1. |
- Asellus, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Cholesterol and the "Cycle of Violence" in attempted suicide
- 2014
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Ingår i: Psychiatry Research. - : Elsevier. - 0165-1781 .- 1872-7123. ; 215:3, s. 646-50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An association between low levels of serum cholesterol and violent or suicidal behaviour has frequently been reported. However the role of serum cholesterol in the cycle of violence (Widom, 1989) has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigate association between exposure to violence during childhood and used adult violence in suicide attempters with low and high serum cholesterol levels. 81 suicide attempters were assessed with the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale (KIVS) measuring exposure to violence and expressed violent behaviour in childhood (between 6 and 14 years of age) and during adult life (15 years or older). We used median split to dichotomise groups below and above median serum cholesterol. In patients with serum cholesterol below median, the correlation between exposure to violence as a child and used adult violence was significant (rho=0.52, p=0.002), while in patients with serum cholesterol above median, the correlation between exposure to violence as a child and expressed violent behaviour as an adult was not significant (rho=0.25, p=0.2). Comorbid substance abuse predicted violent behaviour as an adult only in patients with serum cholesterol above median. Serum cholesterol may modify the effect of the "Cycle of Violence".
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2. |
- Asellus, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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CSF Apolipoprotein E in attempted suicide
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 225, s. 246-249
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Cholesterol and cholesterol metabolism, involved in continued neural plasticity, has been associated to suicide and suicidal behavior. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) plays an important role in the cholesterol metabolism. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether ApoE in cerebrospinal fluid was related to severity of suicidal behavior as measured by number of earlier suicide attempts, reversibility/interruptabilty and violent method of suicide attempt. Methods: CSF ApoE and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in 42 medication free suicide attempters. Earlier suicide attempts and the reversibility of suicide attempt method were assessed with the Suicide Intent Scale (SIS) and the Freeman Scale. Suicide attempts were classified according to violence of method. Results: CSF ApoE levels significantly negatively correlated to the scores on Freeman Reversibility and there was a trend for lower CSF ApoE levels in suicide attempters using a violent method. Patients with at least one earlier suicide attempt (repeaters) showed a trend for higher CSF ApoE levels compared to suicide attempters debuting with suicidal behavior at inclusion in the study. The correlation between CSF ApoE and 5-HIAA was not significant. Limitations: The main limitations to this study were a relatively small sample size and lack of a healthy control group. Conclusion: Irreversible suicide attempts, representing a high risk for completed suicide, may be associated with lower level of ApoE in CSF.
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3. |
- Asellus, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma apolipoprotein E and severity of suicidal behaviour
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 190, s. 137-142
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is evidence for association between low cholesterol levels and suicidal behaviour. Since apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is involved in the cholesterol metabolism in both the periphery and in the central nervous system; it may be of particular interest in the neurobiology of suicidal behaviour. Furthermore, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, one of the main biological systems implicated in both suicidal behaviour and early-life adversity, affect ApoE levels. Very few studies have assessed plasma ApoE in relation to suicidal behaviour. The purpose of this study was to investigate levels of ApoE in plasma in relation to the severity of suicidal behaviour and life-time adversity in the form of exposure to interpersonal violence in suicide attempters. A total of 100 suicide attempters (67 women and 33 men) were enroled in the study. Information on earlier suicide attempts and age at onset of suicidal behaviour was gathered using the Karolinska Suicide History Interview. The Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale was used to assess exposure to interpersonal violence. Plasma ApoE was measured by immunonephelometry according to accredited routines. Patients with at least one earlier suicide attempt had significantly higher ApoE levels compared to suicide attempters debuting with suicidal behaviour at inclusion in the study. A higher number of earlier suicide attempts was significantly correlated with higher plasma ApoE levels. Age at onset was significantly negatively correlated with ApoE after adjusting for age. ApoE showed a significant positive correlation with exposure to interpersonal violence as a child in male suicide attempters. Our findings indicate that ApoE may be related to stress and trauma and the temporal severity of suicidal behaviour.
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4. |
- Carlborg, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Attempted suicide predicts suicide risk in schizophrenia spectrum psychosis
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0803-9488 .- 1502-4725. ; 64:1, s. 68-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: People with schizophrenia have an increased risk of suicide and attempted suicide is suggested to be an important risk factor.AIM: Our objective was to assess the cumulative survival, predictive values and odds ratios of attempted suicide for suicide in a long-term cohort of patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis with and without previous attempted suicide.METHOD: Inpatients (n=224) hospitalized with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis were followed for a mean of 25 years. All patients were followed up for causes of death. Information on suicide attempt before the end of the observation period was retrieved from medical records.RESULTS: Eight percent died by suicide during the follow-up. Eighteen percent of suicide attempters died by suicide. Two percent of non-attempters died by suicide. There was a strong association between previous suicide attempt and suicide in men and women. Odds ratio for attempters vs. non-attempters was 10. Suicide risk was almost three times higher in male than female suicide attempters.CONCLUSION: Previous attempted suicide is an important risk factor for suicide in both men and women with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, particularly in male suicide attempters. The suicide risk remains high over a long period. Continuous assessment of risk factors and appropriate treatment are crucial for this patient group to prevent suicide.
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5. |
- Carlborg, Andreas, et al.
(författare)
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Early death and CSF monoamine metabolites in schizophrenia spectrum psychosis
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0803-9488 .- 1502-4725. ; 65:2, s. 101-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Patients with schizophrenia have higher rates of mortality than the general population. Lower concentrations of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) monoamine metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) have been associated with suicidal, aggressive and impulsive behavior. Mortality has been suggested as a measure of impulsivity and a relationship between early death and lower concentrations of CSF monoamine metabolites has been reported but the studies are few with short periods of follow-up and small numbers.AIM: The objective of this study was to investigate a relationship between early death and concentrations of CSF 5-HIAA and HVA.METHODS: Three hundred and eighty-five inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis were lumbar punctured in a standardized manner and followed for a median of 26 years. Patients were searched to identify those who had died. Causes of death were obtained from the Causes of Death Register.RESULTS: During the time of follow-up, 97 patients died. Schizophrenia spectrum psychosis patients died at an earlier age from both natural and unnatural causes of death. No significant associations were found between CSF 5-HIAA and HVA concentrations and non-suicidal death. Attempted suicide was not a risk factor for non-suicidal death at younger age.CONCLUSION: Patients with schizophrenia spectrum psychosis die at an earlier age from both natural and unnatural causes of death. Attempted suicide is not a risk factor for non-suicidal death at younger age. Low concentrations of CSF HVA and 5-HIAA were not a risk factor for non-suicidal death at younger age in schizophrenia spectrum psychosis.
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6. |
- Hirvikoski, Tatja, et al.
(författare)
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Deficient cardiovascular stress reactivity predicts poor executive functions in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1380-3395 .- 1744-411X. ; 33:1, s. 63-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Associations between cardiovascular stress markers, subjective stress reactivity, and executive functions were studied in 60 adults (30 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, and 30 controls) using the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT, a test of executive functions) as a cognitive stressor. Despite higher self-perceived stress, the adults with ADHD showed lower or atypical cardiovascular stress reactivity, which was associated with poorer performance on PASAT. Using cardiovascular stress markers, subjective stress, and results on PASAT as predictors in a logistic regression, 83.3% of the ADHD group and 86.9% of the controls could be classified correctly.
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7. |
- Hirvikoski, Tatja, et al.
(författare)
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High self-perceived stress and many stressors, but normal diurnal cortisol rhythm, in adults with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
- 2009
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Ingår i: Hormones and Behavior. - : Elsevier B. V.. - 0018-506X .- 1095-6867. ; 55:3, s. 418-424
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is associated with significant impairment in many life activities and may thus increase the risk of chronic stress in everyday life. We compared adults with a DSM-IV ADHD diagnosis (n=28) with healthy controls (n=28) regarding subjective stress and amounts of stressors in everyday life, diurnal salivary cortisol in the everyday environment and salivary cortisol before and after cognitive stress in a laboratory setting. The association between cortisol concentrations and impulsivity was also investigated. Consistent with assumptions, individuals with ADHD reported significantly more self-perceived stress than controls, and subjective stress correlated with the amount of stressors in everyday life. The two groups were comparable with respect to overall diurnal cortisol levels and rhythm, as well as in pre- and post-stress cortisol concentrations. Post-stress cortisol (but not baseline cortisol) concentration was positively correlated with impulsivity. The group with high post-stress cortisol also reported more symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as self-perceived stress and stressors in everyday life. The diagnosis of ADHD significantly increased the risk of belonging to the group with high post-stress cortisol levels. The results in this study warrant a focus not only on the primary diagnosis of ADHD, but also calls for a broader assessment of stressors and subjective stress in everyday life, as well as support comprising stress management and coping skills.
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8. |
- Jokinen, Jussi, et al.
(författare)
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Cholesterol, CSF 5-HIAA, violence and intent in suicidal men
- 2010
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Ingår i: Psychiatry Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-1781 .- 1872-7123. ; 178:1, s. 217-219
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Associations between suicide, violent behaviour and both hypocholesterolaemia and low 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been suggested. The relationships between lipids, the serotonergic system, suicidal and aggressive behaviors are complex. We explored relationships between serum cholesterol, CSF 5-HIAA, the planning subscale of suicide intent and violence of attempted suicide method in 13 medication-free male suicide attempters and eight healthy volunteers. Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were significantly lower in suicide attempters than in controls. HDL-C showed a significant positive correlation with the planning subscale of suicide intent in non-violent suicide attempters. A positive association was observed between CSF 5-HIAA and serum cholesterol in suicides. The role of cholesterol may be different in planned non-violent suicide attempts compared with violent suicide attempts.
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9. |
- Sinai, Cave, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to interpersonal violence and risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among women with borderline personality disorder
- 2018
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Ingår i: Psychiatry Research. - : ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD. - 0165-1781 .- 1872-7123. ; 262, s. 311-315
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: This study aims to determine the validity of the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale (KIVS), as a screening tool for PTSD, among women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and severe suicidal behavior. Method: 106 women with BPD and at least two suicide attempts were assessed with the KIVS for exposure to interpersonal violence as a child and as an adult. The screening ability of the KIVS for the diagnosis of PTSD was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results: PTSD diagnosis was valid for 61 (58%) women with BPD. The KIVS exposure of lifetime interpersonal violence, displayed fair accuracy of predicting diagnosis of PTSD (area under the curve 0.79, confidence interval [0.71, 0.88]) and performed well (sensitivity 0.90 and specificity 0.62), with a cut-off score of 4 (range 0-10). Poly-traumatization was not significantly related to PTSD diagnosis as compared to single traumatization, whereas sexual victimization was significantly more prevalent in women with PTSD diagnosis, as compared to other types of traumatic events. Conclusion: A score of 4 or more on the KIVS exposure to interpersonal lifetime violence presents well as a screening instrument for risk of PTSD, among women with BPD.
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10. |
- Sinai, Cave, et al.
(författare)
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Hypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis and exposure to interpersonal violence in childhood among women with borderline personality disorder
- 2014
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Ingår i: European Journal of Psychotraumatology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2000-8198 .- 2000-8066. ; 5, s. 23911-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A relationship between exposure to sexual violence and thyroid hormone alterations has been observed among women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) report a high estimate of childhood trauma.OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to assess relationships between thyroid hormone measures and exposure to violence in childhood in women with BPD.METHOD: A total of 92 clinically euthyroid women with BPD (53% with comorbid PTSD) diagnosis and at least two prior suicide attempts were assessed with the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scales (KIVS). The KIVS contains four subscales with concrete examples of exposure to violence and expressed violent behavior in childhood (aged 6-14 years) and during adult life (15 years or older). Baseline thyroid function was evaluated by measuring plasma free and bound triiodothyronine (FT3 and T3), thyroxine (FT4 and T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) with immunoassays. The FT3/FT4 ratio was used to estimate peripheral deiodination. Plasma cortisol was also assessed.RESULTS: Sixty-seven percent of patients reported medium high or high level of exposure to interpersonal violence as a child. The FT3/FT4 ratio showed a significant negative correlation with exposure to violence as a child. Patients with PTSD had significantly higher plasma cortisol levels. An ad hoc analysis revealed that the correlation between KIVS exposure to interpersonal violence as a child and FT3/FT4 ratio was significant only in patients with comorbid PTSD. Altered thyroid activity, especially FT3/FT4, levels was associated with exposure to violence in childhood in women with BPD.CONCLUSION: Severe childhood trauma-related stress may promote lasting altered thyroid levels and/or contribute to the development of psychopathology associated with BPD traits or PTSD.
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11. |
- Sinai, Cave, et al.
(författare)
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Thyroid hormones and adult interpersonal violence among women with borderline personality disorder
- 2015
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Ingår i: Psychiatry Research. - : Elsevier. - 0165-1781 .- 1872-7123. ; 227:2-3, s. 253-257
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Elevated T3 levels have been reported in men with antisocial behavior. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between thyroid hormones and expressed adult interpersonal violence in female patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Furthermore, expressed adult interpersonal violence in female BPD patients was compared to healthy female controls. A total of 92 clinically euthyroid women with BPD and 57 healthy women were assessed with the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scales (KIVS). Baseline thyroid function was evaluated by measuring plasma free and bound triiodothyronine (FT3 and T3), thyroxine (FT4 and T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) with immunoassays in patients. Plasma cortisol was also measured. Among females with BPD, expressed interpersonal violence as an adult showed a significant positive correlation with the T3 levels. The mean expression of interpersonal violence as an adult was significantly higher in BPD patients as compared to healthy controls. The multiple regression model indicated that two independent predictors of KIVS expressed interpersonal violence as an adult: T3 and comorbid diagnosis of alcohol abuse. Association between T3 levels and violent/aggressive behavior earlier reported exclusively in male samples may be valid also in females with BPD. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NCND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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12. |
- Lehmann, Manuela, et al.
(författare)
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Aggregate-selective antibody attenuates seeded aggregation but not spontaneously evolving disease in SOD1 ALS model mice
- 2020
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Ingår i: Acta neuropathologica communications. - : BMC. - 2051-5960. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing evidence suggests that propagation of the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) involves the pathogenic aggregation of disease-associated proteins that spread in a prion-like manner. We have identified two aggregate strains of human superoxide dismutase 1 (hSOD1) that arise in the CNS of transgenic mouse models of SOD1-mediated ALS. Both strains transmit template-directed aggregation and premature fatal paralysis when inoculated into the spinal cord of adult hSOD1 transgenic mice. This spread of pathogenic aggregation could be a potential target for immunotherapeutic intervention. Here we generated mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed to exposed epitopes in hSOD1 aggregate strains and identified an aggregate selective mAb that targets the aa 143–153 C-terminal extremity of hSOD1 (αSOD1143–153). Both pre-incubation of seeds with αSOD1143–153 prior to inoculation, and weekly intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration attenuated transmission of pathogenic aggregation and prolonged the survival of seed-inoculated hSOD1G85R Tg mice. In contrast, administration of a mAb targeting aa 65–72 (αSOD165–72), which exhibits high affinity towards monomeric disordered hSOD1, had an adverse effect and aggravated seed induced premature ALS-like disease. Although the mAbs reached similar concentrations in CSF, only αSOD1143–153 was found in association with aggregated hSOD1 in spinal cord homogenates. Our results suggest that an aggregate-selective immunotherapeutic approach may suppress seeded transmission of pathogenic aggregation in ALS. However, long-term administration of αSOD1143–153 was unable to prolong the lifespan of non-inoculated hSOD1G85R Tg mice. Thus, spontaneously initiated hSOD1 aggregation in spinal motor neurons may be poorly accessible to therapeutic antibodies.
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13. |
- Liv, Nordström, Doktorand, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Service-user participation in coordinated planning, from the perspective of involved professionals
- 2024
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Ingår i: Disability & Society. - : Routledge. - 0968-7599 .- 1360-0508.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper uses a neo-institutional perspective to examine possibilities and obstacles for participation in coordinated individual planning (CIP) for people with intellectual disabilities. CIP is a tool for interprofessional and interorganizational coordination with the objective of creating a joint plan for a person needing cohesive care. Participation by the service-user is considered important for effective coordination but involving someone with an intellectual disability may require special adaptations. A thematic analysis of interviews with 17 professionals from different organizations in Sweden reveals that service user participation is considered an important goal by professionals, but also that it is difficult to put into practice. The results indicate that CIP is characterized by tensions and policy-practice decoupling that limit the service-users’ possibilities for participation. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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14. |
- Müller, Dagmar, 1987-
(författare)
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Social Networks and the School-to-Work Transition
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Essay I: This paper studies the importance of market work during high school for graduates' school-to-work transition and career. Relying on Swedish linked employer-employee data, I show that such work provides students with an important job-search channel that some graduates are deprived of due to establishment closures that occur just prior to graduation and labor market entry. I identify the effects of the closures by comparing classmates from the same vocational tracks and find immediate and sizable negative effects on employment and earnings after graduation. The effects persist for up to 10 years, but are not permanent. Graduates who lose a connection in an industry that is relevant to their specialization in vocational school adjust by finding employment in less-relevant industries.Essay II (with Lena Hensvik and Oskar Nordström Skans): Using Swedish economy-wide data spanning across two deep recessions, we examine how the role of social contacts in matching labor market entrants to employing firms changes with labor market conditions. We measure social contacts acquired during paid work while in high-school and rely on interacted class-plant fixed-effects models to isolate the effects of interest. One third of post-graduation matches are formed at establishments where youths worked during their studies. Furthermore, graduates are much more likely to match with sites to which coworkers from these jobs have relocated. These patterns are strikingly counter-cyclical, suggesting that social contacts are crucial determinants of matching patterns in bad times.Essay III: I provide empirical evidence on whether a longer education can causally reduce the reliance on social contacts in the transition from school-to-work as suggested by previous theoretical work. Relying on matched employer-employee data, I exploit a Swedish trial that generated exogenous variation in the length of vocational upper secondary education and analyze how this affected the use of parental job-search contacts. I find a negative and non-trivial impact on the probability of working at the same establishment as a parent during the early career, which is entirely driven by students with high-educated parents. For the group where the use of parental ties is most prevalent, students with low-educated parents, the reliance on parents appears resilient to policy-induced changes in the length of education.
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15. |
- Nordström, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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SOX11 and TP53 add prognostic information to MIPI in a homogenously treated cohort of mantle cell lymphoma : a Nordic Lymphoma Group study
- 2014
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Ingår i: British Journal of Haematology. - : Wiley. - 0007-1048 .- 1365-2141. ; 166:1, s. 98-108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B cell lymphoma, where survival has been remarkably improved by use of protocols including high dose cytarabine, rituximab and autologous stem cell transplantation, such as the Nordic MCL2/3 protocols. In 2008, a MCL international prognostic index (MIPI) was created to enable stratification of the clinical diverse MCL patients into three risk groups. So far, use of the MIPI in clinical routine has been limited, as it has been shown that it inadequately separates low and intermediate risk group patients. To improve outcome and minimize treatment-related morbidity, additional parameters need to be evaluated to enable risk-adapted treatment selection. We have investigated the individual prognostic role of the MIPI and molecular markers including SOX11, TP53 (p53), MKI67 (Ki-67) and CCND1 (cyclin D1). Furthermore, we explored the possibility of creating an improved prognostic tool by combining the MIPI with information on molecular markers. SOX11 was shown to significantly add prognostic information to the MIPI, but in multivariate analysis TP53 was the only significant independent molecular marker. Based on these findings, we propose that TP53 and SOX11 should routinely be assessed and that a combined TP53/MIPI score may be used to guide treatment decisions.
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16. |
- Thoresson, Anna, 1988-
(författare)
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Wages and Their Impact on Individuals, Households and Firms
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Essay I: This paper studies how wages respond to employer concentration. It exploits a reform that deregulated the Swedish pharmacy market, which until 2009 was a monopoly. The reform involved a substantial increase in the number of employers on the pharmacy labor market. However, the change in employer concentration was not geographically uniform: certain areas experienced large changes while others were largely unaffected. Exploiting this geographical variation, elasticities of wages with respect to labor market concentration are estimated to be between -0.02 and -0.05. The empirical approach relies only on the variation in concentration controlled by the policymaker to remedy the concern that actual labor market concentration is endogenous. The positive wage effects from reduced labor market concentration are found to be most prevalent for stayers, rather than new hires, as well as those with more industry experience and longer tenure. Overall, the paper adds to a growing literature that finds that market concentration matters for workers' wages, in a context where labor is highly industry-specific.Essay II (with Olof Åslund, Cristina Bratu and Stefano Lombardi): This paper studies the role of firm productivity in explaining earnings differences between immigrants and natives in Sweden. We first show that firms with higher value added per worker pay higher earnings and document that immigrant workers are under-represented in high-productive firms relative to natives. Next, we estimate substantial positive earnings returns to working in more productive firms, with significantly larger returns for immigrants from non-Western countries. We also find that immigrants are less likely to move up the firm productivity distribution. Sorting into less productive firms thus decreases earnings in poor-performing immigrant groups that would gain the most from firm productivity. The results are consistent with firms having differential wage-setting power over immigrants and natives.Essay III (with Erik Grönqvist and Lena Hensvik): We study the effects of introducing a performance-based promotion program for teachers in Sweden. The program intended to make the teaching profession more attractive by raising wages for skilled teachers and taking advantage of teachers' professional competence. Our results show that: (i) high-wage teachers are more likely to be promoted; (ii) the stipulated wage increase has full pass-through onto wages for promoted teachers; (iii) schools with promotions have lower teacher separations and an improved pool of teachers; (iv) the promotion program improved student performance. These results suggest that performance-based promotions could be an important tool for raising school quality.Essay IV (with Erik Grönqvist and Lena Hensvik): This paper studies the impact of a substantial change in household relative wage on the reallocation of childcare time across parents. Our empirical strategy takes advantage of a promotion program for teachers, which led to a sudden and persistent 20 percent wage increase for the promoted spouse and a 32 percent decrease in the couple's gender wage gap (reflecting the higher promotion rate of the female spouses). Our findings suggest that female promotions lead to a more even division of childcare and that the change in bargaining power of the promoted spouse is a contributing mechanism behind the effect. Overall, these findings suggest that improved career opportunities for women can improve gender equality in the household.
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