| 1. |
- Axelsson, Ulrik, et al.
(författare)
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Strukturerad miljödatahantering inom järn- och stålindustri. Etapp 2; Miljöinformationssystem
- 2004
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Det analysarbete som gjorts har i denna etapp har genomförts i samarbete med samma tre typföretag - Höganäs AB, Sandvik Materials Technology samt Ovako Steel AB - som i etapp 1. De tre företagen hanterar vardera en avsevärda mängd miljödata som idag finns utspridd inom organisationerna och lagras i olika system varför sammanställningar försvåras. Det betyder att den miljödata som mäts och beräknas lagras på ett sätt som innebär en irrationell hantering av den samlade miljöinformationen. Den analys som visar att det inom järn- och stålbranschen går att beskriva verksamhetsprocesser på ett enhetligt sätt och att miljödatan som företagen mäter, beräknar och lagrar överensstämmer i mycket stor grad. Baserat på detta har en branschgemensam miljödatastruktur varit möjlig att ta fram. Denna struktur är framtagen för att kunna lagra miljödata för utsläpp till luft, utsläpp till vatten, energianvändning och avfall. Utifrån den miljödatastruktur som arbetats fram och genom diskussioner med representanter för typföretagen i projektet har en översiktlig systemskiss för ett miljöinformationssystem inom järn- och stålindustrin tagits fram. Detta miljöinformationssystem kan vara generellt inom branschen och svara upp mot gemensamma krav på hantering av miljödata.
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| 2. |
- Bednarska, Olga, 1973-
(författare)
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Peripheral and Central Mechanisms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome : in search of links
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic visceral pain disorder with female predominance, characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and disturbed bowel habits in the absence of an identifiable organic cause. This prevalent and debilitating disease, which accounts for a substantial economic and individual burden, lacks exact diagnostic tools and effective treatment, since its pathophysiology remains uncertain. The bidirectional and multilayered brain-gut axis is a well-established disease model, however, the interactions between central and peripheral mechanisms along the brain-gut axis remain incompletely understood. One of the welldescribed triggering factors, yet accounting for only a fraction of IBS prevalence, is bacterial gastroenteritis that affects mucosal barrier function. Altered gut microbiota composition as well as disturbed intestinal mucosal barrier function and its neuroimmune regulation have been reported in IBS, however, the impact of live bacteria, neither commensal nor pathogenic, on intestinal barrier has not been studied yet. Furthermore, abnormal central processing of visceral sensations and psychological factors such as maladaptive coping have previously been suggested as centrally-mediated pathophysiological mechanisms of importance in IBS. Brain imaging studies have demonstrated an imbalance in descending pain modulatory networks and alterations in brain regions associated with interoceptive awareness and pain processing and modulation, particularly in anterior insula (aINS), although biochemical changes putatively underlying these central alterations remain poorly understood. Most importantly, however, possible associations between these documented changes on central and peripheral levels, which may as complex interactions contribute to disease onset and chronification of symptoms, are widely unknown.This thesis aimed to investigate the peripheral and central mechanisms in women with IBS compared to female healthy controls (HC) and to explore possible mutual associations between these mechanisms.In Paper I, we studied paracellular permeability and passage of live bacteria, both commensal and pathogenic through colonic biopsies mounted in Ussing chambers. We explored the regulation of the mucosal barrier function by mast cells and the neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) as well as a correlation between mucosal permeability and gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms. We observed increased paracellular permeability and the passage of commensal and pathogenic live bacteria in patients with IBS compared with HC, which was diminished by blocking the VIP receptors as well as after stabilizing mast cells in both groups. Moreover, higher paracellular permeability was associated with less somatic and psychological symptoms in patients.In Paper II, we aimed to determine the association between colonic mucosa paracellular permeability and structural and resting state functional brain connectivity. We demonstrated different patterns of associations between mucosa permeability and functional and structural brain connectivity in IBS patients compared to HC. Specifically, lower paracellular permeability in IBS, similar to the levels detected in HC, was associated with more severe IBS symptoms and increased functional and structural connectivity between intrinsic brain resting state network and descending pain modulation brain regions. Our findings further suggested that this association between mucosa permeability and functional brain connectivity was mainly mediated by coping strategies.In Paper III, we investigated putative alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission of aINS, as the brain’s key node of the salience network crucially involved in cognitive control, in IBS patients relative to HC and addressed possible connections with both symptoms and psychological factors. We found decreased concentrations of the excitatory neurotransmitter Glx in bilateral aINS in IBS patients compared to HC, while inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA+ levels were comparable. Further, we demonstrated hemisphere-specific associations between abdominal pain, coping and aINS excitatory neurotransmitter concentration.In conclusion, this thesis broadens the knowledge on peripheral and central mechanisms in IBS and presents novel findings that bring together the ends of brain-gut axis. Our results depict association between mucosal permeability, IBS symptoms and functional and structural connectivity engaging brain regions involved in emotion and pain modulation as well as underlying neurotransmitter alterations.
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| 3. |
- Bednarska, Olga, et al.
(författare)
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Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide and Mast Cells Regulate Increased Passage of Colonic Bacteria in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- 2017
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Ingår i: Gastroenterology. - : W B SAUNDERS CO-ELSEVIER INC. - 0016-5085 .- 1528-0012. ; 153:4, s. 948-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND amp; AIMS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is associated with intestinal dysbiosis and symptoms of IBS develop following gastroenteritis. We aimed to study the passage of live bacteria through the colonic epithelium, and determine the role of mast cells (MCs) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in barrier regulation in IBS and healthy individuals. METHODS: Colon biopsies from 32 women with IBS and 15 age-matched healthy women (controls) were mounted in Ussing chambers; we measured numbers of fluorescently labeled Escherichia coli HS and Salmonella typhimurium that passed through from the mucosal side to the serosal side of the tissue. Some biopsies were exposed to agents that block the VIP receptors (VPAC1 and VPAC2) or MCs. Levels of VIP and tryptase were measured in plasma and biopsy lysates. Number of MCs and MCs that express VIP or VIP receptors were quantified by immunofluorescence. Biopsies from an additional 5 patients with IBS and 4 controls were mounted in chambers and Salmonella were added; we studied passage routes through the epithelium by transmission electron microscopy and expression of tight junctions by confocal microscopy. RESULTS: In colon biopsies from patients with IBS, larger numbers of E coli HS and S typhimurium passed through the epithelium than in biopsies from controls (P amp;lt;.0005). In transmission electron microscopy analyses, bacteria were found to cross the epithelium via only the transcellular route. Bacterial passage was reduced in biopsies from patients with IBS and controls after addition of antibodies against VPACs or ketotifen, which inhibits MCs. Plasma samples from patients with IBS had higher levels of VIP than plasma samples from controls. Biopsies from patients with IBS had higher levels of tryptase, larger numbers of MCs, and a higher percentage of MCs that express VPAC1 than biopsies from controls. In biopsies from patients with IBS, addition of Salmonella significantly reduced levels of occludin; subsequent addition of ketotifen significantly reversed this effect. CONCLUSIONS: We found that colonic epithelium tissues from patients with IBS have increased translocation of commensal and pathogenic live bacteria compared with controls. The mechanisms of increased translocation include MCs and VIP.
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| 4. |
- Burman, Åsa Ulrika, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Calculation of Vapor Liquid Equilibrium and Excess Enthalpy with the UNIQUAC Equation
- 2007
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Ingår i: Chemical Engineering Communications. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0098-6445 .- 1563-5201. ; 194:8, s. 1040-1063
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The UNIQUAC equation was used for calculation of vapour liquid equilibrium (VLE) as well as excess enthalpy (hE). Four sets of binary interaction parameters were applied: first, parameters estimated only from VLE data, then parameters from hE data for both the original UNIQUAC equation and first the Anderson modification, and finally parameters estimated from hE and VLE data simultaneously. Calculations were performed for seven binary systems with polar components, representing different hE behaviour. The crossprediction of hE from VLE data works better than the reversed prediction. The model with parameters estimated simultaneously to both kinds of data, can be applied successfully to both kinds of calculations, but it is a compromise between the models estimated from one kind of data.
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| 5. |
- Burman, Åsa Ulrika, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Excess Enthalpy and Vapor-Liquid Equilibria with the MHV2 and Soave Mixing Rules
- 2011
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Ingår i: Chemical Engineering Communications. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0098-6445 .- 1563-5201. ; 198:11, s. 1435-1452
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calculations and predictions of excess enthalpy (H-E) and vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) were performed using the Gibbs energy mixing rules MHV2 and a modification of it by Soave. The Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state was combined with the UNIQUAC equation. Four sets of parameters estimated in the UNIQUAC model were used for each of seven binary systems: the first estimated from VLE data, the second and the third estimated from H-E data for two versions of the UNIQUAC equation, and the fourth estimated from both H-E and VLE data simultaneously. It was found that H-E calculations can be performed with the mixing rules; the average relative errors fell from around 200% for the conventional mixing rule to around 60% for MHV2 combined with DECHEMA UNIQUAC parameters and was as little as 20% when the UNIQUAC parameters had been estimated from H-E and VLE data simultaneously. However, the approach suffers from the same shortcomings as far as cross-prediction between H-E and VLE data is concerned, as does the UNIQUAC equation used alone. There is a discrepancy between values obtained with the mixing rule and those obtained with the UNIQUAC equation directly. This discrepancy is smaller for the Soave modification of the mixing rule.
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| 6. |
- Burman, Åsa Ulrika, 1969, et al.
(författare)
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Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium for Mixtures of Ethylethylenediamine, Ethylenediamine, and Water
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0021-9568 .- 1520-5134. ; 58:2, s. 257-263
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- he temperature and the composition of the vapor and liquid phases at equilibrium were measured at atmospheric pressure and (SO and 20) kPa for the binary mixtures: water (I) and ethylenediamine (2, EDA); water and ethylethylenediamine (3, EtEDA); and EDA and EtEDA. For the ternary mixture of water, EDA, and EtEDA, equilibrium conditions were measured at atmospheric pressure. The vapor pressure of EtEDA was measured in the temperature range from (358 to 402) K, and Antoine parameters were fitted to the data. Parameters for the universal quasichemical (UNIQUAC) equation are estimated from binary data and applied to the ternary mixture. It was shown that the mixture of EDA and EtEDA has a zeotropic pinch close to pure EDA. Furthermore, it was found that the ternary mixture has a saddle point azeotrope at a molar fraction of 0.24 of water, 0.62 of EDA, and 0.14 of EtEDA and a temperature of 392.6 K at atmospheric pressure. Thus, the volatility between EDA and EtEDA is reversed in the water-rich region, and EtEDA is the most volatile component close to the binary azeotrope between water and EDA. This is illustrated by univolatility lines in a ternary diagram.
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| 7. |
- Ehn, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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SALUTOGEN : User-center development and prototype testing of a system supporting seniors’ physical activity for fall prevention
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background:Physical activity (PA) can contribute to fall prevention among seniors. Many seniors need to increase their PA and regularly perform balance-enhancing activities. Changing behavior is often challenging, especially long-term. Therefore, support for change and long-term maintenance of PA behavior contributing to fall prevention is essential. Technology-based applications are widely exploited to support PA but do not match seniors’ needs. Therefore, new solutions are needed that support seniors’ PA for fall prevention leveraging theory for behavioral change and the specific target user’ needs.Aim, Method:SALUTOGEN is a research and innovation project aiming to develop and test a system prototype of technology-based motivation support for seniors’ PA including balance training. The developed technology includes apps for tablet and mobile phone that together provide seniors with motivation support for PA, activity measurement and video-coaching. The project is based on iterative user-centered methodology including: development of needed app components; evaluation of single apps and their integration; pilot feasibility evaluation with seniors and coaches in real world settings. Results:Valuable feedback from seniors was collected and used in the iterative development, especially from the motivation support perspective. The evaluation showed that the apps must be very intuitive and easy to understand. Preliminary results from the on-going pilot evaluation indicate that the coaching is highly appreciated by seniors and coaches. Moreover, the seniors’ and coaches’ experience in using the technology highly depends on the technology’s usability and reliability. Conclusions:Technology-based interventions can play an important role in supporting seniors’ PA for fall prevention. Results from the project indicate that solution’s key elements are perceived important and appreciated by seniors and coaches. However, it is crucial for the users that the technical applications are light, intuitive and robust.
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| 8. |
- Ekman, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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Less pronounced response to exercise in healthy relatives to type 2 diabetic subjects compared with controls
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of applied physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 8750-7587 .- 1522-1601. ; 119:9, s. 953-960
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Healthy first-degree relatives with heredity of type 2 diabetes (FH+) are known to have metabolic inflexibility compared with subjects without heredity for diabetes (FH-). In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that FH+ individuals have an impaired response to exercise compared with FH-. Sixteen FH+ and 19 FH- insulin-sensitive men similar in age, peak oxygen consumption ((V) over dot(O2 peak)), and body mass index completed an exercise intervention with heart rate monitored during exercise for 7 mo. Before and after the exercise intervention, the participants underwent a physical examination and tests for glucose tolerance and exercise capacity, and muscle biopsies were taken for expression analysis. The participants attended, on average, 39 training sessions during the intervention and spent 18.8 MJ on exercise. (V) over dot(O2 peak)/kg increased by 14%, and the participants lost 1.2 kg of weight and 3 cm waist circumference. Given that the FH- group expended 61% more energy during the intervention, we used regression analysis to analyze the response in the FH+ and FH- groups separately. Exercise volume had a significant effect on (V) over dot(O2 peak), weight, and waist circumference in the FH- group, but not in the FH+ group. After exercise, expression of genes involved in metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and cellular respiration increased more in the FH- compared with the FH+ group. This suggests that healthy, insulin-sensitive FH+ and FH- participants with similar age, (V) over dot(O2 peak), and body mass index may respond differently to an exercise intervention. The FH+ background might limit muscle adaptation to exercise, which may contribute to the increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in FH+ individuals.
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| 9. |
- Eriksson, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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GWAS for autoimmune Addison’s disease identifies multiple risk loci and highlights AIRE in disease susceptibility
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Autoimmune Addison's disease (AAD) is characterized by the autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex. Low prevalence and complex inheritance have long hindered successful genetic studies. We here report the first genome-wide association study on AAD, which identifies nine independent risk loci (P < 5 × 10-8). In addition to loci implicated in lymphocyte function and development shared with other autoimmune diseases such as HLA, BACH2, PTPN22 and CTLA4, we associate two protein-coding alterations in Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) with AAD. The strongest, p.R471C (rs74203920, OR = 3.4 (2.7-4.3), P = 9.0 × 10-25) introduces an additional cysteine residue in the zinc-finger motif of the second PHD domain of the AIRE protein. This unbiased elucidation of the genetic contribution to development of AAD points to the importance of central immunological tolerance, and explains 35-41% of heritability (h2).
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| 10. |
- Keildson, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
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Expression of phosphofructokinase in skeletal muscle is influenced by genetic variation and associated with insulin sensitivity.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 63:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Using an integrative approach in which genetic variation, gene expression, and clinical phenotypes are assessed in relevant tissues may help functionally characterize the contribution of genetics to disease susceptibility. We sought to identify genetic variation influencing skeletal muscle gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci [eQTLs]) as well as expression associated with measures of insulin sensitivity. We investigated associations of 3,799,401 genetic variants in expression of >7,000 genes from three cohorts (n = 104). We identified 287 genes with cis-acting eQTLs (false discovery rate [FDR] <5%; P < 1.96 × 10(-5)) and 49 expression-insulin sensitivity phenotype associations (i.e., fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance, and BMI) (FDR <5%; P = 1.34 × 10(-4)). One of these associations, fasting insulin/phosphofructokinase (PFKM), overlaps with an eQTL. Furthermore, the expression of PFKM, a rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis, was nominally associated with glucose uptake in skeletal muscle (P = 0.026; n = 42) and overexpressed (Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.03) in skeletal muscle of patients with T2D (n = 102) compared with normoglycemic controls (n = 87). The PFKM eQTL (rs4547172; P = 7.69 × 10(-6)) was nominally associated with glucose uptake, glucose oxidation rate, intramuscular triglyceride content, and metabolic flexibility (P = 0.016-0.048; n = 178). We explored eQTL results using published data from genome-wide association studies (DIAGRAM and MAGIC), and a proxy for the PFKM eQTL (rs11168327; r(2) = 0.75) was nominally associated with T2D (DIAGRAM P = 2.7 × 10(-3)). Taken together, our analysis highlights PFKM as a potential regulator of skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity.
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