| 1. |
- Hedin, Katarina, et al.
(författare)
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Initial symptoms and three months follow-up after acute COVID-19 in outpatients : An international prospective cohort study
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Journal of General Practice. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1381-4788 .- 1751-1402. ; 29:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Most studies on long-term follow-up of patients with COVID-19 focused on hospitalised patients. No prospective study with structured follow-up has been performed in non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19. Objectives: To assess long-COVID and post-COVID (WHO definition: symptomatic at least 12 weeks), describe lingering symptoms, their impact on daily activities, and general practice visits and explore risk factors for symptom duration in outpatients. Methods: A prospective study of adult outpatients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 in 11 European countries, recruited during 2020 and 2021 from primary care and the community. Structured follow-up by phone interviews (symptom rating, symptom impact on daily activities and general practice visits) was performed at weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12 by study personnel. Data was analysed descriptively by using correlation matrixes and Cox regression. Results: Of 270 enrolled patients, 52% developed long-COVID and 32% post-COVID-syndrome. When only considering the presence of moderate or (very) severe symptoms at weeks 8 and 12, these percentages were 28% and 18%, respectively. Fatigue was the most often reported symptom during follow-up. The impact of lingering symptoms was most evident in sports and household activities. About half (53%) had at least one general practice contact during follow-up. Obese patients took twice as long to return to usual health (HR: 0.5, 95%CI: 0.3–0.8); no other risk profile could predict lingering symptoms. Conclusion: Long-COVID and post-COVID are also common in outpatients. In 32%, it takes more than 12 weeks to return to usual health.
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| 2. |
- Hartman, Esther A R, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of a multifaceted antibiotic stewardship intervention to improve antibiotic prescribing for suspected urinary tract infections in frail older adults (ImpresU): pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial in four European countries.
- 2023
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Ingår i: BMJ (Clinical research ed.). - : BMJ. - 0959-535X .- 1756-1833. ; 380
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To evaluate whether antibiotic prescribing for suspected urinary tract infections in frail older adults can be reduced through a multifaceted antibiotic stewardship intervention.Pragmatic, parallel, cluster randomised controlled trial, with a five month baseline period and a seven month follow-up period.38 clusters consisting of one or more general practices (n=43) and older adult care organisations (n=43) in Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, from September 2019 to June 2021.1041 frail older adults aged 70 or older (Poland 325, the Netherlands 233, Norway 276, Sweden 207), contributing 411 person years to the follow-up period.Healthcare professionals received a multifaceted antibiotic stewardship intervention consisting of a decision tool for appropriate antibiotic use, supported by a toolbox with educational materials. A participatory-action-research approach was used for implementation, with sessions for education, evaluation, and local tailoring of the intervention. The control group provided care as usual.The primary outcome was the number of antibiotic prescriptions for suspected urinary tract infections per person year. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of complications, all cause hospital referrals, all cause hospital admissions, all cause mortality within 21 days after suspected urinary tract infections, and all cause mortality.The numbers of antibiotic prescriptions for suspected urinary tract infections in the follow-up period were 54 prescriptions in 202 person years (0.27 per person year) in the intervention group and 121 prescriptions in 209 person years (0.58 per person year) in the usual care group. Participants in the intervention group had a lower rate of receiving an antibiotic prescription for a suspected urinary tract infection compared with participants in the usual care group, with a rate ratio of 0.42 (95% confidence interval 0.26 to 0.68). No differences between intervention and control group were observed in the incidence of complications (<0.01 v 0.05 per person year), hospital referrals (<0.01 v 0.05), admissions to hospital (0.01 v 0.05), and mortality (0 v 0.01) within 21 days after suspected urinary tract infections, nor in all cause mortality (0.26 v 0.26).Implementation of a multifaceted antibiotic stewardship intervention safely reduced antibiotic prescribing for suspected urinary tract infections in frail older adults.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03970356.
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| 3. |
- Heltveit-Olsen, Silje Rebekka, et al.
(författare)
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Methenamine hippurate to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in older women: protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled trial (ImpresU)
- 2022
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 12:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction Methenamine hippurate is a urinary antiseptic used as preventive treatment for recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in some Scandinavian countries. However, the scientific evidence for the preventive effect and safety for longer-term use is limited. The aim of this study is to assess whether methenamine hippurate can reduce the incidence of UTIs in older women with recurrent UTIs. Methods and analysis The ImpresU consortium is a collaboration between Norway, Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands. The study is a randomised, controlled, triple-blind phase IV clinical trial. Women ≥70 years with recurrent UTIs are screened for eligibility in a general practice setting. We aim to include 400 women in total, with 100 recruited from each collaborating country. The participants are randomised to treatment with methenamine hippurate 1 g or placebo tablets two times per day for a treatment period of 6 months, followed by a drug-free follow-up period of 6 months. The primary outcome is number of antibiotic treatments for UTIs during the treatment period. The secondary outcomes include number of antibiotic treatments for UTIs during the follow-up period and self-reported symptom of severity and duration of UTI episodes. Differences in complications between the treatment groups are measured as safety outcomes. We also aim to investigate whether strain characteristics or phylogenetic subgroups of Escherichia coli present in the urine culture at inclusion have a modifying effect on the outcomes. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approvals are obtained in all participating countries. The results will be communicated in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT04077580); EudraCT: 2018-002235-15.
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| 4. |
- Malczewska, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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NETest liquid biopsy is diagnostic of small intestine and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and correlates with imaging
- 2019
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Ingår i: Endocrine Connections. - : BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD. - 2049-3614. ; 8:4, s. 442-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Current monoanalyte biomarkers are ineffective in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). NETest, a novel multianalyte signature, provides molecular information relevant to disease biology. Aim(s): Independently validate NETest to diagnose GEP-NETs and identify progression in a tertiary referral center. Materials and methods: Cohorts are 67 pancreatic NETs (PNETs), 44 small intestine NETs (SINETs) and 63 controls. Well-differentiated (WD) PNETs, n = 62, SINETs, all (n = 44). Disease extent assessment at blood draw: anatomical (n = 110) CT (n = 106), MRI (n = 7) and/or functional Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT (n = 69) or F-18-FDG-PET/CT (n = 8). Image-positive disease (IPD) was defined as either CT/MRI or Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT/F-18-FDG-PET/CT-positive. Both CT/MRI and Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT negative diagnosis in WD-NETs was considered image-negative disease (IND). NETest (normal: 20): PCR (spotted plate s). Data: mean +/- SD. Results: Diagnosis: NETest was significantly increased in NETs (n = 111; 26 +/- 21) vs controls (8 +/- 4, p < 0.0001). Seventy-five (42 PNET, 33 SINET) were image positive. Eleven (8 PNET, 3 SINET; all WD) were IND. In IPD, NETest was significantly high er (36 +/- 22) vs IND (8 +/- 7, P < 0.0001). NETest accuracy, sensitivity and specificity are 97, 99 and 95%, respectively. Concordance with imaging: NETest was 92% (101/110) concordant with anatomical imaging, 94% (65/69) with Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT and 96% (65/68) dual modality (CT/MRI and Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT). In 70 CT/MRI positive, NETest was elevated in all (37 +/- 22). In 40 CT/MRI negative, NETest was normal (11 +/- 10) in 31. In 56 Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT positive, NETest was elevated (36 +/- 22) in 55. In 13 Ga-68-SSA-PET/CT negative, NETest was normal (9 +/- 8) in ten. Disease status: NETest was significantly higher in progressive (61 +/- 26; n = 11) vs stable disease (29 +/- 14; n = 64; P < 0.0001) (RECIST 1.1). Conclusion: NETest is an effective diagnostic for PNETs and SINETs. Elevated NETest is as effective as imaging in diagnosis and accurately identifies progression.
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| 5. |
- Malhotra-Kumar, Surbhi, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of amoxicillin therapy on resistance selection in patients with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections : A randomized, placebo-controlled study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0305-7453 .- 1460-2091. ; 71:11, s. 3258-3267
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To determine the effect of amoxicillin treatment on resistance selection in patients with community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Patients were prescribed amoxicillin 1 g, three times daily (n = 52) or placebo (n = 50) for 7 days. Oropharyngeal swabs obtained before, within 48 h post-treatment and at 28-35 days were assessed for proportions of amoxicillin-resistant (ARS; amoxicillin MIC ≥2 mg/L) and -non-susceptible (ANS; MIC ≥0.5 mg/L) streptococci. Alterations in amoxicillin MICs and in penicillin-binding-proteins were also investigated. ITT and PP analyses were conducted. Results: ARS and ANS proportions increased 11- and 2.5-fold, respectively, within 48 h post-amoxicillin treatment compared with placebo [ARS mean increase (MI) 9.46, 95% CI 5.57-13.35; ANS MI 39.87, 95% CI 30.96-48.78; P < 0.0001 for both]. However, these differences were no longer significant at days 28-35 (ARS MI -3.06, 95% CI -7.34 to 1.21; ANS MI 4.91, 95% CI -4.79 to 14.62; P > 0.1588). ARS/ANS were grouped by pbp mutations. Group 1 strains exhibited significantly lower amoxicillin resistance (mean MIC 2.8 mg/L, 95% CI 2.6-3.1) than group 2 (mean MIC 9.3 mg/L, 95% CI 8.1-10.5; P < 0.0001). Group 2 strains predominated immediately post-treatment (61.07%) and although decreased by days 28-35 (30.71%), proportions remained higher than baseline (18.70%; P = 0.0004). Conclusions: By utilizing oropharyngeal streptococci as model organisms this study provides the first prospective, experimental evidence that resistance selection in patients receiving amoxicillin is modest and short-lived, probably due to 'fitness costs' engendered by high-level resistance-conferring mutations. This evidence further supports European guidelines that recommend amoxicillin when an antibiotic is indicated for community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections.
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| 6. |
- Mikicin, Mirosław, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of the Neurofeedback‑EEG Training During Physical Exercise on the Range of Mental Work Performance and Individual Physiological Parameters in Swimmers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1090-0586 .- 1573-3270. ; 45, s. 49-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the study was to demonstrate the effects of the Neurofeedback-EEG training during physical exercise on the improvements in mental work performance and physiological parameters. The study examined seven swimmers based on the following anthropometric measurements: body height, body mass and body composition. The Kraepelin’s work curve test, EEG and EMG during physical exercise were also performed. The athletes followed 20 Neurofeedback-EEG training sessions on the swimming ergometer for 4 months. Most mean indices of partial measures of the work curve were significantly modified (p<0.05) following the Neurofeedback-EEG training. Mean level of maximal oxygen uptake in study participants was over 55 ml/kg/min, with statistically significant differences documented between the first and the second measurements. No significant differences were found in the fatigue rate between the measurements 1 and 2. The improved mental work performance following the Neurofeedback-EEG training facilitates optimization of psychomotor activities.
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| 7. |
- Roels, Juliette, et al.
(författare)
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Aging of preleukemic thymocytes drives CpG island hypermethylation in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- 2020
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Ingår i: Blood cancer discovery. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 2643-3249. ; 1:3, s. 274-289
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cancer cells display DNA hypermethylation at specific CpG islands in comparison to their normal healthy counterparts, but the mechanism that drives this so-called CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that CpG island methylation in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) mainly occurs at promoters of Polycomb Repressor Complex 2 (PRC2) target genes that are not expressed in normal or malignant T-cells and which display a reciprocal association with H3K27me3 binding. In addition, we revealed that this aberrant methylation profile reflects the epigenetic history of T-ALL and is established already in pre-leukemic, self-renewing thymocytes that precede T-ALL development. Finally, we unexpectedly uncover that this age-related CpG island hypermethylation signature in T-ALL is completely resistant to the FDA-approved hypomethylating agent Decitabine. Altogether, we here provide conceptual evidence for the involvement of a pre-leukemic phase characterized by self-renewing thymocytes in the pathogenesis of human T-ALL.
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