| 1. |
- Aarnio, Mikko
(författare)
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Visualization of Peripheral Pain Generating Processes and Inflammation in Musculoskeletal Tissue using [11C]-D-deprenyl PET
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- An objective visualization and quantification of pain-generating processes in the periphery would alter pain diagnosis and represent an important paradigm shift in pain research. Positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand [11C]-D-deprenyl has shown an elevated uptake in painful inflammatory arthritis and whiplash-associated disorder. However, D-Deprenyl’s molecular binding target and uptake mechanism in inflammation and musculoskeletal injuries are still unknown. The present thesis aimed to gain insight into the mechanisms of D-deprenyl binding and uptake and to verify whether pain-associated sites and inflammation in acute musculoskeletal injury could be visualized, objectively quantified and followed over time with [11C]-D-deprenyl PET-computed tomography (PET/CT).To identify the D-deprenyl binding target, a high-throughput analysis and competitive radioligand binding studies were performed. D-deprenyl inhibited monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) activity by 55%, MAO-B activity by 99% and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) by 70%, which identified these enzymes as higher-affinity targets. Furthermore, radioligand receptor binding assays pointed favorably towards the concept of MAO-B as the primary target. To investigate the biochemical characteristics of the binding site, we used radioligand binding assays to assess differences in the binding profile in inflamed human synovial membranes exhibiting varying levels of inflammation. D-deprenyl bound to a single, saturable population of membrane-bound protein in synovial membrane homogenates and the level of inflammation correlated with an increase in D-deprenyl binding affinity.To verify whether D-deprenyl can visualize pain-generating processes, patients with musculoskeletal injuries were investigated and followed-up with [11C]-D-deprenyl PET/CT. In the study of eight patients with ankle sprain, the molecular aspects of inflammation and tissue injury could be visualized, objectively quantified and followed over time with [11C]-D-deprenyl PET/CT. The pain coexisted with increased [11C]-D-deprenyl uptake. In the study of 16 whiplash patients, an altered [11C]-D-deprenyl uptake in the cervical bone structures and facet joints was associated with subjective pain levels and self-rated disability.To further evaluate D-Deprenyl’s usefulness as a marker of inflammation, three PET tracers were compared in an animal PET/CT study. Preliminary findings showed that [11C]-D-deprenyl had an almost identical uptake pattern when compared with [11C]-L-deprenyl. The two deprenyl enantiomers showed no signs of specific binding or trapping and therefore may not be useful to study further in models of inflammatory pain, surgical pain, or both.This thesis demonstrates that D-deprenyl visualizes painful inflammation in musculoskeletal injuries and that the probable underlying mechanism of [11C]-D-deprenyl uptake is binding to MAO.
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| 2. |
- Eich, Torsten, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Calcium: A Crucial Potentiator for Efficient Enzyme Digestion of the Human Pancreas
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cell Transplantation. - : SAGE Publications. - 0963-6897 .- 1555-3892. ; 27:7, s. 1031-1038
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Effective digestive enzymes are crucial for successful islet isolation. Supplemental proteases are essential because they synergize with collagenase for effective pancreatic digestion. The activity of these enzymes is critically dependent on the presence of Ca2+ ions at a concentration of 5-10 mM. The present study aimed to determine the Ca2+ concentration during human islet isolation and to ascertain whether the addition of supplementary Ca2+ is required to maintain an optimal Ca2+ concentration during the various phases of the islet isolation process. Methods: Human islets were isolated according to standard methods and isolation parameters. Islet quality control and the number of isolations fulfilling standard transplantation criteria were evaluated. Ca2+ was determined by using standard clinical chemistry routines. Islet isolation was performed with or without addition of supplementary Ca2+ to reach a Ca2+ of 5 mM. Results: Ca2+ concentration was markedly reduced in bicarbonate-based buffers, especially if additional bicarbonate was used to adjust the pH as recommended by the Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium. A major reduction in Ca2+ concentration was also observed during pancreatic enzyme perfusion, digestion, and harvest. Additional Ca2+ supplementation of media used for dissolving the enzymes and during digestion, perfusion, and harvest was necessary in order to obtain the concentration recommended for optimal enzyme activity and efficient liberation of a large number of islets from the human pancreas. Conclusions: Ca2+ is to a large extent consumed during clinical islet isolation, and in the absence of supplementation, the concentration fell below that recommended for optimal enzyme activity. Ca2+ supplementation of the media used during human pancreas digestion is necessary to maintain the concentration recommended for optimal enzyme activity. Addition of Ca2+ to the enzyme blend has been implemented in the standard isolation protocols in the Nordic Network for Clinical Islet Transplantation.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Friberg, Andrew S., et al.
(författare)
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Human islet separation utilizing a closed automated purification system
- 2008
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Ingår i: Cell Transplantation. - : SAGE Publications. - 0963-6897 .- 1555-3892. ; 17:12, s. 1305-1313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A central step within the human islet isolation process is the separation of islets from contaminating exocrine tissue utilizing linear, continuous density gradients manufactured by means of manually controlled standard gradient makers (SGM). The present study was performed to develop a closed, automated purification system (APS) that customizes density gradient profiles aiming to standardize and optimize human islet purification. Digested human pancreata were pooled, split evenly, and incubated in UW solution according to our standard protocol (n = 11). Continuous density gradient centrifugation was performed in parallel in two refrigerated COBE 2991 cell separators loaded with light (1.076 g/ml) and heavy (1.097 g/ml) Ficoll utilizing either an SGM or two computer-controlled pumps connected to Ficoll-containing bags. Quality control included islet equivalent (IE) yield, purity, in vitro function, and islet cytokine expression. Gradient profiles demonstrated that the APS readily customizes linear and nonlinear gradients. In comparison to the SGM, the APS recovered a higher percentage of the expected volume of continuous gradients (90.0 +/- 1.1% vs. 98.2 +/- 2.0%, p < 0.05). Islet yield (120,468 +/- 15,970 vs. 114,570 +/- 15,313 IE, NS) and purity (51.7 +/- 4.8% vs. 54.4 +/- 4.9%, NS) were nearly identical utilizing the SGM or APS. Decreased MCP-1, IL-6, and IL-8 expression indicated that APS-purified islets were possibly exposed to less proinflammatory stress. Compared to standard procedures, similar success and gentle continuous density gradient separation of human islets is feasible utilizing the APS. The APS facilitates the standardization of this complex procedure according to cGMP standards.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Lopez-Fernandez, Margarita, et al.
(författare)
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Thiobacillus as a key player for biofilm formation in oligotrophic groundwaters of the Fennoscandian Shield
- 2023
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Ingår i: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2055-5008. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biofilm formation is a common adaptation for microbes in energy-limited conditions such as those prevalent in the vast deep terrestrial biosphere. However, due to the low biomass and the inaccessible nature of subsurface groundwaters, the microbial populations and genes involved in its formation are understudied. Here, a flow-cell system was designed to investigate biofilm formation under in situ conditions in two groundwaters of contrasting age and geochemistry at the aspo Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden. Metatranscriptomes showed Thiobacillus, Sideroxydans, and Desulforegula to be abundant and together accounted for 31% of the transcripts in the biofilm communities. Differential expression analysis highlighted Thiobacillus to have a principal role in biofilm formation in these oligotrophic groundwaters by being involved in relevant processes such as the formation of extracellular matrix, quorum sensing, and cell motility. The findings revealed an active biofilm community with sulfur cycling as a prominent mode of energy conservation in the deep biosphere.
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| 7. |
- Sandström, Eric, et al.
(författare)
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Antiretroviral treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection: Swedish recommendations
- 2003
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Ingår i: Scand J Infect Dis. - : Informa UK Limited. ; 35:3, s. 155-67
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Swedish guidelines (SwG) for treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have several important roles. A major task involves the promotion of a uniformly high standard of care in all HIV treatment clinics in Sweden and the identification of strengths, weaknesses and relevance of recent research findings. CD4+ T-cell counts < 200 cells/microl are clear indications for the initiation of treatment, whereas high viral loads serve as an indication for increased vigilance rather than a criterion for therapy. It is recommended that the first regimen consists of 2 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in combination with 1 protease inhibitor or 1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. The definition of treatment failure is rigorous. Treatment change should be considered if the viral load has not fallen by at least 1.5 log in 4 weeks or is undetectable within 3-4 months. Resistance testing is endorsed at primary infection, in the event of treatment failure and in pregnant women. Interaction with experts in HIV resistance testing is emphasized. Therapeutic drug monitoring is advocated. Patients with treatment failure should be handled individually and the decision on therapeutic strategy should be based on treatment history, resistance testing and other clinical facts. The SwG do not give recommendations for some important issues such as prolonged drug holidays and preferences in initial treatment regimens. More scientific data are likely to be available soon and the SwG will be refined accordingly. The present guidelines are translated from Swedish; they are published on the Medical Products Agency (MPA) and Swedish Reference Group for Antiviral Therapy (RAV) websites (www.mpa.se and www.rav.nu.se), including 7 separate papers based on a thorough literature search. A complete reference list is available on request from the MPA.
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| 8. |
- Seidel, Laura, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change-related warming reduces thermal sensitivity and modifies metabolic activity of coastal benthic bacterial communities
- 2023
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Ingår i: The ISME Journal. - : Springer Nature. - 1751-7362 .- 1751-7370. ; 17, s. 855-869
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Besides long-term average temperature increases, climate change is projected to result in a higher frequency of marine heatwaves. Coastal zones are some of the most productive and vulnerable ecosystems, with many stretches already under anthropogenic pressure. Microorganisms in coastal areas are central to marine energy and nutrient cycling and therefore, it is important to understand how climate change will alter these ecosystems. Using a long-term heated bay (warmed for 50 years) in comparison with an unaffected adjacent control bay and an experimental short-term thermal (9 days at 6–35 °C) incubation experiment, this study provides new insights into how coastal benthic water and surface sediment bacterial communities respond to temperature change. Benthic bacterial communities in the two bays reacted differently to temperature increases with productivity in the heated bay having a broader thermal tolerance compared with that in the control bay. Furthermore, the transcriptional analysis showed that the heated bay benthic bacteria had higher transcript numbers related to energy metabolism and stress compared to the control bay, while short-term elevated temperatures in the control bay incubation experiment induced a transcript response resembling that observed in the heated bay field conditions. In contrast, a reciprocal response was not observed for the heated bay community RNA transcripts exposed to lower temperatures indicating a potential tipping point in community response may have been reached. In summary, long-term warming modulates the performance, productivity, and resilience of bacterial communities in response to warming.
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| 9. |
- Seidel, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Interplay between eutrophication and climate warming on bacterial communities in coastal sediments differs depending on water depth and oxygen history
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal aquatic systems suffer from nutrient enrichment, which results in accelerated eutrophication effects due to increased microbial metabolic rates. Climate change related prolonged warming will likely accelerate existing eutrophication effects, including low oxygen concentrations. However, how the interplay between these environmental changes will alter coastal ecosystems is poorly understood. In this study, we compared 16S rRNA gene amplicon based bacterial communities in coastal sediments of a Baltic Sea basin in November 2013 and 2017 at three sites along a water depth gradient with varying bottom water oxygen histories. The shallow site showed changes of only 1.1% in relative abundance of bacterial populations in 2017 compared to 2013, while the deep oxygen-deficient site showed up to 11% changes in relative abundance including an increase of sulfate-reducing bacteria along with a 36% increase in organic matter content. The data suggested that bacterial communities in shallow sediments were more resilient to seasonal oxygen decline, while bacterial communities in sediments subjected to long-term hypoxia seemed to be sensitive to oxygen changes and were likely to be under hypoxic/anoxic conditions in the future. Our data demonstrate that future climate changes will likely fuel eutrophication related spread of low oxygen zones.
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| 10. |
- Seidel, Laura, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term warming of Baltic Sea coastal waters affects bacterial communities in bottom water and sediments differently
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-302X. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coastal marine ecosystems are some of the most diverse natural habitats while being highly vulnerable in the face of climate change. The combination of anthropogenic influence from land and ongoing climate change will likely have severe effects on the environment, but the precise response remains uncertain. This study compared an unaffected “control” Baltic Sea bay to a “heated” bay that has undergone artificial warming from cooling water release from a nuclear power plant for ~50 years. This heated the water in a similar degree to IPCC SSP5-8.5 predictions by 2100 as natural systems to study temperature-related climate change effects. Bottom water and surface sediment bacterial communities and their biogeochemical processes were investigated to test how future coastal water warming alters microbial communities; shifts seasonal patterns, such as increased algae blooming; and influences nutrient and energy cycling, including elevated respiration rates. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and geochemical parameters demonstrated that heated bay bottom water bacterial communities were influenced by increased average temperatures across changing seasons, resulting in an overall Shannon's H diversity loss and shifts in relative abundances. In contrast, Shannon's diversity increased in the heated surface sediments. The results also suggested a trend toward smaller-sized microorganisms within the heated bay bottom waters, with a 30% increased relative abundance of small size picocyanobacteria in the summer (June). Furthermore, bacterial communities in the heated bay surface sediment displayed little seasonal variability but did show potential changes of long-term increased average temperature in the interplay with related effects on bottom waters. Finally, heated bay metabolic gene predictions from the 16S rRNA gene sequences suggested raised anaerobic processes closer to the sediment-water interface. In conclusion, climate change will likely alter microbial seasonality and diversity, leading to prolonged and increased algae blooming and elevated respiration rates within coastal waters.
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