| 1. |
- Eriksson, Kaja, et al.
(författare)
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Periodontal Health and Oral Microbiota in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI AG. - 2077-0383. ; 8:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed to investigate the periodontal health of patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in relation to oral microbiota, systemic and oral inflammatory mediators, and RA disease activity. Forty patients underwent full-mouth dental/periodontal and rheumatological examination, including collection of blood, saliva, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and subgingival plaque. Composition of plaque and saliva microbiota were analysed using 16S rRNA sequencing and levels of inflammatory mediators by multiplex-immunoassay. The majority of the patients (75%) had moderate or severe periodontitis and the rest had no/mild periodontitis. Anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) positivity was significantly more frequent in the moderate/severe periodontitis (86%) compared to the no/mild group (50%). No significance between groups was observed for RA disease duration or activity, or type of medication. Levels of sCD30/TNFRSF8, IFN-2, IL-19, IL-26, MMP-1, gp130/sIL-6R ss, and sTNF-R1 were significantly higher in serum or GCF, and April/TNFSF13 was significantly higher in serum and saliva samples in moderate/severe periodontitis. The microbial composition in plaque also differed significantly between the two groups. In conclusion, the majority of RA patients had moderate/severe periodontitis and that this severe form of the disease was significantly associated with ACPA positivity, an altered subgingival microbial profile, and increased levels of systemic and oral inflammatory mediators.
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| 2. |
- Isacsson, Göran, et al.
(författare)
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Use of bibloc and monobloc oral appliances in obstructive sleep apnoea : a multicentre, randomized, blinded, parallel-group equivalence trial
- 2019
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Ingår i: European Journal of Orthodontics. - : Oxford University Press. - 0141-5387 .- 1460-2210. ; 41:1, s. 80-88
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The clinical benefit of bibloc over monobloc appliances in treating obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has not been evaluated in randomized trials. We hypothesized that the two types of appliances are equally effective in treating OSA.Objective: To compare the efficacy of monobloc versus bibloc appliances in a short-term perspective.Patients and methods: In this multicentre, randomized, blinded, controlled, parallel-group equivalence trial, patients with OSA were randomly assigned to use either a bibloc or a monobloc appliance. One-night respiratory polygraphy without respiratory support was performed at baseline, and participants were re-examined with the appliance in place at short-term follow-up. The primary outcome was the change in the apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI). An independent person prepared a randomization list and sealed envelopes. Evaluating dentist and the biomedical analysts who evaluated the polygraphy were blinded to the choice of therapy.Results: Of 302 patients, 146 were randomly assigned to use the bibloc and 156 the monobloc device; 123 and 139 patients, respectively, were analysed as per protocol. The mean changes in AHI were -13.8 (95% confidence interval -16.1 to -11.5) in the bibloc group and -12.5 (-14.8 to -10.3) in the monobloc group. The difference of -1.3 (-4.5 to 1.9) was significant within the equivalence interval (P = 0.011; the greater of the two P values) and was confirmed by the intention-to-treat analysis (P = 0.001). The adverse events were of mild character and were experienced by similar percentages of patients in both groups (39 and 40 per cent for the bibloc and monobloc group, respectively).Limitations: The study shows short-term results with a median time from commencing treatment to the evaluation visit of 56 days and long-term data on efficacy and harm are needed to be fully conclusive.Conclusion: In a short-term perspective, both appliances were equivalent in terms of their positive effects for treating OSA and caused adverse events of similar magnitude.Trial registration: Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (#NCT02148510).
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| 3. |
- Lundmark, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Mucin 4 and matrix metalloproteinase 7 as novel salivary biomarkers for periodontitis
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Periodontology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0303-6979 .- 1600-051X. ; 44:3, s. 247-254
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, characterized by irreversible destruction of tooth-supporting tissue including alveolar bone. We recently reported mucin 4 ( MUC4) and matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP7) as highly associated with periodontitis in gingival tissue biopsies. The aim of this study was to further investigate the levels of MUC4 and MMP7 in saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples of patients with periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Saliva and GCF samples were collected from periodontitis patients and healthy controls. The levels of MUC4, MMP7, and total protein concentrations were analysed using ELISA or Bradford assay. Results: MUC4 levels were significantly lower in saliva and GCF from periodontitis patients relative to healthy controls. MMP7 levels were significantly higher in saliva and GCF from periodontitis patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that MUC4 was significantly associated with periodontitis after adjusting for age and smoking habits and, moreover, that the combination of MUC4 and MMP7 accurately discriminated periodontitis from healthy controls. Conclusions: MUC4 and MMP7 may be utilized as possible novel biomarkers for periodontitis.
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| 4. |
- Aleksejeva, Olga, et al.
(författare)
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Autotolerant ceruloplasmin based biocathodes for implanted biological power sources
- 2021
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Ingår i: Bioelectrochemistry. - : Elsevier. - 1567-5394 .- 1878-562X. ; 140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-performance autotolerant bioelectrodes should be ideally suited to design implantable bioelectronic devices. Because of its high redox potential and ability to reduce oxygen directly to water, human ceruloplasmin, HCp, the only blue multicopper oxidase present in human plasma, appears to be the ultimate biocatalyst for oxygen biosensors and also biocathodes in biological power sources. In comparison to fungal and plant blue multicopper oxidases, e.g. Myrothecium verrucaria bilirubin oxidase and Rhus vernicifera laccase, respectively, the inflammatory response to HCp in human blood is significantly reduced. Partial purification of HCp allowed to preserve the native conformation of the enzyme and its biocatalytic activity. Therefore, electrochemical studies were carried out with the partially purified enzyme immobilised on nanostructured graphite electrodes at physiological pH and temperature. Amperometric investigations revealed low reductive current densities, i.e. about 1.65 µA cm−2 in oxygenated electrolyte and in the absence of any mediator, demonstrating nevertheless direct electron transfer based O2 bioelectroreduction by HCp for the first time. The reductive current density obtained in the mediated system was about 12 µA cm−2. Even though the inflammatory response of HCp is diminished in human blood, inadequate bioelectrocatalytic performance hinders its use as a cathodic bioelement in a biofuel cell.
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| 5. |
- Eriksson, Andreas, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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MUCH : The Malmö University-Chalmers Corpus of Academic Writing as a Process
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings - 10th Teaching and Language Corpora Conference.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- MUCH: THE MALMÖ UNIVERSITY-CHALMERS CORPUS OF ACADEMIC WRITING AS A PROCESS Andreas Eriksson, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg; Damian Finnegan, Asko Kauppinen, Maria Wiktorsson, Anna Wärnsby, Malmö University, Malmö; Peter Withers, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen This poster introduces a recently-launched corpus project which aims to compile and monitor various text drafts involved in the writing process of EFL students in higher education. The corpus material will consist of three drafts of undergraduate, master or PhD student texts. Additionally, the corpus will contain a collection of self-reflective papers. Papers will be collected from approximately 400 students per year over a three-year period. In addition to parts-of-speech tagging, the corpus will include peer comments between the first and second drafts and teacher comments between the second and third drafts, as well as annotations of information structure and rhetorical structures. Upon its completion, the corpus will consist of about 500,000 words, excluding the metadata and peer and teacher comments. The corpus is primarily an academic writing research corpus, but also a pedagogic and linguistic corpus, and it is the combination of these perspectives that we would like to emphasise. One important aim of the project is to narrow the gap between writing pedagogy and the use of corpora for teaching and learning purposes. In writing pedagogy, the focus has been on issues such as writing as social action (Miller 1984), feedback processes (Hyland & Hyland 2006) and the development of academic literacy (Lea & Street 1998, Lillis & Scott 2007, Street 2004), whereas there has been a tendency in corpus-driven and corpus-based pedagogy to focus on linguistic aspects of language learning, such as vocabulary, grammar and phraseology. This tendency is, for instance, evidenced in Flowerdew’s (2010) comprehensive overview of how corpora have been used in writing instruction. There are obviously notable exceptions to this somewhat sweeping description (see e.g. Charles 2007 and Flowerdew 2008). However, a lot more can be done to merge these two perspectives. We believe that a corpus containing drafts tagged for information structure, rhetorical structures, and linguistic structures as well as peer and teacher feedback is an important step in such a process. In this poster, we will establish the rationale for the project by exemplifying how the corpus can be used for research purposes as well as teaching and learning purposes. We will show how the corpus can be employed in the study of: 1) peer and teacher comments; 2) thesis statements and how these are formed, located and realised in students’ writing processes; and 3) linguistic structures, such as elements recurring in thesis statements. References: Charles, M. 2007. Reconciling top-down and bottom-up approaches to graduate writing: Using a corpus to teach rhetorical functions. Journal of English for Specific Purposes 6: 289-302. Flowerdew, L. 2008. Corpus linguistics for academic literacies mediated through discussion activities. In D. Belcher & A. Hirvela (eds), The Oral-Literate Connection: Perspectives on L2, speaking, writing and other media interactions. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, p. 268-287 Flowerdew, L. 2010. Using a corpus for writing instruction. In O’Keeffe, Anne & McCarthy, Michael (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics. London/New York: Routledge, pp. 444-457. Hyland, K. & Hyland, F. (eds.). 2006. Feedback in Second Language Writing: Contexts and Issues. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Miller, C. R. 1984. Genre as social action. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 70:151-167. Lea, M. R. and Street, B. (1998) Student writing in higher education: an academic literacies approach. Studies in Higher Education 23(2): 157–172. Lillis, T. & Scott, M. 2007. Defining Academic Literacies Research: Issues of epistemology, ideology and strategy. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4(1): 5-32. Street, B. (2004) Academic Literacies and the ‘new orders’: implications for research and practice in student writing in higher education. Learning and Teaching in the Social Sciences, 1(1): 9–20.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Hylén, Mia, et al.
(författare)
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A cross-sectional study of career paths for Swedish registered nurses with a doctoral degree : When aspirations and possibilities collide
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nordic journal of nursing research. - : Sage Publications. - 2057-1585 .- 2057-1593. ; 43:3-4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Registered nurses with a doctoral degree are important for the quality of care, nursing education, and nursing research. Still, postgraduate career paths are criticized for being too vague. To enable career path development, mapping of the current situation appears fundamental. The objective was therefore to chart the current professional positions and work conditions and to explore the future career aspirations of registered nurses with a doctoral degree in Sweden. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted including 118 participants, all nurses with a doctoral degree earned between 2016 and 2022. This study is reported in accordance with STROBE. The participants reported a significant change from hospital-based positions before doctoral studies, towards university-based positions after graduation. This is clearly in contrast to their expressed aspiration to hold a shared position, remaining in contact with the clinical context. In conclusion, a national collaboration is needed and wanted regarding career opportunities for registered nurses with a doctoral degree in Sweden. Furthermore, career paths within nursing science need to be established within the clinical context.
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| 8. |
- Ketelsen, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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SENSITIVE DETECTION OF HYDROPHOBIC ANTIGENS USING A NOVEL LIPID-AGGREGATE BASED ELISA
- 2008
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Ingår i: JIM - Journal of Immunological Methods. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-1759 .- 1872-7905. ; :2008
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antibodies against hydrophobic antigens are common in several autoimmune diseases. However, detection of such antibodies by standard immune-assays, such as ELISA, is problematic, in part because of the problems with coating hydrophobic molecules onto polystyrene multi-well plates. We describe a novel method of stably associating hydrophobic antigens to ELISA plates. By mixing the antigen with a hydrophobic molecule containing a hydrophilic anchor, we generate mixed lipid aggregates that can attach to ELISA plates, and are resistant to detergent wash. Using the ganglioside GM-1 and phosphatidylethanolamine conjugated to the hapten DNP (dinitrophenyl) as model antigens, we show that hydrophobic antigens incorporated into mixed lipid aggregates expose their antigenic determinants in a correct configuration. The detection limit of both GM-1 and DNP-PE was considerably improved compared to when these antigens were coated on ELISA plates using organic solvents. Furthermore GM-1 incorporated into mixed lipid aggregates can be detected by specific antibodies in patient serum. The method of incorporating hydrophobic antigens into mixed lipid aggregates for stable association to ELISA plates can presumably be applied to a vast array of hydrophobic antigens, and may well be developed into a large scale screening system for serum reactivity towards different hydrophobic antigens.
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| 9. |
- Kopecky, Jan, et al.
(författare)
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Intratumoral administration of the antisecretory peptide AF16 cures murine gliomas and modulates macrophage functions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Glioblastoma has remained the deadliest primary brain tumor while its current therapy offers only modest survival prolongation. Immunotherapy has failed to record notable benefits in routine glioblastoma treatment. Conventionally, immunotherapy relies on T cells as tumor-killing agents; however, T cells are outnumbered by macrophages in glioblastoma microenvironment. In this study, we explore the effect of AF16, a peptide from the endogenous antisecretory factor protein, on the survival of glioma-bearing mice, the tumor size, and characteristics of the tumor microenvironment with specific focus on macrophages. We elucidate the effect of AF16 on the inflammation-related secretome of human and murine macrophages, as well as human glioblastoma cells. In our results, AF16 alone and in combination with temozolomide leads to cure in immunocompetent mice with orthotopic GL261 gliomas, as well as prolonged survival in immunocompromised mice. We recorded decreased tumor size and changes in infiltration of macrophages and T cells in the murine glioma microenvironment. Human and murine macrophages increased expression of proinflammatory markers in response to AF16 treatment and the same effect was seen in human primary glioblastoma cells. In summary, we present AF16 as an immunomodulatory factor stimulating pro-inflammatory macrophages with a potential to be implemented in glioblastoma treatment protocols.
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| 10. |
- Mile, Irene, et al.
(författare)
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Al adjuvants can be tracked in viable cells by lumogallion staining
- 2015
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Ingår i: JIM - Journal of Immunological Methods. - : Elsevier. - 0022-1759 .- 1872-7905. ; 422, s. 87-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mechanism behind the adjuvant effect of aluminum salts is poorly understood notwithstanding that aluminum salts have been used for decades in clinical vaccines. In an aqueous environment and at a nearly neutral pH, the aluminumsalts form particulate aggregates, and one plausible explanation of the lack of information regarding the mechanisms could be the absence of an efficientmethod of tracking phagocytosed aluminum adjuvants and thereby the intracellular location of the adjuvant. In this paper, we want to report upon the use of lumogallion staining enabling the detection of phagocytosed aluminum adjuvants inside viable cells. Including micromolar concentrations of lumogallion in the culture medium resulted in a strong fluorescence signal from cells that had phagocytosed the aluminum adjuvant. The fluorescence appeared as spots in the cytoplasm and by confocal microscopy and co-staining with probes presenting fluorescence in the far-red region of the spectrum, aluminum adjuvants could to a certain extent be identified as localized in acidic vesicles, i.e., lysosomes. Staining and detection of intracellular aluminum adjuvants was achieved not only by diffusion of lumogallion into the cytoplasm, thereby highlighting the presence of the adjuvant, but also by pre-staining the aluminum adjuvant prior to incubation with cells. Pre-staining of aluminum adjuvants resulted in bright fluorescent particulate aggregates that remained fluorescent for weeks and with only a minor reduction of fluorescence upon extensive washing or incubation with cells. Both aluminum oxyhydroxide and aluminum hydroxyphosphate, two of the most commonly used aluminum adjuvants in clinical vaccines, could be pre-stained with lumogallion and were easily tracked intracellularly after incubation with phagocytosing cells. Staining of viable cells using lumogallion will be a useful method in investigations of the mechanisms behind aluminum adjuvants' differentiation of antigen-presenting cells into inflammatory cells. Information will be gained regarding the phagosomal pathways and the events inside the phagosomes, and thereby the ultimate fate of phagocytosed aluminum adjuvants could be resolved.
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