| 1. |
- Pedersen, T.R., et al.
(författare)
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Follow-up study of patients randomized in The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) of cholesterol lowering
- 2000
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Ingår i: American Journal of Cardiology. - 0002-9149 .- 1879-1913. ; 86:3, s. 257-262
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) and other randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that cholesterol-lowering treatment with statins improves prognosis in patients with coronary atherosclerosis compared with placebo. The effect of therapy with statins beyond the typical 5 to 6 years' duration of the trials, in particular regarding the risk of cancer, has not been investigated. This study examines the long-term effects of simvastatin for up to 8 years on cause-specific mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). We performed an observational, government registry-based study of mortality in the groups originally randomized to simvastatin or placebo in the 4S over an additional 2-year follow-up period, so that the median total follow-up period was 7.4 years (range 6.9 to 8.3 in surviving patients). Randomization took place at outpatient clinics at 94 clinical centers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden from 1988 to 1989. Of 4,444 patients with CHD, 2,223 and 2,221 were randomized to treatment with placebo or simvastatin therapy, respectively. Patients received treatment with simvastatin, starting at 20 mg/day, with titration to 40 mg/day at 12 or 24 weeks if total cholesterol was >5.2 mmol/L (200 mg/dl), or placebo. After the double-blind period, most patients in both treatment groups received simvastatin as open-label prescription. Of the 1,967 patients originally treated with placebo and surviving the double-blind period, 97 (4.9%) died during the following 2 years. In the group randomized to simvastatin the corresponding number was 74 of the 2,039 survivors (3.6%). Adding these deaths to those occurring during the original trial, the total was 353 (15.9%) and 256 (11.5%) deaths in the groups originally randomized to placebo and simvastatin, respectively. The relative risk was 0.70 (95% confidence interval 0.60 to 0.82, p = 0.00002). The total number of cancer deaths was 68 (3.1%) in the placebo group and 52 (2.3%) in the simvastatin group (relative risk 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 0.05, p = 0.087), and the numbers of noncardiovascular and other deaths were similar in both groups. We therefore conclude that treatment with simvastatin for up to 8 years in patients with CHD is safe and yields continued survival benefit. Copyright (C) 2000 Excerpta Medica Inc.
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| 2. |
- Fritzell, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-effectiveness of lumbar fusion and nonsurgical treatment for chronic low back pain in the Swedish lumbar spine study : A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial from the Swedish Lumbar Spine Study Group
- 2004
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Ingår i: Spine. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0362-2436 .- 1528-1159. ; 29:4, s. 421-434
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Study Design. A cost-effectiveness study was performed from the societal and health care perspectives. Objective. To evaluate the costs-effectiveness of lumbar fusion for chronic low back pain (CLBP) during a 2-year follow-up. Summary of Background Data. A full economic evaluation comparing costs related to treatment effects in patients with CLBP is lacking. Patients and Methods. A total of 284 of 294 patients with CLBP for at least 2 years were randomized to either lumbar fusion or a nonsurgical control group. Costs for the health care sector ( direct costs), and costs associated with production losses ( indirect costs) were calculated. Societal total costs were identified as the sum of direct and indirect costs. Treatment effects were measured using patient global assessment of improvement, back pain ( VAS), functional disability (Owestry), and return to work. Results. The societal total cost per patient ( standard deviations) in the surgical group was significantly higher than in the nonsurgical group: Swedish kroner (SEK) 704,000 ( 254,000) vs. SEK 636,000 ( 208,000). The cost per patient for the health care sector was significantly higher for the surgical group, SEK 123,000 ( 60,100) vs. 65,200 ( 38,400) for the control group. All treatment effects were significantly better after surgery. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio ( ICER), illustrating the extra cost per extra effect unit gained by using fusion instead of nonsurgical treatment, were for improvement: SEK 2,600 ( 600 - 5,900), for back pain: SEK 5,200 ( 1,100 - 11,500), for Oswestry: SEK 11,300 ( 1,200 - 48,000), and for return to work: SEK 4,100 ( 100 21,400). Conclusion. For both the society and the health care sectors, the 2-year costs for lumbar fusion was significantly higher compared with nonsurgical treatment but all treatment effects were significantly in favor of surgery. The probability of lumbar fusion being cost-effective increased with the value put on extra effect units gained by using surgery.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Berg, Sören, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Increased plasma hyaluronan in severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia
- 2001
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686. ; 61:2, s. 131-138
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pre-eclampsia is a serious multi-system disorder with general endothelial disease, often with a component of hepatic dysfunction. The pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia is not fully understood, and no specific diagnostic tests are available for early and reliable diagnosis, or for monitoring of the disease process. Hyaluronan is an extracellular matrix polysaccharide present at low concentrations in plasma. Normally, it is rapidly eliminated from the blood by the liver. Increased concentrations of circulating hyaluronan are seen in conditions with impaired hepatic function such as liver cirrhosis, and hyaluronan concentrations have previously been used to evaluate hepatic function in other diseases. In the present study, 11 pregnant women admitted to the intensive care unit with severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia were studied. As control 31 healthy pregnant women, 18 undergoing vaginal delivery and 13 caesarean section, were included. Plasma hyaluronan was measured before and after delivery. Increased concentrations of plasma hyaluronan were found in the pre-eclampsia group both before (171 (75-586) ╡g/L (p < 0.01) and after delivery (215 (124-768) ╡g/L (p < 0.001) (median and inter-quartile range), as compared to both caesarean section (13 (7-28) ╡g/L before and 28 (18-48) ╡g/L after delivery) and vaginal delivery healthy controls (12 (8-24) ╡g/L before and 30 (13-63) ╡g/L after delivery). In the control groups, a small increase in plasma hyaluronan was seen after delivery, after both caesarean section (p < 0.05) and vaginal delivery (p < 0.01). In conclusion, plasma hyaluronan is increased in severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. The cause of the increase is unknown.
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| 5. |
- Fujita, Y, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for the existence of the [202]3/2 deformed band in mirror nuclei Mg-25 and Al-25
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physical Review Letters. - 1079-7114. ; 92:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- After 50 years of its prediction, the highest-lying [2 0 2]3/2 orbit among the six Nilsson single-particle orbits originating from the sd shells in prolately deformed nuclei and the rotational band on this orbit were identified. The band members were observed in Al-25 at excitation energies of 6-7.5 MeV in a high-resolution Mg-25(He-3,t) charge-exchange reaction at 0degrees having a strong selectivity for Gamow-Teller transitions. In the comparison with the analogous M1 transitions in Mg-25, the J(pi)=3/2(+) bandhead state and the excited 5/2(+) and 7/2(+) members were clearly assigned.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Shimbara, Y, et al.
(författare)
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Suppression of Gamow-Teller and M1 transitions in deformed mirror nuclei Mg-25 and Al-25 - Direct observation of K selection rules
- 2004
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Ingår i: European Physical Journal A. Hadrons and Nuclei. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6001. ; 19:1, s. 25-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mirror nuclei Mg-25 and Al-25 are expected to have very similar structures. The Gamow-Teller (GT) transitions from the J(pi) = 5/2(+) ground state of Mg-25 to the excited states in Al-25 were studied by high-resolution measurements of the Mg-25(He-3,t) charge-exchange reaction at 0degrees and at 140 MeV/nucleon. Assuming the usual DeltaJ(pi) = 1(+) selection rule for the spin-isospin-type GT transitions, the states with J(pi) = 3/2(+), 5/2(+), and 7/2 (+) should be excited. However, of the more than ten states with these J(pi) values below 6 MeV excitation energy, only the 5/2 (+) ground state and the 7/2 (+) , 1.613 MeV state in Al-25 were strongly populated, while all other states were strongly suppressed. The analysis of M1 transitions in Mg-25 also suggested a very similar feature for the analogous M1 transitions. Both Mg-25 and Al-25 are known to be largely deformed, and most low-lying states can be interpreted in terms of one-particle quantum numbers in the deformed potential and the associated rotational spectra. The observed suppression can be explained in terms of the K quantum number selection rules that are inherent to axially deformed nuclei.
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| 8. |
- Åkesson, Torsten, et al.
(författare)
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ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker test-beam results
- 2004
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-9002. ; 522:1-2, s. 50-55
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several prototypes of the Transition Radiation Tracker for the ATLAS experiment at the LHC have been built and tested at the CERN SPS accelerator. Results from detailed studies of the straw-tube hit registration efficiency and drift-time measurements and of the pion and electron spectra without and with radiators are presented.
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| 9. |
- Åkesson, Torsten, et al.
(författare)
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Status of design and construction of the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) for the ATLAS experiment at the LHC
- 2004
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Ingår i: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5087 .- 0168-9002. ; 522:1-2, s. 131-145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ATLAS Inner Detector consists of three sub-systems, the Pixel Detector at the innermost radius, the Semi-Conductor Tracker at intermediate radii, and the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) at the outermost radius in front of the electromagnetic calorimeter. The TRT provides a combination of continuous tracking with many projective measurements based on individual drift-tubes (or straws) and of electron identification based on radiator fibres or foils interleaved between the straws themselves. This paper describes the current status of design and construction of the various components of the TRT: the assembly of the barrel modules has recently been completed, that of the end-cap wheels is well underway, and the on-detector front-end electronics is in production. The detector modules and front-end electronics boards will be integrated together over the next year, the barrel and end-cap TRT parts will be assembled and tested with their SCT counterparts during 2005 and installation and commissioning in the ATLAS pit will take place at the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Almqvist, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Spirobicyclo[2.2.2]octane derivatives: mimetics of baccatin III and paclitaxel (Taxol)
- 2004
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Ingår i: Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 1477-0520 .- 1477-0539. ; 2:21, s. 3085-3090
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The formylated spirobyclic alcohol 8a was computer modeled to be a mimetic of paclitaxel. In this model, the formyl group was used as a truncated paclitaxel side chain in order to reduce the computational work. Compound 8c, carrying the paclitaxel side chain, was synthesized in six steps from optically active 1,3-diketone 12. Microtubule stabilization was not observed for 8c, indicating that the model needs to be adjusted.
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