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- Blixt, L., et al.
(författare)
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Covid-19 in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia : clinical outcome and B- and T-cell immunity during 13 months in consecutive patients
- 2022
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Ingår i: Leukemia. - : Springer Nature. - 0887-6924 .- 1476-5551. ; 36:2, s. 476-481
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied clinical and immunological outcome of Covid-19 in consecutive CLL patients from a well-defined area during month 1–13 of the pandemic. Sixty patients (median age 71 y, range 43–97) were identified. Median CIRS was eight (4–20). Patients had indolent CLL (n = 38), had completed (n = 12) or ongoing therapy (n = 10). Forty-six patients (77%) were hospitalized due to severe Covid-19 and 11 were admitted to ICU. Severe Covid-19 was equally distributed across subgroups irrespective of age, gender, BMI, CLL status except CIRS (p < 0.05). Fourteen patients (23%) died; age ≥75 y was the only significant risk factor (p < 0.05, multivariate analysis with limited power). Comparing month 1–6 vs 7–13 of the pandemic, deaths were numerically reduced from 32% to 18%, ICU admission from 37% to 15% whereas hospitalizations remained frequent (86% vs 71%). Seroconversion occurred in 33/40 patients (82%) and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detectable at six and 12 months in 17/22 and 8/11 patients, respectively. Most (13/17) had neutralizing antibodies and 19/28 had antibodies in saliva. SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cells (ELISpot) were detected in 14/17 patients. Covid-19 continued to result in high admission even among consecutive and young early- stage CLL patients. A robust and durable B and/or T cell immunity was observed in most convalescents.
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| 2. |
- Green, Jonathan M. H., et al.
(författare)
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Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food, energy, water and the environment
- 2017
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Ingår i: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; 12:2, s. 319-331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Delivering access to sufficient food, energy and water resources to ensure human wellbeing is a major concern for governments worldwide. However, it is crucial to account for the 'nexus' of interactions between these natural resources and the consequent implications for human wellbeing. The private sector has a critical role in driving positive change towards more sustainable nexus management and could reap considerable benefits from collaboration with researchers to devise solutions to some of the foremost sustainability challenges of today. Yet opportunities are missed because the private sector is rarely involved in the formulation of deliverable research priorities. We convened senior research scientists and influential business leaders to collaboratively identify the top forty questions that, if answered, would best help companies understand and manage their food-energy-water-environment nexus dependencies and impacts. Codification of the top order nexus themes highlighted research priorities around development of pragmatic yet credible tools that allow businesses to incorporate nexus interactions into their decision-making; demonstration of the business case for more sustainable nexus management; identification of the most effective levers for behaviour change; and understanding incentives or circumstances that allow individuals and businesses to take a leadership stance. Greater investment in the complex but productive relations between the private sector and research community will create deeper and more meaningful collaboration and cooperation.
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| 3. |
- Nordén, Rickard, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Recombinant Glycoprotein E of Varicella Zoster Virus Contains Glycan-Peptide Motifs That Modulate B Cell Epitopes into Discrete Immunological Signatures
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI AG. - 1422-0067. ; 20:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A recombinant subunit vaccine (Shingrix((R))) was recently licensed for use against herpes zoster. This vaccine is based on glycoprotein E (gE) of varicella zoster virus (VZV), the most abundantly expressed protein of VZV, harboring sites for N- and O-linked glycosylation. The subunit vaccine elicits stronger virus-specific CD4+ T cell response as well as antibody B cell response to gE, compared to the currently used live attenuated vaccine (Zostavax((R))). This situation is at variance with the current notion since a live vaccine, causing an active virus infection, should be far more efficient than a subunit vaccine based on only one single viral glycoprotein. We previously found gE to be heavily glycosylated, not least by numerous clustered O-linked glycans, when it was produced in human fibroblasts. However, in contrast to Zostavax((R)), which is produced in fibroblasts, the recombinant gE of Shingrix((R)) is expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Hence, the glycan occupancy and glycan structures of gE may differ considerably between the two vaccine types. Here, we aimed at (i) defining the glycan structures and positions of recombinant gE and (ii) identifying possible features of the recombinant gE O-glycosylation pattern contributing to the vaccine efficacy of Shingrix((R)). Firstly, recombinant gE produced in CHO cells (Shingrix situation) is more scarcely decorated by O-linked glycans than gE from human fibroblasts (Zostavax situation), with respect to glycan site occupancy. Secondly, screening of immunodominant B cell epitopes of gE, using a synthetic peptide library against serum samples from VZV-seropositive individuals, revealed that the O-linked glycan signature promoted binding of IgG antibodies via a decreased number of interfering O-linked glycans, but also via specific O-linked glycans enhancing antibody binding. These findings may, in part, explain the higher protective efficacy of Shingrix((R)), and can also be of relevance for development of subunit vaccines to other enveloped viruses.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Bergman, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Safety and efficacy of the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in five groups of immunocompromised patients and healthy controls in a prospective open-label clinical trial
- 2021
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Ingår i: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 74
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Patients with immunocompromised disorders have mainly been excluded from clinical trials of vaccination against COVID-19. Thus, the aim of this prospective clinical trial was to investigate safety and efficacy of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination in five selected groups of immunocompromised patients and healthy controls.Methods: 539 study subjects (449 patients and 90 controls) were included. The patients had either primary (n=90), or secondary immunodeficiency disorders due to human immunodeficiency virus infection (n=90), allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation/CAR T cell therapy (n=90), solid organ transplantation (SOT) (n=89), or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (n=90). The primary endpoint was seroconversion rate two weeks after the second dose. The secondary endpoints were safety and documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.Findings: Adverse events were generally mild, but one case of fatal suspected unexpected serious adverse reaction occurred. 72.2% of the immunocompromised patients seroconverted compared to 100% of the controls (p=0.004). Lowest seroconversion rates were found in the SOT (43.4%) and CLL (63.3%) patient groups with observed negative impact of treatment with mycophenolate mofetil and ibrutinib, respectively.Interpretation: The results showed that the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine was safe in immunocompromised patients. Rate of seroconversion was substantially lower than in healthy controls, with a wide range of rates and antibody titres among predefined patient groups and subgroups. This clinical trial highlights the need for additional vaccine doses in certain immunocompromised patient groups to improve immunity.
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| 8. |
- Blixt, E. M., et al.
(författare)
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Dynamic rayed aurora and enhanced ion-acoustic radar echoes
- 2005
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Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 23:1, s. 3-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The generation mechanism for naturally enhanced ion-acoustic echoes is still debated. One important issue is how these enhancements are related to auroral activity. All events of enhanced ion-acoustic echoes observed simultaneously with the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) and with high-resolution narrow field-of-view auroral imagers have been collected and studied. Characteristic of all the events is the appearance of very dynamic rayed aurora, and some of the intrinsic features of these auroral displays are identified. Several of these identified features are directly related to the presence of low energy (10-100 eV) precipitating electrons in addition to the higher energy population producing most of the associated light. The low energy contribution is vital for the formation of the enhanced ion-acoustic echoes. We argue that this type of aurora is sufficient for the generation of naturally enhanced ion-acoustic echoes. In one event two imagers were used to observe the auroral rays simultaneously, one from the radar site and one 7 kin away. The data from these imagers shows that the auroral rays and the strong backscattering filaments (where the enhanced echoes are produced) are located on the same field line, which is in contrast to earlier statements in the litterature that they should be separated.
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| 9. |
- Blixt, Ingrid, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Process-oriented training in breastfeeding for health professionals decreases women’s experiences of breastfeeding challenges
- 2014
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Ingår i: International Breastfeeding Journal. - : BioMed Central. - 1746-4358. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The World Health Organization recommends promoting exclusive breastfeeding for six months. Women much too often end breastfeeding earlier than they planned, but women who continue to breastfeed despite problems more often experience good support and counselling from health professionals. The aim in this study was to evaluate the effects of a process-oriented training in breastfeeding support counselling for midwives and child health nurses, in relation to women’s satisfaction with breastfeeding counselling, problems with insufficient breast milk, pain or nipple sores in relation to exclusive breastfeeding shorter or longer than 3 months.Methods: An intervention through process-oriented training for health professionals regarding support in childbearing and breastfeeding took part in the south west of Sweden. The present study was performed in Sweden, in 2000- 2003. Ten municipalities were paired, and within each pair, one was randomly assigned to the group of five intervention (IG) municipalities and one to the group of five control municipalities. Primiparas (n=540) were asked to participate in a longitudinal study to evaluate the care they received. A survey was distributed at 3 days, 3 months and 9 months postpartum. Data collection for control group A (n=162) started before the intervention was initiated. Data for control group B (n=172) were collected simultaneously with the intervention group (IG) (n=206).Women were also divided into two groups depending on whether they exclusive breastfed < 3 months or ≥ 3 months.Results: Women in IG were more satisfied with the breastfeeding counselling (p=0.008) and felt the breastfeeding counselling was more coherent (p=0.002) compared with control groups, when the exclusively breastfeeding was < 3 months. In addition fewer women in the IG, among the group exclusively breastfeeding < 3 months, had problems with insufficient breast milk compared to the control groups (p=0.01).Conclusion: A process-oriented training for health professionals in support influenced women's ability to solve breastfeeding problems such as the experience of insufficient breast milk production. Women with exclusive breastfeeding lasting ≥ 3 months more often had breastfeeding duration in conformity with their planned breastfeeding duration, compared with women who had breastfeeding duration < 3 months.Trial registration: ACTRN12611000354987
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