| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Strömberg, Dan, 1959, et al.
(author)
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Relativistic calculations on some mercury sulphide molecules
- 1991
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In: Water Air and Soil Poll. - 0049-6979. ; 56:1, s. 681-695
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Relativistic quantum calculations at the CASSCF- and CCI-levels were performed on the Hg(SH)2, HgSH and HgS molecules. The relativistic effects were taken into account by a relativistic effective core potential method. Dissociation energies and optimal geometries were calculated for these three molecules, which are plausible atmospheric Hg compounds. The Hg(SH)2 and HgSH molecules (in the gaseous phase) have never been studied before, neither experimentally nor theoretically, i.e. the existence of these molecules are uncertain. The theoretical dissociation energies, De's, of Hg(SH)2 and HgSH (at the CCI-level) were 59 kcal·mol–1 and 3 kcal·mol–1, respectively, indicating that Hg(SH)2 could be stable in the atmosphere but probably not HgSH. The theoretical De of HgS differs very much from the experimental one, but the reason for this is not clear. The Hg-S distances for Hg(SH)2, HgSH and HgS were found to be 2.38, 2.63 and 2.30 Å, respectively. The Hg-S-H angle in Hg(SH)2 was optimized to 93°. The excitation energies of Hg(SH)2, Hg(SH)2(H2O)4 and (HSHg)2S were calculated in order to see whether these species can absorb photons with wavelengths longer than 290 nm (the sunlight limit) and subsequently be photolyzed. The Hg(SH)2(H2O)4 complex is intended as a model for Hg(SH)2(aq). Photoreduction of Hg-sulfide species in sea water, yielding Hg0, could be an important source of Hg in the atmosphere. Excitation energies lower than the sunlight limit (4.3 eV290 nm) were found for Hg(SH)2 and Hg(SH)2(H2O)4, although the lowest spin and dipole allowed excitations probably lie slightly (0.2 to 0.3 eV) above this limit. Therefore a photodecomposition of Hg(SH)2(g) and Hg(SH)2(aq) by sunlight seems likely to occur.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Akesson, AA, et al.
(author)
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Tubular and glomerular kidney effects in Swedish women with low environmental cadmium exposure
- 2005
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In: Environmental Health Perspectives. - : Environmental Health Perspectives. - 1552-9924 .- 0091-6765. ; 113:11, s. 1627-1631
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cadmium is a well-known nephrotoxic agent in food and tobacco, but the exposure level that is critical for kidney effects in the general population is not defined. Within a population-based women's health survey in southern Sweden (Women's Health in the Lund Area, WHILA), we investigated cadmium exposure in relation to tubular and glomerular function, from 1999 through early 2000 in 820 women (71% participation rate) 53-64 years of age. Multiple linear regression showed cadmium in blood (median, 0.38 mu g/L) and urine (0.52 mu g/L; density adjusted = 0.67 mu g/g creatinine) to be significantly associated with effects on renal tubules (as indicated by increased levels of human complex-forming protein and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase in urine), after adjusting for age, body mass index, blood lead, diabetes, hypertension, and regular use of nephrotoxic drugs. The associations remained significant even at the low exposure in women who had never smoked. We also found associations with markers of glomerular effects: glomerular filtration rate and creatinine clearance. Significant effects were seen already at a mean urinary cadmium level of 0.6 mu g/L (0.8 mu g/g creatinine). Cadmium potentiated diabetes-induced effects on kidney. In conclusion, tubular renal effects occurred at lower cadmium levels than previously demonstrated, and more important, glomerular effects were also observed. Although the effects were small, they may represent early signs of adverse effects, affecting large segments of the population. Subjects with diabetes seem to be at increased risk.
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| 5. |
- Akhtar, Sultan, et al.
(author)
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Visualization of functionalization of nano-particles and graphene in the TEM
- 2010
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In: Advanced Materials Workshop 2010.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, the activity on functionalized nano-objects has strongly increased. Yet, there are, to our knowledge no techniques available that visualize the attachment of molecules to nano-entities such as nanoparticles and graphene. In this work, we show a methodology to analyse the attachment of molecules to nanoparticles and graphene. The difficulty of such transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization consists in the high beam sensitivity of these nanoobjects. We employed a high resolution- as well as diffraction contrast-imaging methods to characterize graphene. First, we have developed a method to measure the thickness of free-standing graphene-like layers. The refinement of these imaging techniques enabled the imaging of functionalized C60 (fullerene) on top of a few-layer graphene flake by TEM. We also developed a methodology to visualize the attachment of functionalized gold and magnetic nanoparticles (different sizes) to nonstained and unlabeled single strand DNA-coils. This technique can be used to understand the interaction of a large variety of functionalized nanoparticles with their solution environment and/or macromolecular structures for their large applications.
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| 6. |
- Albin, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Cytogenetic and morphologic subgroups of myelodysplastic syndromes in relation to occupational and hobby exposures.
- 2003
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140. ; 29:5, s. 378-387
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between occupational and hobby exposure and the risk of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) while focusing on differential patterns of clonal chromosome aberrations and morphologic subgroups. METHODS: A case-referent study was conducted with 330 MDS patients investigated cytogenetically in 1976-1993 (cases) and matched referents. Telephone interviews with either the person or a next-of-kin were used. The participation rate of the cases and referents was 85% and 60%, respectively. Information was obtained from the next-of-kin more often for the cases (88%) than for the referents (26%). Occupational hygienists assessed the exposure using interview data on worktasks and hobbies. Associations with disease risk were evaluated for 10 exposures with a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The investigated exposures were generally not associated with cytogenetically abnormal MDS. Effect estimates for specific cytogenetic or morphologic subgroups were generally imprecise. Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (EMF) was associated with MDS with a normal karyotype [odds ratio (OR) 2.0, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.0-4.0]. The exposure-response association was consistent for intensity but inconclusive for duration. A decreased risk was observed for MDS, irrespective of karyotypic pattern, among farmers and farmhands (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.35-0.81). CONCLUSIONS: Cytogenetically abnormal MDS was generally not associated with occupational or hobby exposure to known or suspected genotoxic agents. However, exposure prevalences and intensities were low for several agents. An association was suggested between occupational exposure to EMF and MDS with a normal karyotype. Biases due to differential information quality and selective participation cannot be ruled out.
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| 7. |
- Albin, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Retention patterns of asbestos fibres in lung tissue among asbestos cement workers
- 1994
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In: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - 1470-7926. ; 51:3, s. 205-211
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Retention patterns in lung tissue (determined by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry) of chrysotile, tremolite, and crocidolite fibres were analysed in 69 dead asbestos cement workers and 96 referents. There was an accumulation of tremolite with time of employment. Among workers who died within three years of the end of exposure, the 13 with high tremolite concentrations had a significantly longer duration of exposure than seven in a low to intermediate category (medians 32 v 20 years; p = 0.018, one sided). Crocidolite showed similar patterns of accumulation. In workers who died more than three years after the end of exposure, there were no correlations between concentrations of amphibole fibres and time between the end of exposure and death. Chrysotile concentrations among workers who died shortly after the end of exposure were higher than among the referents (median difference in concentrations 13 million fibres (f)/g dry weight; p = 0.033, one sided). No quantitative differences in exposure (duration or intensity) could be shown between workers with high and low to intermediate concentrations. Interestingly, all seven workers who had had a high intensity at the end of exposure (> 2.5 f/ml), had low to intermediate chrysotile concentrations at death, whereas those with low exposure were evenly distributed (31 subjects in both concentration categories); hence, there was a dependence between last intensity of exposure and chrysotile concentration (p = 0.014). Among 14 workers with a high average intensity of exposure, both those (n = 5) with high tissue concentrations of chrysotile and those (n = 10) with high tissue concentrations of tremolite fibres had more pronounced fibrosis than those with low to intermediate concentrations (median fibrosis grades for chrysotile: 2 v 1, p = 0.021; for tremolite: 2 v 0.5, p = 0.012). Additionally, workers who died shortly after the end of exposure with high concentrations of chrysotile and crocidolite had smoked more than those with low intermediate concentrations (medians for chrysotile 35 v 15 pack-years, p = 0.030; for crocidolite 37 v 15 pack-years, p = 0.012). The present data indicate that chrysotile has a relatively rapid turnover in human lungs, whereas the amphiboles, tremolite and crocidolite, have a slower turnover. Further, chrysotile retention may be dependent on dose rate. Chrysotile and crocidolite deposition and retention may be increased by tobacco smoking; chrysotile and tremolite by fibrosis.
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| 8. |
- Almquist-Tangen, Gerd, et al.
(author)
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Influence of neighbourhood purchasing power on breastfeeding at four months of age : a Swedish population-based cohort study
- 2013
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In: BMC Public Health. - London : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Parental socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant in child health, influencing beneficial factors such as breastfeeding. A better understanding of the influence of neighbourhood-level SES measures, relating to spatial determinants, might lead to targeted actions to promote breastfeeding during infancy.METHODS: A cross-sectional study analysis the association between breastfeeding at four months of age and neighbourhood purchasing power, taking account of individual-level variables including maternal age, smoking and parental level of education. Data were obtained from a prospective population- based cohort study recruited from birth in 2007-2008 in the Halland region, southwestern Sweden. Questionnaire data on the individual-level variables and the outcome variable of breastfeeding at four months (yes/no) were used (n=2,407). Each mother was geo-coded with respect to her residential parish (there are 61 parishes in the region) and then stratified by parish-level household purchasing power. It emerged that four neighbourhood characteristics were reasonable to use, viz. <10%, 10-19%, 20-29% and ≥ 30% of the resident families with low purchasing power.RESULTS: The proportion of mothers not breastfeeding at four months of age showed a highly significant trend across the neighbourhood strata (p=0.00004): from 16.3% (< 10% with low purchasing power) to 29.4% (≥ 30% with low purchasing power), yielding an OR of 2.24 (95% confidence interval: 1.45-3.16). After adjusting for the individual-level variables, the corresponding OR=1.63 (1.07-2.56) was significant and the trend across the strata was still evident (p=0.05). A multi-level analysis estimated that, in the neighbourhoods with ≥ 30% of the families with low purchasing power, 20% more mothers than expected, taking account of the individual-level factors, reported no breastfeeding at four months of age (≥ 95% posterior probability of an elevated observed-to-expected ratio).CONCLUSION: The neighbourhood purchasing power provided a spatial determinant of low numbers of mothers breastfeeding at four months of age, which could be relevant to consider for targeted actions. The elevated observed-to-expected ratio in the neighbourhoods with the lowest purchasing power points toward a possible contextual influence. © 2013 Almquist-Tangen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
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| 9. |
- Axelson, Ulf, et al.
(author)
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Borrow cheap, buy high? : the determinants of leverage and pricing in buyouts
- 2013
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In: Journal of Finance. - : Wiley: No OnlineOpen. - 1540-6261 .- 0022-1082. ; 68:6, s. 2223-2267
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Private equity funds pay particular attention to capital structure when executing leveraged buyouts, creating an interesting setting for examining capital structure theories. Using a large, international sample of buyouts from 1980 to 2008, we find that buyout leverage is unrelated to the cross-sectional factors, suggested by traditional capital structure theories, that drive public firm leverage. Instead, variation in economy-wide credit conditions is the main determinant of leverage in buyouts. Higher deal leverage is associated with higher transaction prices and lower buyout fund returns, suggesting that acquirers overpay when access to credit is easier.
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| 14. |
- Axmon, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Female fertility in relation to the consumption of fish contaminated with persistent organochlorine compounds.
- 2002
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140. ; 28:2, s. 124-132
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to assess the effect of exposure to presistent organochlorine compounds through the consumption of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea on human fertility. METHODS: Information on time to pregnancy, miscarriages, and subfertility was collected retrospectively by self-administered questionnaires in two cohorts of fishermen's sisters from the Swedish east coast, by the Baltic Sea, and the west coast, where fish are less contaminated. Along with cohort affiliation, fish consumption and growing up in a fishing village or fisherman's family were used as measures of exposure within the eastcoast cohort (ie, the exposed cohort). RESULTS: There was no support for a negative effect of the consumption of fatty Baltic Sea fish on time to pregnancy, miscarriages, or subfertility. On the contrary, some evidence pointed towards a protective effect of fatty fish consumption within both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence of reduced fertility was found for women who could be assumed to have a high lifetime consumption of fatty fish contaminated by persistent organochlorine compounds. A possible explanation for this finding is that a positive effect of some of the constituents in fatty fish could be strong enough to disguise the hazardous effects of exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds.
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| 15. |
- Axmon, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Miscarriages and stillbirths in women with a high intake of fish contaminated with persistent organochlorine compounds
- 2000
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In: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1246 .- 0340-0131. ; 73:3, s. 204-208
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect, on miscarriages and stillbirths, of persistent organochlorine compounds (POC) through dietary intake of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea. METHODS: Information on miscarriages and stillbirths was collected retrospectively by a self-administered questionnaire in a cohort of fishermen's wives from the Swedish east coast (by the Baltic Sea) and in a referent cohort of west coast fishermen's wives. Current fish consumption was used as a proxy for exposure within the east coast cohort. RESULTS: No increase in miscarriages or stillbirths was found in the east coast cohort compared with the west coast group, in fact a decrease in early miscarriages was found (OR 0.48 [95% CI 0.26-0.92]). Moreover, no increase in risk was found for current high consumers of fatty fish within the east coast cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The present data provided no evidence that dietary POC exposure increases miscarriage and stillbirth rates.
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| 16. |
- Axmon, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Polychlorinated biphenyls in blood plasma among Swedish female fish consumers in relation to time to pregnancy
- 2001
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In: Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A: Current Issues. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1087-2620 .- 1528-7394. ; 64:6, s. 485-498
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to assess the association between 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) in plasma, a biomarker of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and time to pregnancy (TTP) in a group of women with a varying dietary exposure to PCB. For 121 Swedish east coast fishermen's wives (median year of birth 1956, range 1945-1968), information on selt-reported TTP for the first planned pregnancy (median 2 mo, range 0-48) and CB-153 concentrations from blood samples drawn in 1995 (median 144 ng/g lipid, range 16-566) were available. Each woman's CB-153 concentration in plasma at the time immediately preceding her pregnancy was estimated, taking into account reduction of body burden of CB-153 due to lactation, the yearly reduction of PCB in Baltic Sea fish, as well as the biological half-life of CB-153. Based on the estimated CB-153 concentrations, subjects were categorized into tertiles as low (37-206 ng/g lipid), medium (207-330 ng/g lipid), and high (331-,1036 ng/g lipid) exposure groups. TTP in the medium- and high-exposure groups were then compared to TTP in the low-exposure group by estimating the corresponding success rate (i.e., the number of pregnancies per person month) ratios (SuRR) using discrete Cox regression, taking into account essential confounders. No obvious association between estimated CB-153 concentration and TTP was observed (medium vs. low: SuRR 0.77 [95% CI 0.47-1.28] and high vs. low: SuRR 0.95 10.74-1.23]). The present data give no support for a negative association between the plasma CB-153 concentrations observed in the present study and TTP. It should, however, be borne in mind that the study group was rather small and mainly included relatively young women, likely to have been only moderately exposed.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Axmon, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Time to pregnancy and infertility among women with a high intake of fish contaminated with persistent organochlorine compounds
- 2000
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140. ; 26:3, s. 199-206
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of persistent organochlorine compounds through the dietary intake of fatty fish from the Baltic Sea on human fertility. METHODS: Information on time to pregnancy, subfertility, and infertility was collected retrospectively by self-administered questionnaires in 2 cohorts of fishermen's wives from the Swedish east (by the Baltic Sea) and west coasts. In addition to cohort affiliation, current fish consumption and growing up in a fishing village were used as proxies for exposure within the eastcoast cohort. RESULTS: A decreased success (ie, pregnancy) rate and a tendency towards increased subfertility was found for heavy smokers (> or =10 cigarettes/day) in the eastcoast cohort as compared with the westcoast cohort [success rate ratio 0.66, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.49-.89; subfertility odds ratio 1.64, 95% CI 0.91-2.91). However, internal analyses within the eastcoast cohort did not show that growing up in a fishing village or high current fish consumption decreased the success rate. Eastcoast cohort affiliation showed an increased risk for infertility (odds ratio 2.49, 95% CI 1.05-5.92). CONCLUSIONS: The present data give some support for a negative association between exposure to persistent organochlorine compounds and fertility among heavy smokers. However, when the proxy exposure measures are also considered, the findings are not consistent. Better individual exposure assessments should be used before more firm conclusions are drawn.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Bengtsson, Bertil, et al.
(author)
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Miljöbalken : en kommentar
- 2012
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Book (pop. science, debate, etc.)abstract
- Detta är en utförlig, paragrafvis, kommentar till miljöbalken som trädde i kraft den 1 juli 1999.– Kapitel 1-6 innehåller kommentarer till de övergripande bestämmelserna som reglerar alla verksamheter och åtgärder som har anknytning till miljöbalkens tillämpningsområde.– Kapitel 7-8 kommenterar naturvårdslagstiftningen och föreskrifter om skyddsområden.– Kapitel 9-15 kommenterar reglerna om miljöfarlig verksamhet, förorenade områden, vattenverksamhet, kemiska produkter samt avfall och producentansvar.– Kapitel 31-33 kommenterar reglerna om ersättning och skadestånd m.m.
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| 23. |
- Björk, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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A novel framework for classification of selection processes in epidemiological research
- 2020
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In: Bmc Medical Research Methodology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2288. ; 20:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Selection and selection bias are terms that lack consistent definitions and have varying meaning and usage across disciplines. There is also confusion in current definitions between underlying mechanisms that lead to selection and their consequences. Consequences of selection on study validity must be judged on a case-by-case basis depending on research question, study design and analytical decisions. The overall aim of the study was to develop a simple but general framework for classifying various types of selection processes of relevance for epidemiological research. Methods Several original articles from the epidemiological literature and from related areas of observational research were reviewed in search of examples of selection processes, used terminology and description of the underlying mechanisms. Results We classified the identified selection processes in three dimensions: i) selection level (selection at the population level vs. study-specific selection), ii) type of mechanism (selection in exposure vs. selection in population composition), iii) timing of the selection (at exposure entry, during exposure/follow-up or post-outcome). Conclusions Increased understanding of when, how, and why selection occur is an important step towards improved validity of epidemiological research.
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| 24. |
- Björk, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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Are occupational, hobby, or lifestyle exposures associated with Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukaemia?
- 2001
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In: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ. - 1470-7926 .- 1351-0711. ; 58:11, s. 722-727
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To investigate a broad range of occupational, hobby, and lifestyle exposures, suggested as risk factors for Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). METHODS: A case-control study, comprising 255 Ph+CML patients from southern Sweden and matched controls, was conducted. Individual data on work tasks, hobbies, and lifestyle exposures were obtained by telephone interviews. Occupational hygienists assessed occupational and hobby exposures for each subject individually. Also, occupational titles were obtained from national registries, and group level exposure-that is, the exposure proportion for each occupational title-was assessed with a job exposure matrix. The effects of 11 exposures using individual data and two exposures using group data (organic solvents and animal dust) were estimated. RESULTS: For the individual data on organic solvents, an effect was found for moderate or high intensity of exposure (odds ratio (OR) 3.4, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1 to 11) and for long duration (15-20 years) of exposure (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.0). By contrast, the group data showed no association (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.27 to 1.8; moderate or high intensity versus no exposure). For extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs), only individual data were available. An association with long occupational exposure to EMFs was found (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.5). However, no effect of EMF intensity was indicated. No significant effects of benzene, gasoline or diesel, or tobacco smoking were found. OR estimates below unity were suggested for personal use of hair dye and for agricultural exposures. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between exposure to organic solvents and EMFs, and Ph+CML were indicated but were not entirely consistent.
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| 25. |
- Björk, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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Effects of systematic exposure assessment errors in partially ecologic case-control studies.
- 2002
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In: International Journal of Epidemiology. - 1464-3685. ; 31:1, s. 154-160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: In ecologic studies, group-level rather than individual-level exposure data are used. When using group-level exposure data, established by sufficiently large samples of individual exposure assessments, the bias of the effect estimate due to sampling errors or random assessment errors at the individual-level is generally negligible. In contrast, systematic assessment errors may produce more pronounced errors in the group-level exposure measures, leading to bias in ecologic analyses. METHODS: We focus on effects of systematic exposure assessment errors in partially ecologic case-control studies. Individual-level information on disease status, group membership, and covariates is obtained from registries, whereas the exposure is a group-level measure obtained from an established exposure database. Effects on bias and coverage of 95% CI in various error situations are investigated under the linear risk model, using both simulated and empirical ecologic data on exposures that are binary at the individual level. RESULTS: Our simulations suggest that the bias produced by systematic exposure assessment errors under the linear risk model is generally approximately equal to the ratio of the slope bias and the intercept bias in ordinary linear regression with measurement errors in the independent variable. Consequently, bias in either direction can occur. Exposure assessment errors that systematically distort the group-level exposure measures have more pronounced effects on bias and coverage than errors producing random fluctuations of the group-level measures, which imply bias towards the null. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the need for careful consideration of potential effects of systematic distortions of the group-level exposure measures when constructing and applying group-level exposure databases, such as probabilistic job exposure matrices.
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