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- Emilsson, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Mucosal healing and the risk of serious infections in patients with celiac disease
- 2018
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Ingår i: United European Gastroenterology journal. - : Sage Publications. - 2050-6406 .- 2050-6414. ; 6:1, s. 55-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Patients with celiac disease (CD) are at increased risk of certain infections, but it is unknown if mucosal healing influences this risk.Methods: We collected data on 29,096 individuals with CD (equal to villous atrophy) through Sweden's 28 pathology departments undergoing biopsy 1969-2008. Through the Swedish Patient Register we obtained information on any infection and specifically sepsis, streptococcal infection, influenza, Clostridium difficile, herpes zoster and pneumococcal infection up until December 2009. We used Cox regression to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the risk of future diagnosis of infection according to mucosal healing on follow-up biopsy (persistent villous atrophy vs mucosal healing).Results: Of 5598 CD individuals with no record of any infections before follow-up biopsy, 45% had persistent villous atrophy, 619 (24%) of them had a later infection, compared to 579 (19%) in those with mucosal healing (p<0.01); the yearly incidence was 2.1% in both groups. Adjusting for age, sex, calendar period, time between biopsies and education, persistent villous atrophy was however not associated with later infection overall (HR=0.99; 95% CI=0.88-1.11) or with any of the specific infections.Conclusions: In CD, mucosal healing does not influence the risk of serious infection requiring hospital-based medical attention.
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| 2. |
- Johansson, Ann, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Occupational challenges and adaptations of vulnerable EU citizens from Romania begging in Sweden
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational Science. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1442-7591 .- 2158-1576. ; 26:2, s. 200-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: People from European Union (EU) countries such as Latvia, Romania and Bulgaria who beg on the streets have become a common part of the townscape in Sweden. While demanding situations in their home countries drive them abroad to earn their living, those who turn to begging still face challenges in their everyday lives. Additional knowledge is needed, from their perspective, about the occupational challenges of begging, as well as how they adapt to those challenges.Aim: To describe the occupational challenges and related adaptations of vulnerable EU citizens begging in Sweden.Methods: We used a descriptive qualitative design. Individual interviews with 20 Romanian participants were conducted and analysed using qualitative content analysis with a deductive and inductive approach.Results: Six categories of occupational adaptation responses were identified: Keeping the family tier intact despite distance; Dealing with shame and stress; Managing body and mind when begging despite the monotony; Living as cheaply as possible; Trying to get a night's sleep without drawing attention to oneself; and Seeking alternatives for earning their living.Conclusion: Everyday life, when begging abroad, is filled with occupational challenges requiring occupational adaptations, for better or for worse, to sustain basic human needs. To further understand the needs of this vulnerable and marginalised group in society, human rights discourses that go beyond the individual level are needed.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Johansson, Elias, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnosing carotid near-occlusion with phase-contrast MRI
- 2021
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Ingår i: American Journal of Neuroradiology. - 0195-6108 .- 1936-959X. ; 42:5, s. 927-929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carotid near-occlusion is a frequently overlooked diagnosis when CTA examinations are assessed in routine practice. To evaluate the potential value of phase-contrast MR imaging in identifying near-occlusion, we examined 9 carotid near-occlusions and 20 cases of conventional $50% carotid stenosis (mean stenosis degree, 65%) with phase-contrast MR imaging. Mean ICA flow was lower in near-occlusions (52 mL/min) than in conventional $50% stenosis (198 mL/min, P, .001). ICA flow of #110 mL/min was 100% sensitive and specific for near-occlusion. Phase-contrast MR imaging is a promising tool for diagnosing carotid near-occlusion.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Diverse Wheat-Alien Introgression Lines as a Basis for Durable Resistance and Quality Characteristics in Bread Wheat
- 2020
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-462X. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wheat productivity has been significantly improved worldwide through the incorporation of novel genes from various gene pools, not least from wild relatives of wheat, into the commonly cultivated bread and durum wheat. Here, we present and summarize results obtained from a diverse set of wheat-alien introgression lines with mainly introgressions of rye, but also ofLeymusspp. andThinopyrum junceiformeinto bread-wheat (Triticum aestivumL.). From this material, lines carrying 2RL were found with good agronomic performance and multiple resistance not least towards several races of powdery mildew. A novel resistance gene, one of few showing resistance towards all today identified stem rust races, designatedSr59, was also found originating from 2RL. Lines with multiple introgressions from 4R, 5R, and 6R were found resistant towards the majority of the stripe rust races known today. Due to lack of agricultural adaptation in these lines, transfer of useful genes into more adapted wheat material is a necessity, work which is also in progress through crosses with the CSph1bmutant, to be able to only transfer small chromosome segments that carry the target gene. Furthermore, resistance towards Russian wheat aphid was found in lines having a substitution of 1R (1D) and translocations of 3DL.3RS and 5AL.5RS. The rye chromosomes 1R, 2R, and 6R were found responsible for resistance towards the Syrian Hessian fly. High levels of especially zinc was found in several lines obtained from crosses withLeymus racemosusandLeymus mollis, while also some lines with 1R, 2R, or 5R showed increased levels of minerals and in particular of iron and zinc. Moreover, lines with 1R, 2R, 3R, andLeymusspp. introgressions were also found to have a combination of high iron and zinc and low cadmium concentrations. High variation was found both in grain protein concentration and gluten strength, measured as %UPP, within the lines, indicating large variation in bread-making quality. Thus, our study emphasizes the impact that wheat-alien introgression lines can contribute to current wheat lines and shows large opportunities both to improve production, resistance, and quality. To obtain such improvements, novel plant breeding tools, as discussed in this paper, opens unique opportunities, to transfer suitable genes into the modern and adapted wheat cultivars.
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| 6. |
- Abel, Edvard, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Fatigue in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Radiation Therapy: A Prospective Study of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Their Association With Radiation Dose to the Cerebellum
- 2022
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Ingår i: Advances in Radiation Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-1094. ; 7:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Although fatigue is a known side effect in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving radiation therapy, knowledge regarding long-term fatigue and dose-response relationships to organs at risk is scarce. The aim of this prospective study was to analyze patient-reported fatigue in patients with HNC receiving radiation therapy and to explore any possible association with organ-at-risk doses. Methods and Materials: Patients with HNC referred for curative radiation therapy were eligible for inclusion in the study. To assess patient-reported fatigue, quality of life questionnaires (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-FA12) were distributed before treatment and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 60 months after the start of treatment. Mean dose (Dmean) and near maximum dose (D2%) of the cerebellum and brain stem were evaluated in relation to baseline-adjusted fatigue scores at 3 months. Results: One hundred twenty-six patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy between 2008 and 2010 were available for final analysis. Female sex and age <60 years were associated with higher fatigue at baseline, whereas patients also treated with chemotherapy had reduced physical and emotional fatigue at 6 months. Physical fatigue (QLQ-FA12 scale) increased from baseline up to 3 months (29 vs 59; P < .0001) but showed no difference compared with baseline from 1 to 5 years. Emotional fatigue was significantly lower at 5 years compared with baseline (14 vs 28; P < .0001). Patients with cerebellum Dmean > 3.5 Gy had higher mean physical fatigue scores at 3 months (38 vs 27; P = .036). Conclusions: Although there is a significant increase in fatigue scores for patients with HNC up to 1 year after radiation therapy, this study showed a return to baseline levels at 5 years. A possible association was found between physical fatigue and a higher mean dose to the cerebellum.
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| 7. |
- Ahlqvist, Emma
(författare)
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Identification of Arthritis Susceptibility Genes in Mice and Humans
- 2007
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a largely unknown aetiology. The risk of developing RA is partly dependent on genetic factors, which has motivated extensive efforts to identify the disease regulating genes as away to understand disease pathogenesis. However, identifying genes controlling complex diseases such as RA has proven extremely difficult and to date only a few risk factors have been identified. An alternative strategy is to identify genes regulating an animal model of the disease of interest and subsequently test if the identified genes have the same effect in humans. Numerous methods have been developed to map genes in rodents. This thesis is based on five papers in which we use a number of different strategies to map genes controlling collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice, including congenic inbred strains, partial advanced intercrosses and a heterogeneous stock inbred-outbred cross. We identify 14 new quantitative trait loci regulating CIA and fine-map two of them. One locus, Cia38, is mapped down to only six candidate genes that will require further investigation to determine which one is the susceptibility gene. The second locus is mapped down to a single gene that affects amino acid-uptake and CIA susceptibility mainly in male mice. The gene is also shown to be associated with RA susceptibility in a patient cohort. Interestingly, the effect is male-predominant in both mice and humans. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the used strategies, and illustrate some of the complications of gene-mapping in complex traits.
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| 8. |
- Alcaide, Pilar, et al.
(författare)
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Dendritic cell expression of the transcription factor T-bet regulates mast cell progenitor homing to mucosal tissue
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Medicine. - : Rockefeller University Press. - 0022-1007 .- 1540-9538. ; 204:2, s. 431-439
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transcription factor T-bet was identified in CD4(+) T cells, and it controls interferon gamma production and T helper type 1 cell differentiation. T-bet is expressed in certain other leukocytes, and we recently showed (Lord, G.M., R.M. Rao, H. Choe, B.M. Sullivan, A.H. Lichtman, F.W. Luscinskas, and L.H. Glimcher. 2005. Blood. 106:3432-3439) that it regulates T cell trafficking. We examined whether T-bet influences homing of mast cell progenitors (MCp) to peripheral tissues. Surprisingly, we found that MCp homing to the lung or small intestine in T-bet(-/-) mice is reduced. This is reproduced in adhesion studies using bone marrow-derived MCs (BMMCs) from T-bet(-/-) mice, which showed diminished adhesion to mucosal addresin cellular adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), endothelial ligands required for MCp intestinal homing. MCp, their precursors, and BMMCs do not express T-bet, suggesting that T-bet plays an indirect role in homing. However, adoptive transfer experiments revealed that T-bet expression by BM cells is required for MCp homing to the intestine. Furthermore, transfer of WT BM-derived dendritic cells (DCs) to T-bet(-/-) mice restores normal MCp intestinal homing in vivo and MCp adhesion to MAdCAM-1 and VCAM-1 in vitro. Nonetheless, T-bet(-/-) mice respond vigorously to intestinal infection with Trichinella spiralis, eliminating a role for T-bet in MC recruitment to sites of infection and their activation and function. Therefore, remarkably, T-bet expression by DCs indirectly controls MCp homing to mucosal tissues.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Andersson, Gustav
(författare)
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Sex, hormonal factors and pancreatic cancer
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Pancreatic cancer represents three percent of all incident cancer cases in developed countries, but stands the 7th most common cause of cancer related death. Worldwide, pancreatic cancer is more common among men, however in Sweden, the incidence ratio between sexes is levelling. Despite extensive research to map underlying risk factors, results are still largely inconclusive. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the influence of hormonal factors on risk and clinical outcome. A few studies have investigated the expression of female hormone receptors in pancreatic cancer, and others have reported beneficial effects of tamoxifen treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer, particularly in elderly women. The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate potential risk factors for pancreatic cancer, with particular reference to sex differences, and furthermore, to evaluate the presence and prognostic significance of hormone receptors in pancreatic and other periampullary cancers. Finally, based on the third paper, we composed a protocol for a clinical trial investigating the impact of tamoxifen treatment in women with advanced pancreatic cancer.The thesis is based on the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study (MDCS), a prospective population-based cohort with 28 098 participants, as well as a retrospective cohort with 175 consecutive cases of resected pancreatic and other periampullary adenocarcinoma. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to study the potential associations between investigative baseline factors and risk of pancreatic cancer in the MDCS. Immunohistochemical expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) was analysed on tumour tissue microarrays from the retrospective cohort.Paper I confirms smoking as one of the most significant risk factors for pancreatic cancer, also proposing a greater risk increase among women.Paper II demonstrates an increased risk of pancreatic cancer among women with high age at menarche and a lower risk among postmenopausal women with a history of ever using hormonal replacement therapy.Paper III provides evidence of a prognostic interaction between stromal PR expression and KRAS mutation status in periampullary cancer, being particularly evident in women. More specifically, stromal PR positivity signified a prolonged survival in patients with KRAS-mutated tumours, and shorter survival in patients with KRAS wild-type tumours.Paper IV is a protocol for a single-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm, phase II clinical trial, investigating the effects of tamoxifen treatment on survival and quality of life in women with advanced pancreatic cancer.In summary, the thesis provides further evidence of tobacco smoking as one of the strongest risk factors for pancreatic cancer, with women being potentially more susceptible to these hazardous effects. Moreover, exogenous female hormones appear to have a protective effect, which is also in line with findings from some previous studies. The presence of ER and PR in the tumour-associated stroma in pancreatic and other periampullary adenocarcinoma, and the prognostic interaction between PR expression and KRAS status further supports that hormonal factors drive the pathogenesis and progression of these cancers. Based on the observations in Paper III, we will launch a randomized trial with tamoxifen treatment and control in women with advanced pancreatic cancer, that will also include relevant biomarker analyses.
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