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- Lendaro, Eva, 1989
(författare)
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On the use of Phantom Motor Execution for the treatment of Phantom Limb Pain
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a common complaint among amputees and despite having been studied for centuries, it remains a mysterious object of debate among researcher. To date, a vast number of ways to treat PLP has been proposed in the literature, however none of them has proven to be universally effective, thus creating uncertainty on how to operate clinically. The uncertainty is largely attributable to the scarcity of well conducted randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to prove the efficacy of PLP treatments. Phantom Motor Execution (PME) -exertion of voluntary phantom limb movements – aims at restoring the control over the phantom limb and the exercise of such control has been hypothesized to reverse neural changes implicated in PLP. Preliminary evidence supporting this hypothesis has been provided by clinical investigations on upper limb amputees. The main purpose of this Licentiate thesis was to enable a RCT on the use of PME for the treatment of PLP in order to provide robust and unbiased evidence for clinical practice. However, the implementation and kick-off of this clinical investigation required to complete few preparatory steps. For example, most amputees and PLP patients have lower limb amputation, thus PME needed to be adapted and validated for this population. Further, the RCT protocol needed to be carefully planned and made openly accessible, as per guidelines for conducting and publishing clinical RCT. Finally, a secondary aim of this thesis emerged with the need of providing long term relief from PLP to patient. Preliminary evidence seemed to indicate that in order to maintain pain relief, periodic rehearsal of the phantom motor skills acquired through PME is necessary. This raised the question of whether it is beneficial and possible to translate the technology from clinic to home use, question that was explored employing both quantitative and qualitative methods from engineering, medical anthropology, and user interface design. The work conducted within this thesis resulted in the extension of PME to lower limb patients by proposal and validation of a new and more user-friendly recording configuration to record EMG signals. The use of PME was then shown to be efficacious in relieving PLP with a case study on a patient. The protocol for the RCT was then designed and published. These two first steps permitted the establishment of the RCT, which is currently ongoing and expected to close in March 2021. With regard to the secondary aim of this thesis, the work conducted enabled PME to be used by the patients in the comfort of their home, while it also allowed investigate the benefits and challenges generally faced (not only by PME) in the transition from the clinic to home and its effects on treatment adherence. The work conducted is presented in the three appended publications. Future work includes the presentation of the results of the RCT. Further, having a way to modulate PLP is an incredibly useful tool to study the neural basis of PLP. By capitalizing on this tool, we are currently conducting brain imaging studies using fMRI and electroencephalography that are the main focus of the work that lies ahead.
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| 3. |
- Bondesson, Johan, 1991
(författare)
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Modeling of Intraluminal Surfaces of Thoracic Aortas
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Vascular diseases are getting more and more common as a result of modern-day lifestyle and the fact that the population is getting older. One of the newest treatments for vascular diseases such as aneurysms and dissections is endovascular repair with endografting. This treatment uses a fabric covered metallic structure that is implanted using a minimally invasive approach to serve as an artificial vessel in a damaged region. To ensure that the interventions are successful, the endograft must be placed in the correct location, and be designed to sustain the hostile biological, chemical, and mechanical conditions in the body for many years. To accurately describe the complex mechanical conditions of the intraluminal surfaces of diseased blood vessels inside the body, this thesis presented a segmentation and quantification methodology for a natural and intuitive vessel surface description. The thesis also included some important clinical applications, all based on non-invasive temporal imaging. The results emphasized the need for explicit surface curvature quantification, as compared to relying solely on centerline curvature and estimation methods. Methods for preoperative prediction of endograft malapposition severity based on geometric analysis of thoracic aortic surfaces were introduced. Finally, a multiaxial dynamic analysis of cardiac induced thoracic aortic surface deformation showed how a thoracic endovascular aortic repair is a↵ecting the deformations of the thoracic aorta. Thus, the work presented in this thesis contributes by giving surgeons a tool to use in their treatment planning to minimize complications. Moreover, this method provides more nuanced boundary conditions so that endograft manufacturers can improve their designs to improve the quality of life for the treated patients.
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| 4. |
- Ekelund, Maria, 1970-
(författare)
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Psoriasis and Temporomandibular Joint Involvement in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) : A Longitudinal Study of the Nordic JIA Cohort
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, JIA, is used as an umbrella term covering a heterogeneous group of chronic arthritis forms in children, many of which have important differences compared to adult arthritis, while others possibly represent similar diseases among children and adults. Classification aims to give a better understanding of the pathogenesis, patterns, disease trajectories and treatment responses. For the juvenile psoriatic arthritis, JPsA, the classification criteria are currently being debated. The distribution of affected joints in JIA differs greatly and it is unknown why some joints appear to be more affected than others. The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can be affected early in the course of the disease and often the symptoms are mild and without obvious swelling.This thesis has its origin in the Nordic Study Group of Paediatric Rheumatology and the population-based prospective study of 510 children with newly diagnosed JIA included between 1997 and 1999. Totally 440 children were included in the eight-year follow-up, and in the TMJ study 265 patients were examined and underwent cone-beam computed tomography, CBCT, 17 years after onset.After eight years a considerable proportion of the children with definite psoriasis were classified as undifferentiated JIA based on the exclusion criteria in the ILAR classification. Our data also presents the heterogenicity of JPsA and the development over time of clinical variables supporting a psoriatic diathesis, as well as the overlap between JPsA and enthesitis-related arthritis in a group of patients. We found that extensive symptoms and dysfunctions of the TMJ are seen in JIA 17 years after disease onset, even in patients registered with inactive disease or remission. Individuals with substantial condylar damage on CBCT were found in all JIA categories. The deeper understanding of a chronic disease over time is crucial for research initiatives to improve care as well as for clinical decisions and planning of the health care.Our findings suggest a need for a more appropriate classification of JPsA and also that aspects of TMJ involvement should be included in the general health assessment in JIA.
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| 5. |
- Elvén, Malin
(författare)
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Novel host defence mechanisms during bacterial infections
- 2020
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The immune system has evolved through thousands of years and its architecture has challenged the medical field since the first hieroglyphs and will likely continue do so. With our co-evolution with millions of other species, the complexity to treat infectious diseases has been a race in increasing speed ever since. The establishment of penicillin shortened the length of that battle against a broad spectrum of bacteria. Till this day, penicillin and other types of antibiotics have saved an enormous number of lives. Unfortunately, pathogenic bacteria don’t cease to develop. Many share similarities, which may be an advantage in attempts to cure infection. In other aspects- some bacteria, partly due to their very sophisticated biology develop resistance. This is one of several reasons that antibiotic resistance is one of the largest threats to survival of mankind today. Chronic wounds and pulmonary diseases are examples among many other conditions that have become difficult to treat by standard anti-biotic schemes. The need for novel, more specific, treatments for bacterial infections is urgent. Fortunately, the immune system carries a range of endogenous anti-bacterial proteins and peptides with many immunological features left to unravel. With a deeper understanding of their structure and function, these studies can hopefully aid in the search for alternatives to anti-biotics as well as bridge understanding between infection and other disease mechanisms. This thesis provides novel mechanistic insights to a group of endogenous proteins and their role during bacterial infections. Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor- 2, primarily known as a serine protease, highly expressed in placenta and additionally proposed to own function as a tumor- suppressor among others, was found to be important for survival during pulmonary P.aeruginosa infection in mice. Novel roles of complement components during persistent, intra-cellularly, infected skin by S.aureus was uncovered, a sophisticated mechanism facilitated by these bacteria to hide from the immune system. Lastly, plasma apoE was found anti-bacterial against E.coli and P.aeruginosa. Additionally, a mechanism on how apoE neutralize their endotoxins is suggested. Our findings suggest the role(s) for these host defence molecules to be re-considered, depending on site of expression as well as the bacteria they face.
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