| 1. |
- Ahlén Bergman, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Increased CD4+ T cell lineage commitment determined by CpG methylation correlates with better prognosis in urinary bladder cancer patients
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical Epigenetics. - : BMC. - 1868-7083 .- 1868-7075. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Urinary bladder cancer is a common malignancy worldwide. Environmental factors and chronic inflammation are correlated with the disease risk. Diagnosis is performed by transurethral resection of the bladder, and patients with muscle invasive disease preferably proceed to radical cystectomy, with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The anti-tumour immune responses, known to be initiated in the tumour and draining lymph nodes, may play a major role in future treatment strategies. Thus, increasing the knowledge of tumour-associated immunological processes is important. Activated CD4+ T cells differentiate into four main separate lineages: Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg, and they are recognized by their effector molecules IFN-γ, IL-13, IL-17A, and the transcription factor Foxp3, respectively. We have previously demonstrated signature CpG sites predictive for lineage commitment of these four major CD4+ T cell lineages. Here, we investigate the lineage commitment specifically in tumour, lymph nodes and blood and relate them to the disease stage and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.RESULTS: Blood, tumour and regional lymph nodes were obtained from patients at time of transurethral resection of the bladder and at radical cystectomy. Tumour-infiltrating CD4+ lymphocytes were significantly hypomethylated in all four investigated lineage loci compared to CD4+ lymphocytes in lymph nodes and blood (lymph nodes vs tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes: IFNG -4229 bp p < 0.0001, IL13 -11 bp p < 0.05, IL17A -122 bp p < 0.01 and FOXP3 -77 bp p > 0.05). Examination of individual lymph nodes displayed different methylation signatures, suggesting possible correlation with future survival. More advanced post-cystectomy tumour stages correlated significantly with increased methylation at the IFNG -4229 bp locus. Patients with complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy displayed significant hypomethylation in CD4+ T cells for all four investigated loci, most prominently in IFNG p < 0.0001. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy seemed to result in a relocation of Th1-committed CD4+ T cells from blood, presumably to the tumour, indicated by shifts in the methylation patterns, whereas no such shifts were seen for lineages corresponding to IL13, IL17A and FOXP3.CONCLUSION: Increased lineage commitment in CD4+ T cells, as determined by demethylation in predictive CpG sites, is associated with lower post-cystectomy tumour stage, complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and overall better outcome, suggesting epigenetic profiling of CD4+ T cell lineages as a useful readout for clinical staging.
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| 2. |
- Aldea, Jorge, et al.
(författare)
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Current and future drought vulnerability for three dominant boreal tree species
- 2024
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of droughts, possibly causing sudden and elevated tree mortality. Better understanding and predictions of boreal forest responses to climate change are needed to efficiently adapt forest management. We used tree-ring width chronologies from the Swedish National Forest Inventory, sampled between 2010 and 2018, and a random forest machine-learning algorithm to identify the tree, stand, and site variables that determine drought damage risk, and to predict their future spatial–temporal evolution. The dataset consisted of 16,455 cores of Norway spruce, Scots pine, and birch trees from all over Sweden. The risk of drought damage was calculated as the probability of growth anomaly occurrence caused by past drought events during 1960–2010. We used the block cross-validation method to compute model predictions for drought damage risk under current climate and climate predicted for 2040–2070 under the RCP.2.6, RCP.4.5, and RCP.8.5 emission scenarios. We found local climatic variables to be the most important predictors, although stand competition also affects drought damage risk. Norway spruce is currently the most susceptible species to drought in southern Sweden. This species currently faces high vulnerability in 28% of the country and future increases in spring temperatures would greatly increase this area to almost half of the total area of Sweden. Warmer annual temperatures will also increase the current forested area where birch suffers from drought, especially in northern and central Sweden. In contrast, for Scots pine, drought damage coincided with cold winter and early-spring temperatures. Consequently, the current area with high drought damage risk would decrease in a future warmer climate for Scots pine. We suggest active selection of tree species, promoting the right species mixtures and thinning to reduce tree competition as promising strategies for adapting boreal forests to future droughts.
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| 3. |
- Aldea, Jorge, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of growth models for mixed forests used in Swedish and Finnish decision support systems
- 2023
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 529
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interest in mixed forests is increasing since they could provide higher benefits and positive externalities compared to monocultures, although their management is more complex and silvicultural prescriptions for them are still scarce. Growth simulations are a powerful tool for developing useful guidelines for mixed stands. Heureka and Motti are two decision support systems commonly used for forest management in Sweden and Finland respectively. They were developed mostly with data from pure stands, so how they would perform in mixed stands is currently uncertain. We compiled a large and updated common database of well-replicated experimental research sites and monitoring networks composed by 218 and 1,160 plot-level observations of mixed stands from Sweden and Finland, respectively. We aimed to evaluated the accuracy of Heureka and Motti basal area growth models in those mixed-species stands and to detect any bias in their short-term predictions. Basal area growth simulations (excluding mortality models) were compared to observed stand-level values in a period-wise process with update of the start values in each period. The residual plots were visually examined for different stand mixtures: Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.)-birch (Betula spp), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)-birch and Scots pine-Norway spruce. We observed that the basal area growth models in both decision support systems performed quite well for all mixtures regardless of the proportion of species. Motti simulations overestimated growth in Scots pine-Norway spruce mixtures by 0.063 m(2)center dot ha(-1)center dot year(-1) which may be acceptable for practical use. Therefore, we corroborated that both decision support systems can be currently utilized for shortterm forest growth simulation of mixed boreal forests.
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| 4. |
- Appiah Mensah, Alex, et al.
(författare)
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Modelling potential yield capacity in conifers using Swedish long-term experiments
- 2022
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 512
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Information on forest site productivity is a key component to assess the carbon sequestration potential of boreal forests. While site index (SI) is commonly used to indicate forest site productivity, expressions of SI in the form of yield capacity (potential maximum mean annual volume increment) is desirable since volume yield is central to the economic and ecological analyses of a given species and site. This paper assessed the functional relationship between SI and yield capacity on the basis of yield plot data from long-term experiments measured over several decades for Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and Larch (Larix decidua and Larix sibirica) in Sweden. Component models of total basal area and volume yield were also developed. SI was determined by existing height development functions using top height and age, whereas functions for stand-level (m2 ha- 1) basal area development were constructed based on age, SI and initial stand density using difference equations and nonlinear mixed-effects models. The relation between volume yield (m3 ha- 1) and top height was adjusted with total basal area production through nonlinear mixed-effects models. Species-specific parametric regression models were used to construct functional relationships between SI and yield capacity. The root mean square errors of the species-specific models ranged from 2 to 6% and 10-18% of the average values for the basal area and volume equations, respectively. For the yield capacity functions, the explained variations (R2) were within 80-96%. We compared our yield capacity functions to earlier functions of the species and significant differences were observed in both lower and higher SI classes, especially, for Scots pine and Norway spruce. The new functions give better prediction of yield capacity in current growing conditions; hence, they could later be used for comparing tree species' production under similar site and management regimes in Sweden.
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| 5. |
- Ara, Mostarin, et al.
(författare)
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Pre-commercial thinning in Norway spruce-birch mixed stands can provide abundant forage for ungulates without losing volume production
- 2022
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mixed stands of Norway spruce and birch have the potential to simultaneously produce timber and provide large ungulates with a significant amount of forage during the regeneration phase. While the growth and yield of such mixtures are well studied, little is known about potential trade-offs between timber and forage production and which management techniques are suitable for meeting both goals. In this study, four different pre-commercial thinning (PCT) strategies were used to study the trade-offs between production and available forage for free-ranging ungulates in a Norway spruce-birch mixture. The four PCT strategies were: 1) retaining 2000 birch stems ha(-1) with 2000 Norway spruce ha(-1), 2) removing all birches within a 0.75 m radius around Norway spruce stems, 3) removing all birches and other broadleaves, and 4) no PCT (control). Growth of Norway spruce was higher in the 2000 birch ha(-1) and full removal treatments compared to the untreated control, but these two treatments did not differ from one another in volume production of Norway spruce. We found a negative effect of PCT on forage availability but no effect on ungulate browsing. Therefore, PCT strategies that provide both sufficient birch forage and maximize volume production of Norway spruce can be implemented.
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| 6. |
- Bagger, Anette, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Inkluderande undervisningsmaterial och undervisning
- 2022
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Ingår i: Abstractbook för Nationell konferens om särskilda utbildningsbehov i matematik. - Växjö : Linnéuniversitetet. - 9789189709201
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Vi kommer i denna föreläsning att berätta om vårt fleråriga samarbete med att utveckla kunskaper om inkluderande och likvärdig matematikundervisning. Detta är både en inspiration för hur forskare och lärare kan samarbete, samtidigt som vi delger en modell för att utvärdera undervisningsmaterial och huruvida de verkar inkluderande. Detta är ett resultat från ett EU- projekt och där både en version för lärare och en version för barn utarbetats i samarbete med forskare och lärare i Italien, Tyskland och Luxemburg. Modellen kommer att presenteras och vi illustrerar hur den kan användas både av lärare och av lärare med elever. För tillfället är även ett fortsättningsprojekt inplanerat och där större fokus kommer att ligga på digitala material.Referenserhttps://en.itm-europe.org/
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| 7. |
- Berger, Urs, et al.
(författare)
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Fish consumption as a source of human exposure to perfluorinated alkyl substances in Sweden : analysis of edible fish from Lake Vättern and the Baltic Sea
- 2009
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 76:6, s. 799-804
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) were analyzed in muscle tissue from edible fish species caught in the second largest freshwater lake in Sweden, Lake Vättern (LV), and in the brackish water Baltic Sea (BS). Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was the predominant PFAS found. PFOS concentrations were higher in LV (medians 2.9-12 ng g(-1) fresh weight) than in BS fish (medians 1.0-2.5 ng g(-1) fresh weight). Moreover, LV fish was more contaminated with several other PFAS than BS fish. This may be due to anthropogenic discharges from urban areas around LV. The PFAS pattern differed between LV and BS fish, indicating different sources of contamination for the two study areas. Human exposure to PFOS via fish intake was calculated for three study groups, based on consumption data from literature. The groups consisted of individuals that reported moderate or high consumption of BS fish or high consumption of LV fish, respectively. The results showed that PFOS intake strongly depended on individual fish consumption as well as the fish catchment area. Median PFOS intakes were estimated to 0.15 and 0.62 ng kg(-1) body weight (bw) d(-1) for the consumers of moderate and high amounts of BS fish, respectively. For the group with high consumption of LV fish a median PFOS intake of 2.7 ng kg(-1)bw d(-1) was calculated. Fish consumption varied considerably within the consumer groups, with maximum PFOS intakes of 4.5 (BS fish) or 9.6 ng kg(-1)bw d(-1) (LV fish). Comparison of our results with literature data on PFOS intake from food suggests that fish from contaminated areas may be a significant source of dietary PFOS exposure.
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| 8. |
- Brunet, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Disturbance of the herbaceous layer after invasion of an eutrophic temperate forest by wild boar
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Botany. - : Wiley. - 0107-055X. ; 34, s. 120-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Disturbances of the soil and the tree canopy are crucial factors determining the diversity, composition and biomass of the herbaceous layer in forests. This study presents a detailed account of ground vegetation in permanent plots surveyed before and after invasion of wild boar (Sus scrofa) to a temperate deciduous broadleaf forest. Specifically, we aimed to quantify the effect of wild boar rooting on cover, richness and composition of spring ephemerals, summer green herbs and saplings of woody species in relation to tree canopy cover. Rooting frequency in sample plots increased from 0% in 2010 to 61% in 2013. In heavily rooted plots, the mean cover of spring ephemeral geophytes (mainly Anemone nemorosa, A. ranunculoides and Ranunculus ficaria) decreased from 75% to 39% between 2010 and 2013. Species richness of summer green herbs generally increased between 2010 and 2013 and was additionally positively affected by heavy rooting and low canopy cover. Rooting also caused heterogenization of the herbaceous layer and amplified ongoing compositional changes induced by changing light conditions. Frequency and richness of spring ephemeral and woody species remained unchanged. We conclude that overall species richness of the herbaceous layer may increase in the short-term as a result of increased plant recruitment and seed dispersal. However, wild boar rooting can greatly reduce the ground cover of spring ephemerals in eutrophic broadleaf forests, thereby threatening their important ecological function. To avoid long-term losses of characteristic spring flora elements, local population control of wild boar is necessary to reduce abundance and frequency of soil rooting.
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| 9. |
- Brunet, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Life-history traits explain rapid colonization of young post-agricultural forests by understory herbs
- 2012
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 278, s. 55-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large areas of agricultural land in Europe have been planted with broadleaved trees during the past decades. The aims of this study were to determine stand-scale colonization rates of European forest herbs in young (14-18 years old) post-agricultural broadleaved forest plantations, to analyze whether colonization rates were related to life-history traits and site characteristics, and to compare the results with studies in older post-agricultural forests. The colonization of herbaceous forest species was mapped in 16 young broadleaved forests and compared with their distribution in adjacent older forests in southern Sweden. Stand characteristics were analyzed in 32 paired sample plots. Colonization rates (m year(-1)) were calculated for 43 forest plant species. For 30 forest plant species we also compared current colonization rates with results from 30 to 75 year old stands. Colonization rates increased with maximum plant height and the potential dispersal distance, but were negatively related to diaspore mass and clonal spread. Soil, canopy and vegetation conditions in young forests were not significantly related to colonization rates. Nevertheless, young forests had higher soil pH and extractable phosphorus concentrations while soil organic matter content, basal area and canopy cover of the trees were higher in the adjacent older forests. Higher resource availability in young forests may favor competitive tall herbs over low-growing ancient forest plants. The comparison with colonization rates into older post-agricultural plantations revealed that while approximately half of the species had similar or lower rates, the other half had on average ca. ten times higher colonization rates in the present study, ranging from 3.0 to 11.5 m year-1 indicating the potential for relatively fast colonization by some forest plants. We conclude that planted post-agricultural forests can start to contribute to restoration of forest plant diversity shortly after canopy closure when located adjacent to older forests. However, many small forest plants, including those species which form extensive flower carpets characteristic of ancient forests, colonize young forests very slowly. Further research should focus on the development of restoration measures which facilitate the colonization process of ancient forest herbs. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Brunet, Jörg, et al.
(författare)
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Pathogen induced disturbance and succession in temperate forests: Evidence from a 100-year data set in southern Sweden
- 2014
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Ingår i: Basic and Applied Ecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1439-1791 .- 1618-0089. ; 15, s. 114-121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Major tree species arc declining in many temperate forests due to changing disturbance regimes, including invasive pests and pathogens. We examined the interaction of secondary succession and Dutch elm disease in the Swedish temperate forest reserve Dal by Soderskog, based on five tree surveys made between 1909 and 2011. The forest is characterized by the coexistence of four major European tree species: wych elm (Ulmm glabra), European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), European beech (Fagus sylvotica) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). After protection of the forest in 1918, lack of disturbance mainly favoured elm, while the oak population declined due to mortality of old oaks and lack of regeneration. Dutch elm disease has caused high and continuous elm mortality since 1988. As a result, increased light availability at the forest floor favoured abundant regeneration of ash, beech, and lately also oak. The recent arrival of an invasive fungal pathogen causing ash dieback may once again change the course of succession. Open space emerging from loss of elm and ash in forest reserves may be used by reserve managers in favour oak regeneration and biodiversity of semi-open woodlands once lost during succession to closed forest. We conclude that winners and losers change places as an effect of invasive pathogens, resulting in unexpected successions and both losses, id gains in valuable ecological niches and habitat structures in temperate broadleaf forests,
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