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- Iarko, V., et al.
(författare)
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Extension of nanoconfined DNA: Quantitative comparison between experiment and theory
- 2015
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Ingår i: Physical Review E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics). - 1539-3755 .- 1550-2376. ; 92:6, s. Art. Nr. 062701-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The extension of DNA confined to nanochannels has been studied intensively and in detail. However, quantitative comparisons between experiments and model calculations are difficult because most theoretical predictions involve undetermined prefactors, and because the model parameters (contour length, Kuhn length, effective width) are difficult to compute reliably, leading to substantial uncertainties. Here we use a recent asymptotically exact theory for the DNA extension in the "extended de Gennes regime" that allows us to compare experimental results with theory. For this purpose, we performed experiments measuring the mean DNA extension and its standard deviation while varying the channel geometry, dye intercalation ratio, and ionic strength of the buffer. The experimental results agree very well with theory at high ionic strengths, indicating that the model parameters are reliable. At low ionic strengths, the agreement is less good. We discuss possible reasons. In principle, our approach allows us to measure the Kuhn length and the effective width of a single DNA molecule and more generally of semiflexible polymers in solution.
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| 2. |
- Mishra, A, et al.
(författare)
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Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents' growth and development
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 615:7954, s. 874-883
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.
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| 6. |
- af Geijerstam, Agnes, et al.
(författare)
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Children in the household and risk of severe COVID-19 during the first three waves of the pandemic: a prospective registry-based cohort study of 1.5 million Swedish men
- 2022
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Ingår i: Bmj Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 12:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective To investigate whether Swedish men living with children had elevated risk for severe COVID-19 or infection with SARS-CoV-2 during the first three waves of the pandemic. Design Prospective registry-based cohort study. Participants 1 557 061 Swedish men undergoing military conscription between 1968 and 2005 at a mean age of 18.3 (SD 0.73) years. Main outcome measures Infection with SARS-CoV-2 and hospitalisation due to COVID-19 from March 2020 to September 2021. Results There was a protective association between preschool children at home and hospitalisation due to COVID-19 during the first and third waves compared with only older or no children at all, with ORs (95% CIs) 0.63 (0.46 to 0.88) and 0.75 (0.68 to 0.94) respectively. No association was observed for living with children 6-12 years old, but for 13-17 years old, the risk increased. Age in 2020 did not explain these associations. Further adjustment for socioeconomic and health factors did not attenuate the results. Exposure to preschool children also had a protective association with testing positive with SARS-CoV-2, with or without hospitalisation, OR=0.91 (95% CI 0.89 to 0.93), while living with children of other ages was associated with increased odds of infection. Conclusions Cohabiting with preschool children was associated with reduced risk for severe COVID-19. Living with school-age children between 6 and 12 years had no association with severe COVID-19, but sharing the household with teenagers and young adults was associated with elevated risk. Our results are of special interest since preschools and compulsory schools (age 6-15 years) in Sweden did not close in 2020.
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| 7. |
- af Geijerstam, Agnes, et al.
(författare)
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Fitness, strength and severity of COVID-19: a prospective register study of 1 559 187 Swedish conscripts
- 2021
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 11:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective To investigate the possible connection between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscle strength in early adulthood and severity of COVID-19 later in life. Design Prospective registry-based cohort study. Participants 1 559 187 Swedish men, undergoing military conscription between 1968 and 2005 at a mean age of 18.3 (SD 0.73) years. Main outcome measures Hospitalisation, intensive care or death due to COVID-19 from March to September 2020, in relation to CRF and muscle strength. Results High CRF in late adolescence and early adulthood had a protective association with severe COVID-19 later in life with OR (95% CI) 0.76 (0.67 to 0.85) for hospitalisation (n=2 006), 0.61 (0.48 to 0.78) for intensive care (n=445) and 0.56 (0.37 to 0.85) for mortality (n=149), compared with the lowest category of CRF. The association remains unchanged when controlled for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, chronic diseases and parental education level at baseline, and incident cardiovascular disease before 2020. Moreover, lower muscle strength in late adolescence showed a linear association with a higher risk of all three outcomes when controlled for BMI and height. Conclusions Physical fitness at a young age is associated with severity of COVID-19 many years later. This underscores the necessity to increase the general physical fitness of the population to offer protection against future viral pandemics.
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- Arvidsson, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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BMI, eating habits and sleep in relation to salivary counts of mutans streptococci in children - the IDEFICS Sweden study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1368-9800 .- 1475-2727. ; 19:6, s. 1088-1092
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between salivary counts of mutans streptococci (MS) and children's weight status, while considering associated covariates. MS ferments carbohydrates from the diet and contributes to caries by lowering the pH in dental plaque. In adults, high counts of MS in saliva have been associated with overweight, but this has not been shown in children. Design: Cross-sectional study investigating salivary counts of MS, BMI Z-score, waist circumference, meal frequency, sugar propensity and sleep duration, in children. Setting: West Sweden. Subjects: Children (n 271) aged 4-11 years. Results: Medium-high counts of MS were positively associated with higher BMI Z-score (OR=1.6; 95 % CI 1.1, 2.3). Positive associations were also found between medium-high counts of MS and more frequent meals per day (OR=1.5; 95 % CI 1.1, 2.2), greater percentage of sugar-rich foods consumed (OR=1.1; 95 % CI 1.0, 1.3) and female sex (OR=2.4; 95 % CI 1.1, 5.4). A negative association was found between medium-high counts of MS and longer sleep duration (OR=0.5; 95 % CI 0.3, 1.0). Conclusions: BMI Z-score was associated with counts of MS. Promoting adequate sleep duration and limiting the intake frequency of sugar-rich foods and beverages could provide multiple benefits in public health interventions aimed at reducing dental caries and childhood overweight.
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- Avellan, Sanna, 1990, et al.
(författare)
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Incidence of Lyme Carditis and Lyme Carditis as a Cause of Pacemaker Implantation: A Nationwide Registry-Based Case-Control Study
- 2024
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Ingår i: OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES. - 2328-8957. ; 11:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Lyme borreliosis (LB) of the heart is called Lyme carditis (LC), which often manifests with high-grade atrioventricular block (AVB) requiring pacemaker implantation. LC is treated with antibiotics, and most patients recover fully after treatment. The overall incidence of LC, and of LC as a cause of pacemaker implantation, has not previously been systematically studied.Methods This was a case-control study based on data from Swedish national registers. The study was divided into two parts; part 1 including all patients diagnosed with AVB between 2001 and 2018, and part 2 including all patients who had received a pacemaker due to AVB between 2010 and 2018. Patients diagnosed with LB 90 days before and 180 days after the AVB diagnosis were identified among the patients and compared to matched control groups generated from the general population.Results Of 81 063 patients with AVB, 102 were diagnosed with LB. In the control group, 27 were diagnosed with LB. The yearly incidence of LC was 0.056 per 100 000 adults and year. Of 25 241 patients who had received a pacemaker for AVB, 31 were diagnosed with LB. In the control group, 8 were diagnosed with LB. The yearly incidence of LC as a cause of pacemaker implantation was 0.033 per 100 000 adults and year. The estimated risk for patients with LC to receive a permanent pacemaker was 59%.Conclusions LC is a rare cause of AVB. Nevertheless, more than half of patients with LC receive a permanent pacemaker for a condition that is easily cured with antibiotics. In this nationwide registry-based study, we present data on the incidence of Lyme carditis, Lyme carditis as a cause of pacemaker implantation, and the risk for patients with Lyme carditis to receive a permanent pacemaker.
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