| 1. |
- Aklillu, Eleni, et al.
(författare)
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Association of MAOA gene functional promoter polymorphism with CSF dopamine turnover and atypical depression.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Pharmacogenetics and genomics. - 1744-6872. ; 19:4, s. 267-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) is a key mitochondrial enzyme that metabolizes biogenic amine neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. Individuals with atypical depression (AD) are particularly responsive to treatment with MAO inhibitors (MAOIs). Biomarker tests are essential for prompt diagnosis of AD, and to identify those with an altered brain neurotransmitter metabolism who may selectively respond to MAOI therapy. METHODS: In a sample of 118 Scandinavian patients with treatment-resistant depression who are naive to MAOI therapy, we investigated the associations between a common MAOA functional promoter polymorphism (MAOA-uVNTR), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurotransmitter metabolites, and AD susceptibility. The metabolites for dopamine (homovanillic acid, HVA), serotonin (5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid) and noradrenaline (3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol) were measured in the CSF. RESULTS: AD was associated with the female sex and a higher HVA in CSF (P=0.008). The carriers of the MAOA-uVNTR short allele were significantly overrepresented among women with AD (P=0.005; odds ratio=4.76; 95% confidence interval=1.5-13.1; statistical power=80.0%). Moreover, the MAOA-uVNTR genotype significantly influenced the HVA concentration (P=0.01) and showed a strong trend in relation to 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration (P=0.057) in women. The mediational statistical analyses showed the CSF-HVA concentration as a key driver of the relationship between MAOA-uVNTR genotype and AD. CONCLUSION: The association of the MAOA-uVNTR with both susceptibility to AD and dopamine metabolite (HVA) concentration lends further biological plausibility for high MAO-A enzyme activity as a mechanistic factor for genetic predisposition to AD through altered dopamine turnover. Our observations provide new evidence on the in-vivo functional significance of the MAOA-uVNTR short allele as a high activity variant.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Borgström, Sara, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Funding ecological restoration policy in practice : patterns of short-termism and regional biases
- 2016
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Ingår i: Land use policy. - : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 52, s. 439-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With continuous degradation of ecosystems combined with the recognition of human dependence on functioning ecosystems, global interest in ecological restoration (ER) has intensified. From being merely a nature conservation measure, it is today advanced as a way to improve ecosystem functions, mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change, as well as renew human–nature relationships. However, ER is a contested and diversified term used in research, policy and practice. Substantive public funding is allocated towards this end worldwide, but little is known about its concrete purpose and coverage, as well as what decides its allocation. With inspiration from environmental funding literature we analyze the case of Sweden to provide the first national overview of public ER funding. The understudied political context of ER is thus addressed but also regional variation in funding allocation. A database of all national government funding programs between 1995 and 2011 that included projects and sub-programs aiming at practical ER measures was created. Results show that ER activities counted for 11% (130 million USD) of the total government nature conservation funding. Water environments were highly prioritized, which can be explained by economic and recreational motives behind ER. The ER funding was unevenly distributed geographically, not related to either environmental need or population size, but rather to regional administrative capacity. It was also found to be small scale and short term, and hence part of a general trend of "project proliferation" of public administration which runs contrary to ecosystem based management. As ER is not yet a long-term investment in Sweden, commonly seen as an environmental lead state, we expect even less and more short-term ER funding in other countries.
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| 4. |
- Båth, Magnus, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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VGC analysis: Application of the ROC methodology to visual grading tasks
- 2008
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Ingår i: Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE. - : SPIE. - 1605-7422. ; 6917
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- To determine clinical image quality in radiography, visual grading of the reproduction of important anatomical landmarks is often used. The rating data from the observers in a visual grading study with multiple scale steps is ordinal, meaning that non-parametric rank-invariant statistical methods are required. However, many visual grading methods incorrectly use parametric statistical methods. This work describes how the methodology developed in receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis for characterising the difference in the observer's response to the signal and no-signal distributions can be applied to visual grading data for characterising the difference in perceived image quality between two systems. The method is termed visual grading characteristics (VGC) analysis. In a VGC study, the task of the observer is to rate her confidence about the fulfilment of image quality criteria. Using ROC software, the given ratings for the two systems are then used to determine the VGC curve, which describes the relationship between the proportions of fulfilled image criteria for the two compared systems for all possible decision thresholds. As a single measure of the difference in image quality between the two compared systems, the area under the VGC curve can be used.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Ellis Nilsson, Sara, Dr
(författare)
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Helgonen : de levandes ombud på andra sidan
- 2024
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Ingår i: Forskning och framsteg. - Stockholm. - 0015-7937. ; :2, s. 62-67
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Mirakler och donationer till helgon ger en inblick i vanliga människors liv under medeltiden.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Ellis Nilsson, Sara, Dr, et al.
(författare)
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Redaktörerna har ordet
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scandia. - : Scandia. - 0036-5483. ; 88:2, s. 191-198
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna introducerande text diskuterar det aktuella temanumret Levd religion i det förmoderna Nordeuropa.
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| 10. |
- Ellis Nilsson, Sara, Dr, et al.
(författare)
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Scandia introducerar: Levd religion i det förmoderna Nordeuropa : [Lived religion in premodern Northern Europe]
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scandia. - : Lund University. - 0036-5483. ; 88:2, s. 317-337
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- For most of human history, religious beliefs and practices have been fundamental to how people have understood and interacted with the world around them. Religion helped shape the rhythm of life, work, and social relationships, imbibing them with meaning. If historians wish to understand people in the past, it is of utmost importance that we understand their lived religious experiences. Religion is likewise a fundamental part of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Indeed, the aim of this current thematic issue, Lived Religion in Premodern Northern Europe, is to introduce the concept of lived religion as an analytical tool to a wider audience in the hope of seeing more studies of lived religiosity, especially of the premodern Nordic region.In order to put this thematic issue into context, the development of lived religion as an analytical perspective is introduced and explored in this article. The historiography reveals that the concept originated in the attempt to come to grips with religious variation and move away from studies of the purely dogmatic and theological aspects of religion, as well as the dichotomies which arose from efforts to distinguish popular/elite religion. As a concept, lived religion was introduced by the 1990s as part of this effort, and first used by sociologists and anthropologists to understand contemporary religious expression. Gradually it has also been applied to understand historical contexts. In research published in English, it began to be widely used by the early 2000s, while in Nordic contexts it has mainly been Finnish researchers who have adopted and continued to develop the concept in studies about pre-modern religiosity in the past decade. This article discusses the different ways in which lived religion and its related concepts have been applied in research dealing with pre-modern religious experiences and with an especial focus on research in and about the Nordic countries.In general, lived religion is seen as something that individuals do by adopting different customs and practices and using them in accordance with their own needs and priorities, not just something they believe. It can be expressed physically in an individual’s interactions with their material surroundings, as well as within social interactions and through language. Lived religion entails studying how people lived their religion, rather than about faith as an articulated internalization of theologically defined belief-systems. The focus is on religiosity anchored in bodily, intellectual, emotional, and everyday practices.The aim of this article and indeed the thematic issue is to emphasize that research on religiosity thrives best in a climate where many different perspectives are available: lived religion is just one of many useful concepts. We hope that we will see further research in which lived experiences of pre-modern religiosity – in all religious traditions – in the North are highlighted.
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| 11. |
- Haghighi, S., et al.
(författare)
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Open-label study with the monoamine stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
- 2021
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Ingår i: Brain and Behavior. - : Wiley. - 2162-3279. ; 11:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives The purpose of the present study was to investigate the safety and tolerability of the monoaminergic stabilizer (-)-OSU6162 in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). In addition, a potential therapeutic effect of (-)-OSU6162 in ME/CFS was evaluated by means of observer-rated scales and self-assessment rating scales. Materials and Methods In the current study using an open-label single-arm design ME/CFS patient received treatment with (-)-OSU6162 during 12 weeks. The patients received the following doses of (-)-OSU6162: 15 mg b.i.d. during the first 4-week period, up to 30 mg b.i.d. during the second 4-week period and up to 45 mg b.i.d. during the third 4-week period, with follow-up visits after 16 and 20 weeks. Results Out of 33 included patients, 28 completed the 12 weeks treatment period. (-)-OSU6162 was well tolerated; only one patient discontinued due to an adverse event. Vital signs and physical examinations showed no abnormal changes. Blood analyses showed an increase in serum prolactin. Therapeutically, improvements were seen on the Clinical Global Impression of Change scale, the FibroFatigue scale, the Mental Fatigue Scale, the Fatigue Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and the Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire. Conclusions (-)-OSU6162 is well tolerated in ME/CFS patients and shows promise as a novel treatment to mitigate fatigue and improve mood and health-related quality of life in ME/CFS. Obviously, the present results need to be confirmed in future placebo-controlled double-blind trials.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Håkansson, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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ViewDEX 2.0: A Java-based DICOM-compatible software for observer performance studies
- 2009
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Ingår i: Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE. - : SPIE. - 1605-7422. ; 7263
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- ViewDEX (Viewer for Digital Evaluation of X-ray images) is a Java-based DICOM-compatible software tool for observer performance studies that can be used to display medical images with simultaneous registration of the observer's response. The current release, ViewDEX 2.0, is a development of ViewDEX 1.0, which was released in 2007. Both versions are designed to run in a Java environment and do not require any special installation. For example, the program can be located on a memory stick or stand alone hard drive and be run from there. ViewDEX is managed and configured by editing property files, which are plain text files where users, tasks (questions, definitions, etc.) and functionality (WW/WL, PAN, ZOOM, etc.) are defined. ViewDEX reads most common DICOM image formats and the images can be stored in any location connected to the computer. ViewDEX 2.0 is designed so that the user in a simple way can alter if the questions presented to the observers are related to localization or not, enabling e.g. free-response ROC, standard ROC and visual grading studies, as well as combinations of these, to be conducted in a fast and efficient way. The software can also be used for bench marking and for educational purposes. The results from each observer are saved in a log file, which can be exported for further analysis. The software is freely available for non-commercial purposes.
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| 14. |
- Håkansson, Markus, et al.
(författare)
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ViewDEX: an efficient and easy-to-use software for observer performance studies
- 2010
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Ingår i: Radiation protection dosimetry. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1742-3406 .- 0144-8420. ; 139:1-3, s. 42-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of investigation techniques, image processing, workstation monitors, analysing tools etc. within the field of radiology is vast, and the need for efficient tools in the evaluation and optimisation process of image and investigation quality is important. ViewDEX (Viewer for Digital Evaluation of X-ray images) is an image viewer and task manager suitable for research and optimisation tasks in medical imaging. ViewDEX is DICOM compatible and the features of the interface (tasks, image handling and functionality) are general and flexible. The configuration of a study and output (for example, answers given) can be edited in any text editor. ViewDEX is developed in Java and can run from any disc area connected to a computer. It is free to use for non-commercial purposes and can be downloaded from http://www.vgregion.se/sas/viewdex. In the present work, an evaluation of the efficiency of ViewDEX for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) studies, free-response ROC (FROC) studies and visual grading (VG) studies was conducted. For VG studies, the total scoring rate was dependent on the number of criteria per case. A scoring rate of approximately 150 cases h(-1) can be expected for a typical VG study using single images and five anatomical criteria. For ROC and FROC studies using clinical images, the scoring rate was approximately 100 cases h(-1) using single images and approximately 25 cases h(-1) using image stacks ( approximately 50 images case(-1)). In conclusion, ViewDEX is an efficient and easy-to-use software for observer performance studies.
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| 15. |
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| 19. |
- Johnsson, Åse (Allansdotter), 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Nodule detection by chest tomosynthesis
- 2009
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Ingår i: 2nd World Congress of Thoracic Imaging and Diagnosis in Chest Disease, 30 May-2 June 2009, Valencia, Spain.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 20. |
- Johnsson, Åse (Allansdotter), 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Overview of two years of clinical experience of chest tomosynthesis at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Radiation protection dosimetry. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1742-3406 .- 0144-8420. ; 139:1-3, s. 124-129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since December 2006, approximately 3800 clinical chest tomosynthesis examinations have been performed at our department at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. A subset of the examinations has been included in studies of the detectability of pulmonary nodules, using computed tomography (CT) as the gold standard. Visibility studies, in which chest tomosynthesis and CT have been compared side-by side, have been used to determine the depiction potential of chest tomosynthesis. Comparisons with conventional chest radiography have been made. In the clinical setting, chest tomosynthesis has mostly been used as an additional examination. The most frequent indication for chest tomosynthesis has been suspicion of a nodule or tumour. In visibility studies, tomosynthesis has depicted over 90 % of the nodules seen on the CT scan. The corresponding figure for chest radiography has been <30 %. In the detection studies, the lesion-level sensitivity has been approximately 60 % for tomosynthesis and 20 % for chest radiography. In one of the detection studies, an analysis of all false-positive nodules was performed. This analysis showed that all findings had morphological correlates on the CT examinations. The majority of the false-positive nodules were localised in the immediate subpleural region. In conclusion, chest tomosynthesis is an improved chest radiography method, which can be used to optimise the use of CT resources, thereby reducing the radiation dose to the patient population. However, there are some limitations with chest tomosynthesis. For example, patients undergoing tomosynthesis have to be able to stand still and hold their breath firmly for 10 s. Also, chest tomosynthesis has a limited depth resolution, which may explain why pathology in the subpleural region is more difficult to interpret and artefacts from medical devices may occur.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Nilsson, Marie, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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A randomised controlled trial of the monoaminergic stabiliser (−)-OSU6162 in treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Neuropsychiatrica. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0924-2708 .- 1601-5215. ; 30:3, s. 148-57
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2017 Objective: The monoaminergic stabiliser (−)-OSU6162 has in previous studies shown promising effects on mental fatigue after stroke and traumatic brain injury. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of (−)-OSU6162 in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. Methods: A total of 62 patients were randomly assigned to placebo or (−)-OSU6162. Primary outcomes were assessment on the mental fatigue scale (MFS) and the clinical global impression of change (CGI-C) scale. Secondary outcomes were results on the FibroFatigue scale (FF), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the pain visual analogue scale and neuropsychological tests. Assessments were performed at baseline, after 1 and 2 weeks of treatment and at follow-up after 6 weeks. Results: MFS and CGI-C showed significant improvements for both treatment groups after treatment but not at follow-up; a similar pattern was seen for FF and BDI. However, significant differences between groups could not be demonstrated. On the other hand, correlation analyses showed a significant correlation between (−)-OSU6162 concentration and change in MFS, FF, and BDI score within the concentration interval 0.1–0.7 µM. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed a larger treatment effect with (−)-OSU6162 in improving MFS and FF symptoms in patients on antidepressant therapy compared to those without antidepressant treatment. Conclusion: (−)-OSU6162 was found to be safe and well tolerated. When analysing the entire material (−)-OSU6162 was not found to differ significantly from placebo in alleviating fatigue in ME patients but was superior to placebo in counteracting fatigue in a subgroup of ME patients who received concomitant pharmacological treatment for depression.
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| 23. |
- Regland, Björn, 1947, et al.
(författare)
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Response to vitamin B12 and folic acid in myalgic encephalomyelitis and fibromyalgia
- 2015
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME, also called chronic fatigue syndrome) may respond most favorably to frequent vitamin B12 injections, in vital combination with oral folic acid. However, there is no established algorithm for individualized optimal dosages, and rate of improvement may differ considerably between responders. Objective: To evaluate clinical data from patients with ME, with or without fibromyalgia, who had been on B12 injections at least once a week for six months and up to several years. Methods: 38 patients were included in a cross-sectional survey. Based on a validated observer's rating scale, they were divided into Good (n = 15) and Mild (n = 23) responders, and the two groups were compared from various clinical aspects. Results: Good responders had used significantly more frequent injections (p<0.03) and higher doses of B12 (p<0.03) for a longer time (p<0.0005), higher daily amounts of oral folic acid (p<0.003) in good relation with the individual MTHFR genotype, more often thyroid hormones (p<0.02), and no strong analgesics at all, while 70% of Mild responders (p<0.0005) used analgesics such as opioids, duloxetine or pregabalin on a daily basis. In addition to ME, the higher number of patients with fibromyalgia among Mild responders was bordering on significance (p<0.09). Good responders rated themselves as "very much" or "much" improved, while Mild responders rated "much" or "minimally" improved. Conclusions: Dose-response relationship and long-lasting effects of B12/folic acid support a true positive response in the studied group of patients with ME/fibromyalgia. It's important to be alert on co-existing thyroid dysfunction, and we suspect a risk of counteracting interference between B12/folic acid and certain opioid analgesics and other drugs that have to be demethylated as part of their metabolism. These issues should be considered when controlled trials for ME and fibromyalgia are to be designed. © 2015 Regland et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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| 24. |
- Roshanbin, Sahar, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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In vivo imaging of alpha-synuclein with antibody-based PET
- 2022
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Ingår i: Neuropharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0028-3908 .- 1873-7064. ; 208
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The protein alpha-synuclein (alpha SYN) plays a central role in synucleinopathies such as Parkinsons's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Presently, there are no selective alpha SYN positron emission tomography (PET) radioligands that do not also show affinity to amyloid-beta (A beta). We have previously shown that radiolabeled antibodies, engineered to enter the brain via the transferrin receptor (TfR), is a promising approach for PET imaging of intrabrain targets. In this study, we used this strategy to visualize alpha SYN in the living mouse brain. Five bispecific antibodies, binding to both the murine TfR and alpha SYN were generated and radiolabeled with iodine-125 or iodine-124. All bispecific antibodies bound to alpha SYN and mTfR before and after radiolabelling in an ELISA assay, and bound to brain sections prepared from alpha SYN overexpressing mice as well as human PD- and MSA subjects, but not control tissues in autoradiography. Brain concentrations of the bispecific antibodies were be-tween 26 and 63 times higher than the unmodified IgG format 2 h post-injection, corresponding to about 1.5% of the injected dose per gram brain tissue. Additionally, intrastriatal alpha SYN fibrils were visualized with PET in an alpha SYN deposition mouse model with one of the bispecific antibodies, [I-124]RmAbSynO2-scFv8D3. However, PET images acquired in alpha SYN transgenic mice with verified brain pathology injected with [I-124]RmAbSynO2-scFv8D3 and [I-124]RmAb48-scFv8D3 showed no increase in antibody retention compared to WT mice. Despite successful imaging of deposited extracellular alpha SYN using a brain-penetrating antibody-based radioligand with no cross-specificity towards A beta, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates challenges in imaging intracellular alpha SYN inclusions present in synucleinopathies.
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