessment. Using the liberal method, each variable was assessed as accordant if it belonged to the same diagnosis group, or if the dates differed by less than 1 week, or ratings differed by only 1 point on the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI- S), or no more than 3 points on the Montgomery angstrom sberg Depression Rating Scale between the Q-ECT and the patient record. Results A total of 179 patient records were received. The strict method of assessment showed an accordance of 89% or higher for all studied variables. The liberal method showed an accordance of 95% or higher. Conclusions We conclude that data on the studied variables in the Q-ECT have high validity. However, limited use of some rating scales makes the results uncertain. Measures can be taken to further improve the data quality.
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| 10. |
- Ahmad, Shafqat, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of General Adiposity and Central Body Fat Distribution on the Circulating Metabolome : A Multi-Cohort Nontargeted Metabolomics Observational and Mendelian Randomization Study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 71:2, s. 329-339
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obesity is associated with adverse health outcomes, but the metabolic effects have not yet been fully elucidated. We aimed to investigate the association between adiposity with circulating metabolites and to address causality with Mendelian randomization (MR). Metabolomics data was generated by non-targeted ultra-performance liquid-chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass-spectrometry in plasma and serum from three population-based Swedish cohorts: ULSAM (N=1,135), PIVUS (N=970), and TwinGene (N=2,059). We assessed associations between general adiposity measured as body mass index (BMI) and central body fat distribution measured as waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI (WHRadjBMI) with 210 annotated metabolites. We employed MR analysis to assess causal effects. Lastly, we attempted to replicate the MR findings in the KORA and TwinsUK cohorts (N=7,373), the CHARGE consortium (N=8,631), the Framingham Heart Study (N=2,076) and the DIRECT consortium (N=3,029). BMI was associated with 77 metabolites, while WHRadjBMI was associated with 11 and 3 metabolites in women and men, respectively. The MR analyses in the Swedish cohorts suggested a causal association (p-value <0.05) of increased general adiposity and reduced levels of arachidonic acid, dodecanedioic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine (P-16:0) as well as with increased creatine levels. The replication effort provided support for a causal association of adiposity on reduced levels of arachidonic acid (p-value 0.03). Adiposity is associated with variation of large parts of the circulating metabolome, however causality needs further investigation in well-powered cohorts.
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