| 1. |
- Cunningham, Janet L., et al.
(författare)
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Agreement between physicians' and patients' ratings on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 135:1-3, s. 148-153
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Self-rating scales developed for monitoring depression severity are potentially informative and cost effective tools. There is an increasing tendency to use the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the self-rating version (MADRS-S) interchangeably. Methods: 400 patients with major depressive disorder were included. Concordance between patient and physician ratings was measured by means of repeated MADRS and MADRS-S ratings during a six-month drug trial and one-year follow-up. Results: Overall scores from patients and physicians show the same trends and both are sensitive to improvements. Our results, however, show only moderate to good agreement between patient and physician ratings. Intraclass coefficients ranged from 0.47 to 0.75 with highest agreement at week 8. Limitations: Generalizability is restricted to outpatients in general practice with moderate to severe depression. MADRS-S and MADRS scale definitions are similar but not identical concerning language and are scaled differently, 0-6 vs. 0-3, respectively, which may have influenced the results. The exclusion criteria restricted the range of values for the item Suicidal thoughts/Zest for life, which may have reduced the correlations. Conclusions: MADRS-S is a suitable tool for following patients' symptoms on a regular basis over time and may also be used to compensate for bias in physicians' ratings in drug trials.
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| 2. |
- Cunningham, Janet L., et al.
(författare)
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Predicting disagreement between physicians and patients on depression response and remission
- 2013
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Ingår i: International Clinical Psychopharmacology. - 0268-1315 .- 1473-5857. ; 28:3, s. 134-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Demographic, personality, and disease-related factors all contribute when patients disagree with physicians on the severity of subjective symptoms. This study aims to create a model, on the basis of patient factors at treatment initiation, for longitudinal prediction of disagreement on treatment response and remission in depressed patients. Four hundred patients with major depressive disorder were studied during a clinical drug trial. Repeated assessments with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the self-rating version (MADRS-S) were used to indicate response or remission. Factors at baseline and week 2 were tested for inclusion in a model for the prediction of discordance on remission and response between patients and physicians at week 8. The models were then tested, in the same population, at weeks 12, 16, and 24. Model AUCs ranged from 0.71 to 0.74 for week 8. The models that were validated at weeks 12, 16, and 24 indicated stability in the predictive value of the models. The risk for longitudinal disagreement in the evaluation of depression treatment response and remission in clinical practice and drug trials can be predicted using factors at study initiation and at week 2.
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| 3. |
- Anderberg, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Older people’s use and nonuse of the internet in Sweden
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 17:23, s. 1-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of the internet has considerably increased over recent years, and the importance of internet use has also grown as services have gone online. Sweden is largely an information society like other countries with high reported use amongst European countries. In line with digitalization development, society is also changing, and many activities and services today take place on the internet. This development could potentially lead to those older persons who do not use the internet or do not follow the development of services on the internet finding it difficult to take part in information and activities that no longer occur in the physical world. This has led to a digital divide between groups, where the older generations (60+), in particular, have been affected. In a large study of Sweden’s adult population in 2019, 95 percent of the overall population was said to be internet users, and the corresponding number for users over 66 years of age was 84%. This study shows that the numbers reported about older peoples’ internet use, most likely, are vastly overestimated and that real use is significantly lower, especially among the oldest age groups. We report that 62.4% of the study subjects are internet users and that this number most likely also is an overestimation. When looking at nonresponders to the questionnaire, we find that they display characteristics generally attributed to non-use, such as lower education, lower household economy, and lower cognitive functioning.
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| 4. |
- Andrade, Jorge, et al.
(författare)
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Applications of grid computing in genetics and proteomics
- 2007
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Ingår i: Applied Parallel Computing. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer Berlin Heidelberg. - 9783540757542 ; , s. 791-798
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The potential for Grid technologies in applied bioinformatics is largely unexplored. We have developed a model for solving computationally demanding bioinformatics tasks in distributed Grid environments, designed to ease the usability for scientists unfamiliar with Grid computing. With a script-based implementation that uses a strategy of temporary installations of databases and existing executables on remote nodes at submission, we propose a generic solution that do not rely on predefined Grid runtime environments and that can easily be adapted to other bioinformatics tasks suitable for parallelization. This implementation has been successfully applied to whole proteome sequence similarity analyses and to genome-wide genotype simulations, where computation time was reduced from years to weeks. We conclude that computational Grid technology is a useful resource for solving high compute tasks in genetics and proteomics using existing algorithms.
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| 5. |
- Andrade, Jorge, et al.
(författare)
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Using Grid Technology for Computationally Intensive Applied Bioinformatics Analyses
- 2006
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Ingår i: In Silico Biology. - 1386-6338. ; 6:6, s. 495-504
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For several applications and algorithms used in applied bioinformatics, a bottle neck in terms of computational time may arise when scaled up to facilitate analyses of large datasets and databases. Re-codification, algorithm modification or sacrifices in sensitivity and accuracy may be necessary to accommodate for limited computational capacity of single work stations. Grid computing offers an alternative model for solving massive computational problems by parallel execution of existing algorithms and software implementations. We present the implementation of a Grid-aware model for solving computationally intensive bioinformatic analyses exemplified by a blastp sliding window algorithm for whole proteome sequence similarity analysis, and evaluate the performance in comparison with a local cluster and a single workstation. Our strategy involves temporary installations of the BLAST executable and databases on remote nodes at submission, accommodating for dynamic Grid environments as it avoids the need of predefined runtime environments (preinstalled software and databases at specific Grid-nodes). Importantly, the implementation is generic where the BLAST executable can be replaced by other software tools to facilitate analyses suitable for parallelisation. This model should be of general interest in applied bioinformatics. Scripts and procedures are freely available from the authors.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Awla, Darbaz, et al.
(författare)
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NFATc3 Regulates Trypsinogen Activation, Neutrophil Recruitment, and Tissue Damage in Acute Pancreatitis in Mice.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Gastroenterology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1528-0012 .- 0016-5085. ; 143:5, s. 1352-1352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND & AIMS: The signaling mechanisms that regulate trypsinogen activation and inflammation in acute pancreatitis (AP) are unclear. We explored the involvement of the calcium- and calcineurin-dependent transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) in development of AP in mice. METHODS: We measured levels of myeloperoxidase and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (CXCL2), trypsinogen activation, and tissue damage in the pancreas 24 h after induction of AP by retrograde infusion of taurocholate into the pancreatic ducts of wild-type, NFAT luciferase reporter (NFAT-luc), and NFATc3-deficient mice. We isolated acinar cells and measured NFAT nuclear accumulation, trypsin activity, and expression of NFAT-regulated genes. RESULTS: Infusion of taurocholate increased the transcriptional activity of NFAT in the pancreas, aorta, lung, and spleen of NFAT-luc mice. Inhibition of NFAT with A-285222 blocked taurocholate-induced activation of NFAT in all organs. A-285222 also reduced taurocholate-induced increases in levels of amylase, myeloperoxidase and CXCL2; activation of trypsinogen; necrosis of acinar cells; edema; leukocyte infiltration; and hemorrhage in the pancreas. NFATc3-deficient mice were protected from these effects of taurocholate. Similar results were obtained using an L-arginine-induced model of AP. Reverse transcriptase PCR and confocal immunofluorescence analyses showed that NFATc3 is expressed by acinar cells. NFATc3 expression was activated by stimuli that increase intracellular calcium; activation was prevented by the calcineurin blocker cyclosporine A or A-285222. Activation of trypsinogen by secretagogues in acinar cells was prevented by pharmacologic inhibition of NFAT signaling or lack of NFATc3. A-285222 also reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines such as CXCL2 in acinar cells. CONCLUSIONS: NFATc3 regulates trypsinogen activation, inflammation, and pancreatic tissue damage during development of AP in mice, and might be a therapeutic target.
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| 9. |
- Axén, Anna, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Loneliness in Relation to Social Factors and Self-Reported Health Among Older Adults : A Cross-Sectional Study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. - : Sage Publications. - 2150-1319 .- 2150-1327. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Loneliness is described as a public health problem and can be both a consequence of aging and a cause of ill health. Lonely older adults tend to have difficulties making new social connections, essential in reducing loneliness. Loneliness often varies over time, but established loneliness tends to persist. Maintaining good health is fundamental throughout the life course. Social connections change with aging, which can contribute to loneliness. AIM: This study aimed to investigate loneliness in relation to social factors and self-reported health among older adults. METHOD: A cross-sectional research design was used based on data from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, Blekinge (SNAC-B), from February 2019 to April 2021. Statistical analysis consisted of descriptive and inferential analysis. RESULTS: Of n = 394 participants, 31.7% (n = 125) stated loneliness. Close emotional connections were necessary for less loneliness. Loneliness was more common among those who did not live with their spouse or partner and met more rarely. Furthermore, seeing grandchildren and neighbors less often increased loneliness, and a more extensive social network decreased loneliness. CONCLUSION: This study underlined the importance of social connections and having someone to share a close, emotional connection with to reduce loneliness.
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| 10. |
- Bahrami, Alireza, et al.
(författare)
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Important Criteria for Swedish Construction Companies to Choose Environmentally Friendly Concrete
- 2023
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Ingår i: Civil Engineering Journal. - : CEJ. - 2676-6957 .- 2476-3055. ; 9:1, s. 197-207
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Today, ordinary Portland cement-based concrete is one of the most important building materials and is widely used in new building construction, which is an environmental problem, as cement production accounts for 5%-8% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, the need for using more environmentally friendly concrete (EFC) is growing. However, it is stated that Swedish construction companies are reluctant to change and adopt new construction methods and materials. This research aims to map the important criteria for Swedish construction companies to choose EFC for use in their projects. The study is carried out based on a literature study and a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire is designed considering the significant criteria of EFC derived from the literature study. The respondents from the Swedish construction companies were asked to rate these various criteria. The collected results are presented with bar graphs. The results show that the highest valued criterion by the respondents for the use of EFC in the projects is its long-term properties, while the lowest one is the possibility of introducing a specific ceiling for greenhouse gas emissions by the companies.
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