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| 3. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 4. |
- Jung, Christian, et al.
(författare)
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A comparison of very old patients admitted to intensive care unit after acute versus elective surgery or intervention
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of critical care. - : W B SAUNDERS CO-ELSEVIER INC. - 0883-9441 .- 1557-8615. ; 52, s. 141-148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: We aimed to evaluate differences in outcome between patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) after elective versus acute surgery in a multinational cohort of very old patients (80 years; VIP). Predictors of mortality, with special emphasis on frailty, were assessed.Methods: In total, 5063 VIPs were induded in this analysis, 922 were admitted after elective surgery or intervention, 4141 acutely, with 402 after acute surgery. Differences were calculated using Mann-Whitney-U test and Wilcoxon test. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to assess associations with mortality.Results: Compared patients admitted after acute surgery, patients admitted after elective surgery suffered less often from frailty as defined as CFS (28% vs 46%; p < 0.001), evidenced lower SOFA scores (4 +/- 5 vs 7 +/- 7; p < 0.001). Presence of frailty (CFS >4) was associated with significantly increased mortality both in elective surgery patients (7% vs 12%; p = 0.01), in acute surgery (7% vs 12%; p = 0.02).Conclusions: VIPs admitted to ICU after elective surgery evidenced favorable outcome over patients after acute surgery even after correction for relevant confounders. Frailty might be used to guide clinicians in risk stratification in both patients admitted after elective and acute surgery.
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| 7. |
- Breugelmans, T., et al.
(författare)
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In-Depth Study of Transmembrane Mucins in Association with Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction During the Course of T Cell Transfer and DSS-Induced Colitis
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Crohns & Colitis. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1873-9946. ; 14:7, s. 974-994
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Aims: There is evidence for a disturbed intestinal barrier function in inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Because mucins represent the major components of the mucus barrier and disturbed mucin expression is reported in the colon of IBD patients, we studied the association between mucin expression, inflammation and intestinal permeability in experimental colitis. Methods: We quantified 4-kDa FITC-dextran intestinal permeability and the expression of cytokines, mucins, junctional and polarity proteins at dedicated time points in the adoptive T cell transfer and dextran sodium sulfate [DSS]-induced colitis models. Mucin expression was also validated in biopsies from IBD patients. Results: In both animal models, the course of colitis was associated with increased interleukin-1 beta [IL-1 beta] and tumour necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha] expression and increased Muc1 and Muc13 expression. In the T cell transfer model, a gradually increasing Muc1 expression coincided with gradually increasing 4-kDa FITC-dextran intestinal permeability and correlated with enhanced IL-1 beta expression. In the DSS model, Muc13 expression coincided with rapidly increased 4-kDa FITC-dextran intestinal permeability and correlated withTNF-alpha and Muc1 overexpression. Moreover, a significant association was observed between Muc1, Cldn1, Ocln, Par3 and aPKC zeta expression in the T cell transfer model and between Muc13, Cldn1, Jam2, Tjp2, aPkc zeta, Crb3 and Scrib expression in the DSS model. Additionally, MUC1 and MUC13 expression was upregulated in inflamed mucosa of IBD patients. Conclusions: Aberrantly expressed MUC1 and MUC13 might be involved in intestinal barrier dysfunction upon inflammation by affecting junctional and cell polarity proteins, indicating their potential as therapeutic targets in IBD.
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| 9. |
- Hoebeeck, J, et al.
(författare)
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The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene expression level has prognostic value in neuroblastoma
- 2006
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 119:3, s. 624-629
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deletions of the short arm of chromosome 3 are often observed in a specific subset of aggressive neuroblastomas (NBs) with loss of distal 11q and without MYCN amplification. The critical deleted region encompasses the locus of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL, 3p25). Constitutional loss of function mutations in the VHL gene are responsible for the VHL syndrome, a dominantly inherited familial cancer syndrome predisposing to a variety of neoplasms, including pheochromocytoma. Pheochromocytomas are, like NB, derived from neural crest cells, but, unlike NB, consist of more mature chromaffin cells instead of immature neuroblasts. Further arguments for a putative role of VHL in NB are its function as oxygen sensitizer and the reported relation between hypoxia and dedifferentiation of NB cells, leading to a more aggressive phenotype. To test the possible involvement of VHL in NB, we did mRNA expression analysis and sought evidence for VHL gene inactivation. Although no evidence for a classic tumor suppressor role for VHL in NB could be obtained, a strong correlation was observed between reduced levels of VHL mRNA and low patient survival probability (p = 0.013). Furthermore, VHL appears to have predictive power in NTRK1 (TRKA) positive tumor samples with presumed favorable prognosis, which makes it a potentially valuable marker for more accurate risk assessment in this subgroup of patients. The significance of the reduced VHL expression levels in relation to NB tumor biology remains unexplained, as functional analysis demonstrated no clear effect of the reduction in VHL mRNA expression on protein stability of its downstream target hypoxia-inducible factor alpha. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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| 10. |
- van Steenbergen, Hanna W, et al.
(författare)
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EULAR definition of arthralgia suspicious for progression to rheumatoid arthritis
- 2017
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 76:3, s. 491-496
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: During the transition to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) many patients pass through a phase characterised by the presence of symptoms without clinically apparent synovitis. These symptoms are not well-characterised. This taskforce aimed to define the clinical characteristics of patients with arthralgia who are considered at risk for RA by experts based on their clinical experience.METHODS: The taskforce consisted of 18 rheumatologists, 1 methodologist, 2 patients, 3 health professionals and 1 research fellow. The process had three phases. In phase I, a list of parameters considered characteristic for clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA) was derived; the most important parameters were selected by a three-phased Delphi approach. In phase II, the experts evaluated 50 existing patients on paper, classified them as CSA/no-CSA and indicated their level of confidence. A provisional set of parameters was derived. This was studied for validation in phase III, where all rheumatologists collected patients with and without CSA from their outpatient clinics.RESULTS: The comprehensive list consisted of 55 parameters, of which 16 were considered most important. A multivariable model based on the data from phase II identified seven relevant parameters: symptom duration <1 year, symptoms of metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, morning stiffness duration ≥60 min, most severe symptoms in early morning, first-degree relative with RA, difficulty with making a fist and positive squeeze test of MCP joints. In phase III, the combination of these parameters was accurate in identifying patients with arthralgia who were considered at risk of developing RA (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.92, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.96). Test characteristics for different cut-off points were determined.CONCLUSIONS: A set of clinical characteristics for patients with arthralgia who are at risk of progression to RA was established.
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| 12. |
- de Smet, P., et al.
(författare)
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Gender and regional differences in perceived job stress across Europe
- 2005
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Ingår i: Eur J Public Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 15:5, s. 536-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Over the last 20 years stress at work has been found to be predictive of several conditions such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and non-specific sick leave. The Karasek demand/control/strain concept has been the most widely used in prospective epidemiological studies. OBJECTIVES: To describe distribution in Karasek's demand/control (DC) dimensions as well as prevalence of strain in samples from different parts of Europe grouped into three regions (South, Middle, Sweden), adjusting for occupation. To describe gender differences in Karasek's DC dimensions along with strain prevalence and assess the regional stability of those differences in different occupational groups. DESIGN: The Job stress, Absenteeism and Coronary heart disease in Europe (JACE) study, a Concerted Action (Biomed I) of the European Union, is a multicentre prospective cohort epidemiological study: 38,019 subjects at work aged 35-59 years were surveyed at baseline. Standardised techniques were used for occupation coding (International Standardised Classification of Occupations) and for the DC model (Karasek scale): five items for the psychological demand and nine items for the control or decision latitude dimensions, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 34,972 subjects had a complete data set. There were important regional differences in the Karasek scales and in prevalence of strain even after adjustment for occupational class. Mean demand and control were higher in the Swedish centres when compared to two centres in Milano and Barcelona (Southern region) and values observed in four centres (Ghent, Brussels, Lille and Hoofddorp) in Middle Europe were closer to those observed in the Southern cities than to those obtained in the Swedish cities. Clerks (ISCO 4) and, more specifically, office clerks (ISCO 41) exhibited the smallest regional variation. In a multivariate model, the factor 'region' explained a small fraction of total variance. In the two Southern centres as well as in the four Middle European centres, men perceived marginally less job-demand as compared to women whereas the reverse was observed in the two Swedish centres. Differences were larger for control: men appeared to perceive more control at work than did women. In a multivariate model, gender explained a small fraction whereas occupational level explained a large fraction of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: In this standardised multicentre European study Karasek's DC model showed large gender and occupational differences whereas geographic region explained a small fraction of the total DC variance, notwithstanding large differences in labour market and working conditions as pointed out by the European Commission as recently as 2000.
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| 13. |
- Flahou, Bram, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for a primate origin of zoonotic Helicobacter suis colonizing domesticated pigs.
- 2018
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Ingår i: The ISME journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1751-7370 .- 1751-7362. ; 12:1, s. 77-86
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Helicobacter suis is the second most prevalent Helicobacter species in the stomach of humans suffering from gastric disease. This bacterium mainly inhabits the stomach of domesticated pigs, in which it causes gastric disease, but it appears to be absent in wild boars. Interestingly, it also colonizes the stomach of asymptomatic rhesus and cynomolgus monkeys. The origin of modern human-, pig- or non-human primate-associated H. suis strains in these respective host populations was hitherto unknown. Here we show that H. suis in pigs possibly originates from non-human primates. Our data suggest that a host jump from macaques to pigs happened between 100000 and 15000 years ago and that pig domestication has had a significant impact on the spread of H. suis in the pig population, from where this pathogen occasionally infects humans. Thus, in contrast to our expectations, H. suis appears to have evolved in its main host in a completely different way than its close relative Helicobacter pylori in humans.
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| 14. |
- Rovas, Linas, et al.
(författare)
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Three-dimensional ultrasound assessment of the cervix for predicting time to spontaneous onset of labor and time to delivery in prolonged pregnancy
- 2006
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Ingår i: Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. - : Wiley. - 1469-0705 .- 0960-7692. ; 28:3, s. 306-311
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To determine whether three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound including power Doppler examination of the cervix is useful for predicting time to spontaneous onset of labor or time to delivery in prolonged pregnancy. Methods A prospective study was conducted in 60 women who went into spontaneous labor. All underwent transvaginal 3D power Doppler ultrasound examination of the cervix immediately before a prolonged-pregnancy cbeck-up at >= 41 + 5 gestational weeks. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine which of the following variables predicted spontaneous onset of labor > 24 h and > 48 h and vaginal delivery > 48 h and > 60 h: length, anteroposterior (AP) diameter and width of the cervix and of any cervical funneling; cervical volume (cm(3)); vascularization index (VI); flow index (FI); vascularization flow index (VEI); parity; and Bishop score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out both with and without Bishop score as a predictive variable. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to describe the diagnostic performance of the tests. Results The areas under the ROC curves for Bishop score, cervical length, and logistic regression models did not differ significantly (areas ranging from 0.72 to 0.82). If Bishop score was not included in the logistic regression model, cervical length, VI and FI independently predicted delivery > 48 h, the likelihood increasing with increasing cervical length, decreasing VI and increasing FI. Conclusions In prolonged pregnancy cervical vascularization as estimated by 3D power Doppler ultrasound is related to time to delivery > 48 h, but the likelihood of delivery > 48 h can be predicted equally well using Bishop score alone or sonograpbic cervical length alone Copyright (c) 2006 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 15. |
- Strobel, E, et al.
(författare)
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Bishop score and ultrasound assessment of the cervix for prediction of time to onset of labor and time to delivery in prolonged pregnancy.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. - : Wiley. - 1469-0705 .- 0960-7692. ; 28:3, s. 298-305
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To determine the ability of Bishop score and sonographic cervical length to predict time to spontaneous onset of labor and time to delivery in prolonged pregnancy. Methods Ninety-seven women underwent transvaginal ultrasound examination and palpation of the cervix at 291-296 days' gestation according to ultrasound fetometry at 12-20 weeks' gestation. Sonographic cervical length and Bishop score were recorded. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine which variables were independent predictors of the onset of labor/delivery 24 h, 48 h, and 96 h. Receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves were drawn to assess diagnostic performance. Results In nulliparous women (n = 45), both Bishop score and sonographic cervical length predicted the onset of labor/delivery 24 h and 48 h (area under ROC curve for the onset of labor 24 h 0.79 vs. 0.80, P = 0.94; for delivery 24 h 0.81 vs. 0.85, P = 0.64; for the onset of labor 48 h 0.73 vs. 0.74, P = 0.90; for delivery 48 h 0.77 vs. 0.71, P = 0.50). Only Bishop score discriminated between nulliparous women who went into labor/delivered 96 h or > 96 h. A logistic regression model including Bishop score and cervical length was superior to Bishop score alone in predicting delivery 24 h (area under ROC curve 0.93 vs. 0.81, P = 0.03) and superior to Bishop score alone and cervical length alone in predicting the onset of labor 24 h (area under ROC curve 0.90 vs. 0.79, P = 0.06; and 0.90 vs. 0.80, P = 0.06). In parous women (n = 52), Bishop score and sonographic cervical length predicted the onset of labor/delivery 24 h (area under ROC curve for the onset of labor 0.75 vs. 0.69, P = 0.49; for delivery 0.74 vs. 0.70, P = 0.62), but only Bishop score discriminated between women who went into labor/delivered 48 h and > 48 h. Three parous women had not gone into labor and six had not given birth at 96 h. In parous women logistic regression models including both Bishop score and cervical length did not substantially improve prediction of the time to onset of labor/delivery. Conclusions In prolonged pregnancy Bishop score and sonographic cervical length have a similar ability to predict the time to the onset of labor and delivery. In nulliparous women the use of logistic regression models including Bishop score and cervical length is likely to offer better prediction of the onset of labor/delivery 24 h than the use of the Bishop score alone.
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| 16. |
- Van Roy, N, et al.
(författare)
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Translocation-excision-deletion-amplification mechanism leading to nonsyntenic coamplification of MYC and ATBF1
- 2006
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Ingår i: Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer. - : Wiley. - 1045-2257 .- 1098-2264. ; 45:2, s. 107-117
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite oncogene amplification being a characteristic of many tumor types, the mechanisms leading to amplicon formation have remained largely unresolved. In this study, we used a combinatorial approach of fluorescence in situ hybridization and single-nucleotide polymorphism chip gene copy number analyses to unravel the mechanism leading to nonsyntenic coamplification of MYC and ATBF1 in SJNB-12 cells. To explain our findings, we propose a complex series of events consisting of multiple double-strand breaks, accompanied (or triggered) by the formation of a reciprocal translocation t(8; 16), as well as excisions and deletions near the translocation breakpoints. This study provides evidence for a translocation-excision-deletion-amplification sequence of events rather than a breakage-fusion-bridge model, which has been more frequently proposed to explain proto-oncogene amplification. Furthermore, it illustrates the power of presently available tools for detailed analysis of the complex rearrangements that accompany amplicon formation.
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| 18. |
- Deuling, J H H, et al.
(författare)
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Closure of the femoral artery after cardiac catheterization : a comparison of Angio-Seal, StarClose, and manual compression.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions. - : Wiley. - 1522-1946 .- 1522-726X. ; 71:4, s. 518-23
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To compare Angio-Seal (AS) and StarClose (SC) and manual compression (MC) on efficacy of hemostasis, complication rate, safety of early mobilization, and patient comfort. BACKGROUND: Closure of the femoral artery after cardiac catheterization can be obtained through different methods. Today, physicians can choose from a number of different devices to achieve arterial closure. METHODS: In a prospective trial 450 patients were randomized to AS, SC, or MC. Patients were mobilized 1 to 2 hr after device placement, and 6 hr after MC. Data were collected during hospital admission and by telephone at one month after hospital discharge. RESULTS: Devices were used in 138/150 allocated to AS and 124/150 allocated to SC patients (92% vs. 83%, P = 0.015) Patients with MC experienced more pain during sheath removal than patients receiving a device, and rated their period of bed rest as less comfortable. Oozing and need for pressure bandage at the puncture site were observed in 37 AS patients and 57 SC patients (25% vs. 38%, P = 0.002). Hematoma occurred in 15 AS patients, in 17 SC patients, and in 14 MC patients (11 vs. 14 vs. 9%, ns). CONCLUSION: There is no difference in safety between the three methods of arterial closure. SC was more often not used or successfully deployed. SC patients more often had continuing oozing. On patient comfort, closure devices performed better than MC. Early ambulation in patients with a closure device is safe. AS is the preferred method of arterial closure after cardiac catheterization.
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