| 1. |
- Adedeji, Dickson O., et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal study of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, allostatic load, and cognition among memory clinic patients
- 2023
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Ingår i: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity - Health. - : Elsevier BV. - 2666-3546. ; 28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Allostatic load (AL) is defined as the cumulative dysregulation of neuroendocrine, immunological, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems that increases the susceptibility to stress-related health problems. Several dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors have been identified, yet little is known about the role of AL and its associations with AD biomarkers (e.g., beta-amyloid (Aβ) or tau) and cognitive function among memory clinic patients. Hence, this study aims to assess the association between AL and AD biomarkers, cognitive performance, and cognitive decline after 3-years of follow-up.Methods: Data from 188 memory clinic patients were derived from the Cortisol and Stress in AD (Co-STAR) study in Sweden. Participants underwent baseline assessments including blood tests for AL measures (including cortisol, thyroid stimulating hormone, cobalamin, homocysteine, leukocytes, glycated hemoglobin, albumin, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and creatinine), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling for AD biomarkers and neuropsychological tests including five cognitive domains. Linear regressions were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, and education.Results: Higher AL was associated with lower CSF Aβ1-42 levels (β = −0.175, p = 0.025), reflecting higher brain levels of Aβ1-42. Stratified analyses suggested a significant association among women but not men, although the AL-sex interaction was not statistically significant. AL was not significantly associated with T-tau level (β = −0.030, p = 0.682) and P-tau level (β = 0.091, p = 0.980). There were no significant associations between AL and cognition or cognitive decline after 3 years.Conclusion: This study showed that higher AL was associated with increased brain amyloid accumulation. This suggests that AL may play a role in AD/dementia pathophysiology. Potential sex-related differences should be assessed in further larger studies.
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| 2. |
- Adler, Niclas, et al.
(författare)
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A collaborative research effort to bridge boundaries and support deviant youths in contemporary welfare systems.
- 2005
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Ingår i: European Management Review. - : Wiley. - 1740-4754 .- 1740-4762. ; 2:1, s. 88-99
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper analyzes the challenges of introducing new approaches to the care of deviant youths in contemporary welfare systems. The specific study of early intervention programs within the area of psychosocial disturbances will be used to explore the interplay between emerging research results and the introduction of new approaches in different functionally specialized welfare carrying organizations. This paper is based on a collaborative research effort between researchers from education, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, economics and business administration and key actors from schools, police, criminal care, social security administrations, municipal health care and municipal politicians and administrative managers. The paper demonstrates that successful introduction of new coping strategies necessitates significant efforts to support the bridging of boundaries, the challenging of legacies and the learning from evidence to change established structures.
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| 3. |
- Agahi, Neda, et al.
(författare)
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Alcohol consumption in very old age and its association with survival : A matter of health and physical function
- 2016
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Ingår i: Drug And Alcohol Dependence. - : Elsevier BV. - 0376-8716 .- 1879-0046. ; 159, s. 240-245
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Alcohol consumption in very old age is increasing; yet, little is known about the personal and health-related characteristics associated with different levels of alcohol consumption and the association between alcohol consumption and survival among the oldest old. Methods: Nationally representative data from the Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD, ages 76-101; n=863) collected in 2010/2011 were used. Mortality was analyzed unti12014. Alcohol consumption was measured with questions about frequency and amount. Drinks per month were calculated and categorized as abstainer, light-to-moderate drinker (0.5-30 drinks/month) and heavy drinker (>30 drinks/month). Multinomial logistic regressions and Laplace regressions were performed. Results: Compared to light-to-moderate drinkers, abstainers had lower levels of education and more functional health problems, while heavy drinkers were more often men, had higher levels of education, and no serious health or functional problems. In models adjusted only for age and sex, abstainers died earlier than drinkers. Among light-to-moderate drinkers, each additional drink/month was associated with longer survival, while among heavy drinkers, each additional drink/month was associated with shorter survival. However, after adjusting for personal and health-related factors, estimates were lower and no longer statistically significant. Conclusions: The association between alcohol consumption and survival in very old age seems to have an inverse J-shape; abstention and heavy use is associated with shorter survival compared to light-to moderate drinking. To a large extent, differences in survival are due to differences in baseline health and physical function.
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| 4. |
- Agahi, Neda, et al.
(författare)
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Trajectories of social activities from middle age to old age and late-life disability: a 36-year follow-up
- 2013
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Ingår i: Age and Ageing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0002-0729 .- 1468-2834. ; 42:6, s. 790-793
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: to examine the association between 34-year trajectories of social activity, from middle age to old age and late-life disability.METHODS: data from the Swedish Level of Living Survey (LNU) and the Swedish Panel Study of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD) were used. LNU data from 1968, 1981, 1991 and 2000 were merged with SWEOLD data from 1992, 2002 and 2004 to create a longitudinal data set with five observation periods. Trajectories of social activities covered 1968-2002, and late-life disability was measured in 2004. The sample consisted of 729 individuals aged 33-61 at baseline (1968), who participated in at least four observation periods and who were free from mobility limitations at baseline. Four trajectories of social activity were identified and used as predictors of late-life disability.RESULTS: reporting low/medium levels of social activity from mid-life to old age was the most common trajectory group. Persons reporting continuously low/medium or decreasing levels of social activity had higher odds ratios for late-life disability (OR = 2.33 and OR = 2.15, respectively) compared with those having continuously high levels of activity, even when adjusting for age, sex and mobility limitations, and excluding persons with baseline mobility limitations.CONCLUSIONS: results suggest that the disability risk associated with social activities is related to recent levels of activity, but also that risk may accumulate over time, as indicated by the higher disability risk associated with the continuously low/medium level social activity trajectory.
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| 5. |
- Aghaee, Naghmeh, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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ICT-supported peer interaction among learners in Bachelor's and Master's thesis courses
- 2016
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Ingår i: Computers and education. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-1315 .- 1873-782X. ; 94, s. 276-297
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Peer interaction and collaborative learning through the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is used to an increasing extent in higher education. Universities attempt to motivate learners (students) to support their peers to enhance the quality of learning outcomes. This study monitors how an ICTSS (ICT-based Support System) facilitates peer interaction in the Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis process. The aim of the study was to investigate learners’ perception of usefulness of an ICTSS for peer interaction and the influencing factors on the quality of the peer interaction. The ICTSS was developed at an institution in Sweden (the institution’s name has been removed during the double-blind review). The system facilitates peer interaction in three ways: peer reviews, active participation, and final opposition. The study employed a mixed-method approach, which included an online survey followed by in-depth interviews. The target groups were learners at the Bachelor’s and Master’s level in computer science and information systems. The findings showed that learners perceived the peer interaction useful to enhance the quality of the thesis outcomes. However, there are influencing factors affecting the quality of peer interaction, in different phases of the thesis process. Examples of these factors are the quality of thesis manuscripts, supervisors’ control and grading of the process, clear instructions and guidelines, learners’ understanding of the peer interaction and why it takes place, previous training and learners’ motivation to perform peer reviews. Following these factors, the study developed a set of strategic suggestions from both pedagogical and technical aspects to enhance the peer interaction in the thesis process. Considering these suggestions makes the use of the ICTSS more effective to enhance the quality of thesis learning outcomes.
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| 6. |
- Ahacic, Kozma, et al.
(författare)
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Alcohol abstinence, non-hazardous use and hazardous use a decade after alcohol-related hospitalization : registry data linked to population-based representative postal surveys
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2458. ; 14, s. 874-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Although there is evident association between alcohol-related hospitalization and alcohol use, the relationship has not been well examined. This study analyzed the extent of alcohol abstinence, non-hazardous use and hazardous use among people who had experienced alcohol-related hospitalization during the preceding decade. Method: Registry data concerning alcohol-related hospitalizations between 1996 and 2007 were linked to two representative surveys, in 2006 and 2007, of residents of Stockholm County. Relevant contrasts were modeled, using logistic regression, in the pooled sample (n = 54 955). Ages were 23-84 years at follow-up. Results: Among persons previously hospitalized (n = 576), half reported non-hazardous use. Non-hazardous use was less prevalent than in the general population - and the extent of non-hazardous use did not change over time following hospitalization. There were no significant age differences, but non-hazardous use was less frequent among people with repeated episodes of care. One in six was abstinent. Abstinence was more common among the old, while hazardous use (exceeding 14 drinks per week for men, and 9 drinks per week for women) decreased with age. Abstinence also increased over time; among persons hospitalized ten years ago, the abstinence rate was twice that of the general population. Associations with hazardous use over time were less conclusive. Hazardous use among those previously hospitalized decreased over time in one sample but not in the other. After pooling the data, there were indications of a decrease over time following hospitalization, but more prevalent hazardous use than in the general population. Conclusions: Following alcohol-related hospitalization, abstinence increased, and there was no evidence of regression towards the mean, i.e., towards non-hazardous use. Abstinence was also more widespread among previously hospitalized persons of older ages. With advancing age, changing hazardous alcohol habits among previously hospitalized appears to yield a trend towards promotion of abstinence.
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| 7. |
- Ahacic, Kozma, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in sobriety in the Swedish population over three decades : age, period or cohort effects?
- 2012
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Ingår i: Addiction. - Abingdon : Carfax. - 0965-2140 .- 1360-0443. ; 107:4, s. 748-755
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims This study aimed to examine age, cohort and period trends in alcohol abstinence.Design Two surveys, the Level of Living Survey collected in 1968, 1974, 1981, 1990 and 2000, and the Swedish Panel Study of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD) collected in 1992 and 2002, were studied with graphical depictions of cross-sectional and longitudinal data presented over time and over age. Cross-sectional 10-year age group differences, time-lag differences between waves and within-cohort differences between waves for 10-year birth cohorts were examined. Logistic regression models were applied to confirm the observed patterns.Setting The samples were representative of the Swedish population.Participants Participants ranged in age from 18 to 75 (n = 5000 per wave), and 77+ at later waves (n = 500).Measurements Alcohol abstinence was determined by asking ‘Do you ever drink wine, beer, or spirits?’, where a ‘no’ response indicated abstinence.Findings Decreases in abstinence rates were observed from 1968 to 2000/02. While cross-sectional analysis indicated increased abstinence with advancing age, the longitudinal analysis suggested otherwise. Inspection of cohort differences revealed little change within cohorts and large differences between cohorts; abstinence rates declined in later-born cohorts up to the 1940s birth cohorts; stability was observed in cohorts born since the 1940s. Logistic regression models indicated that neither age nor period were significant (P > 0.05) predictors of abstinence when cohort (P < 0.001) was included.Conclusion Decreasing proportions of total alcohol abstainers in Sweden from 1968 to 2000 appear to be attributable primarily to decreases in successive cohorts rather than drinkers becoming abstainers.
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| 8. |
- Ahacic, Kozma, et al.
(författare)
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Income and education as predictors of stroke mortality after the survival of a first stroke
- 2012
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Ingår i: Stroke Research and Treatment. - : Hindawi Publishing Corporation. - 2090-8105 .- 2042-0056.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. It is well known that socioeconomic indicators, such as income and education, predict both stroke incidence and stroke mortality. This means that persons in lower socioeconomic positions are less likely to survive their stroke, and there will be a selective survival in the group discharged from hospital after their first stroke. Question. Does socioeconomic position continue to predict mortality, stroke specific, or from other causes, among patients surviving their first stroke in spite of this selective survival? Methods. All persons in Sweden aged 40–59 years who were discharged after a first hospitalization for stroke in 1996–2000 were included (n = 10,487), then followed up until the end of the fourth calendar year after discharge. Data were analysed with Cox regressions controlling for age, sex, and stroke type. Results. Persons with high socioeconomic position, measured by education and income, have lower mortality than those of low position. Education was not significant when adjusted for income, however. The risk of dying was similar for stroke-specific mortality and all-cause mortality, for those with cerebral infarction as well as for all patients. Conclusions. Socioeconomic position predicted stroke-specific mortality also in the selective group of persons who survived their first stroke.
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| 9. |
- Ahacic, Kozma, et al.
(författare)
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Non-response bias and hazardous alcohol use in relation to previous alcohol-related hospitalization : comparing survey responses with population data
- 2013
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Ingår i: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy. - 1747-597X. ; 8, s. 10-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: This study examines whether alcohol-related hospitalization predicts survey non-response, and evaluates whether this missing data result in biased estimates of the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use and abstinence. Methods: Registry data on alcohol-related hospitalizations during the preceding ten years were linked to two representative surveys. Population data corresponding to the surveys were derived from the Stockholm County registry. The alcohol-related hospitalization rates for survey responders were compared with the population data, and corresponding rates for non-responders were based on the differences between the two estimates. The proportions with hazardous alcohol use and abstinence were calculated separately for previously hospitalized and non-hospitalized responders, and non-responders were assumed to be similar to responders in this respect. Results: Persons with previous alcohol-related admissions were more likely currently to abstain from alcohol (RR=1.58, p<.001) or to have hazardous alcohol use (RR=2.06, p<.001). Alternatively, they were more than twice as likely to have become non-responders. Adjusting for this skewed non-response, i. e., the underrepresentation of hazardous users and abstainers among the hospitalized, made little difference to the estimated rates of hazardous use and abstinence in total. During the ten-year period 1.7% of the population were hospitalized. Conclusions: Few people receive alcohol-related hospital care and it remains unclear whether this group's underrepresentation in surveys is generalizable to other groups, such as hazardous users. While people with severe alcohol problems - i.e. a history of alcohol-related hospitalizations -are less likely to respond to population surveys, this particular bias is not likely to alter prevalence estimates of hazardous use.
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| 10. |
- Ahl, Helene, 1958-, et al.
(författare)
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Entrepreneurship in rural areas : The role of women?
- 2017
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Ingår i: Paper presented at: 31st RENT Conference, Lund, 16-17 NOV 2017. - : European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management. ; , s. 1-20
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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