| 1. |
- Ahlm, Clas, 1956-
(författare)
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Distribution of puumala virus in Sweden
- 1997
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Puumala virus, belonging to the genus hantavirus, is the causative agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), a relatively mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Puumala virus occurs endemically in Central and Northern Europe and Western Russia. In Sweden, NE is reported from the northern and central parts but virtually not at all from the southern part of the country. The bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) is the main reservoir of Puumala virus and humans are infected by inhalation of aerosolized animal secreta. In northern Sweden, the density of the bank vole population varies cyclically in intervals of 3-4 years and the incidence of NE shows a covariation.The prevalence of serum antibodies to hantaviruses in northern Sweden was studied in a stratified and randomly selected adult population sample comprising 1538 subjects. As expected, the prevalence increased with age. There was no difference between men and women, which was unexpected based on a male:female ratio of > 2:1 in clinical reports. By use of an immunofiuorescent assay, a seroprevalence of 5.4% and by a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with recombinant Puumala virus nucleocapsid protein as antigen, a prevalence of 8.9% was recorded. This is about or more than ten times higher than what would be calculated from clinical reports.By use of the ELISA, an occupational risk of acquisition of Puumala virus infection was demonstrated. Serum samples from 910 farmers and 663 referent subjects living in various rural parts of Sweden were tested. Among farmers from the Puumala virus-endemic northern and central parts of the country, the seroprevalence (12.9%) was higher (p=0.01) than in referents (6.8%). In the southern part of Sweden, only 2/459 persons had antibodies. Only a limited number of children with NE had been previously reported. In a separate study, 32 children with Puumala virus infection were identified and the clinical picture of NE in children was found to be similar to that of adult cases.Variations in the prevalence of Puumala virus in the bank vole population within an endemic region are not well known. Here, a higher mean rodent density and a higher prevalence of Puumala virus-specific serum antibodies were recorded in the vicinity of households afflicted with NE than in rural control areas. The data indicated that the risk of exposure locally within an endemic region may vary widely and tentatively suggested that a threshold density of bank voles might be necessary to achieve before effective spread of Puumala virus within the rodent population may occur.There is no firm evidence of the occurrence of Puumala virus among wild living animals other than rodents. A study of Swedish moose, an animal which is ecologically well characterized, was performed. Convincing evidence of past Puumala virus infection was found in 5/260 moose originating from Puumala virus-endemic areas but in none of 167 animals from nonendemic areas. Based on the low seroprevalence recorded, moose seemed to serve as endstage hosts rather than being active parts of the enzootic circle of transmission.In conclusion, the present investigations confirmed that the exposure to Puumala virus is geographically well restricted in Sweden. Seroprevalence studies indicated that only a minor proportion of individuals infected with Puumala virus are clinically reported, with a bias in favour of men. NE was confirmed to occur in children, with a clinical picture similar to that of adults. An occupational risk was defined for acquisition of Puumala virus infection. Studies in rodents suggested that there may be wide local variations within a limited area in the risk of exposure to Puumala virus. The studies validated the usefulness of a newly developed ELISA based on recombinant nucleocapsid peptides of hantaviruses and finally, methodological progress was reached when Puumala virus was, for the first time, successfully isolated from a Scandinavian patient.
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| 2. |
- Ahlm, Clas, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
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High prevalence of hantavirus antibodies in bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) captured in the vicinity of households afflicted with nephropathia epidemica.
- 1997
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Ingår i: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. - 0002-9637 .- 1476-1645. ; 56:6, s. 674-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Puumala virus, the causative agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), occurs endemically in Europe and is spread mainly by the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). In the vicinity of each of four households afflicted with NE, we studied rodents with regard to population density and prevalence of Puumala virus-specific antibodies. For each case area, a control area was randomly selected 10 km away, without regard to the presence of human settlement. During 6,000 trap nights, 328 rodents were caught, of which 299 were C. glareolus. The mean rodent densities of case and control areas were 6.6 and 3.7 animals per 100 trap nights (P < 0.001). The prevalence of serum antibodies was 15.9% in case areas compared with 5.6% in control areas (P < 0.05). In three of the case areas, where NE had occurred 3-10 weeks before trapping, the rodent density and seroprevalence were much higher than in the fourth area, where NE occurred 38 weeks before trapping. In conclusion, C. glareolus seropositive for Puumala virus occurred more frequently near households afflicted with NE than in control areas 10 km away.
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| 3. |
- Ahlm, Clas, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of serum antibodies to hantaviruses in northern Sweden as measured by recombinant nucleocapsid proteins.
- 1997
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 29:4, s. 349-54
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on recombinant nucleocapsid protein (rN delta) (aa 1-117) of Hantaan, Seoul, Dobrava, Sin Nombre and Puumala hantaviruses was used to determine the prevalence of antibodies among randomized and stratified individuals from northern Sweden. In total, 137/1533 individuals (8.9%) had specific serum IgG antibodies to Puumala virus, the only hantavirus known to occur in the region. The prevalence of antibodies to Puumala virus (8.9%) was determined to be higher than previously reported (5.4%) in the same serum material, by use of immunofluorescence assay. As expected, sera reactive to Puumala virus rN delta did frequently cross-react with Sin Nombre virus protein. Unexpectedly, 21/1533 (1.4%) individuals recognized the Sin Nombre virus rN delta exclusively. Another 8 subjects showed reactivity in the ELISA to Hantaan, Seoul, or Dobrava virus-derived rN delta but not Puumala virus or Sin Nombre virus rN delta. The present demonstration in some individuals of antibodies specifically recognizing the Sin Nombre, Dobrava, Hantaan and Seoul virus protein justifies an awareness of the possibility that hantaviruses antigenically different from Puumala virus might occur in the region.
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| 4. |
- Aksenova, N.A., et al.
(författare)
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Structure studies of C60 polymerized at low pressures
- 1997
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Ingår i: Fullerenes. - Pennington, NJ : The Electrochemical Society. - 1566771927 ; , s. 687-694
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The structure and lattice properties of a polymerized C60 sample were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction over the range from liquid-nitrogen to room temperature. The aim of these studies was to establish the effect of low-pressure compression (up to 1.1 GPa) on the phase composition of the sample, to determine the structure of the phases involved, to obtain the variation of the lattice parameters with temperature, to observe eventual phase transformation in polymerized C60, and to elucidate the evolution of the orientational order with varying temperature. Analysis of the room-temperature diffraction patterns indicates that the sample contained at least two major phases, namely rhombohedral and and tetragonal with the polymerization array close to two-dimensional. Our data obtained on samples annealed at 300 C in the air allow us to conclude that polymerized C60 converts to a mixture of the fcc structure plus a new phase, presumably C60O.
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| 5. |
- Aleksandrovskii, A. N., et al.
(författare)
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Negative thermal expansion of fullerite C60 at helium temperatures
- 1997
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Ingår i: Low temperature physics (Woodbury, N.Y., Print). - : AIP Publishing. - 1063-777X .- 1090-6517. ; 23:11, s. 943-946
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The thermal expansion of fullerite C60 has been measured in the temperature range 2–9 K. A compacted fullerite sample with a diameter of about 6 mm and height of 2.4 mm was used. It was found that at temperatures below ~ 3.4 K the linear thermal expansion coefficient becomes negative. At temperatures above 5 K our results are in good agreement with the available literature data. A qualitative explanation of the results is proposed
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| 6. |
- Alenius, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of a novel neural cell adhesion molecule-related gene with a potential role in selective axonal projection
- 1997
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - : The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 272:42, s. 26083-26086
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We describe here the cloning of mouse complementary DNAs encoding a novel protein, Rb-8 neural cell adhesion molecule (RNCAM), with a predicted extracellular region of five immunoglobulin Ca-type domains followed by two fibronectin type III domains, Alternative splicing is likely to generate two RNCAM isoforms, which are differently attached to the cell membrane, These structural features and overall sequence identity identify this protein as a novel member of a cell adhesion molecule subgroup together with vertebrate neural cell adhesion molecule, Aplysia cell adhesion molecule, and Drosophila fasciclin II, In insects, fasciclin II is present on a restricted subset of embryonic central nervous system axons where it controls selective axon fasciculation. Intriguingly, RNCAM likewise is expressed in subsets of olfactory and vomeronasal neurons with topographically defined axonal projections, The spatial expression RNCAM corresponds precisely to that of certain odorant receptor expression zones of the olfactory epithelium. These expression patterns thus render RNCAM the first described cell adhesion molecule with a potential regulatory role in formation of selective axonal projections important for olfactory sensory information coding.
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| 7. |
- Alexeyev, O A, et al.
(författare)
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Increased plasma levels of soluble CD23 in haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome; relation to virus-specific IgE.
- 1997
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Immunology. - 0009-9104 .- 1365-2249. ; 109:2, s. 351-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 15 consecutive patients hospitalized with nephropathia epidemica, a European form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Puumala virus, plasma concentrations of soluble CD23 (sCD23) and Puumala virus-specific IgE were determined. In the acute phase of illness, 11/15 patients had increased sCD23 levels (> 91 U/ml), whereas in convalescence, values of 8/10 patients were normalized. Maximal sCD23 values were correlated to maximal concentrations of Puumala virus-specific serum IgE (r = 0.597; P = 0.025). The results are compatible with a known ability of sCD23 to augment IgE production.
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| 8. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Aerobic workout and bone mass in females
- 1997
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. - : Wiley. - 0905-7188 .- 1600-0838. ; 7:6, s. 336-341
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate bone mass in females participating in aerobic workout. Twenty-three females (age 24.1 +/- 2.7 years), participating in aerobic workout for about 3 hours/week, were compared with 23 age-, weight- and height-matched non-active females. Areal bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in total body, head, whole dominant humerus, lumbar spine, right femoral neck, Ward's triangle, trochanter femoris, in specific sites in right femur diaphysis, distal femur, proximal tibia and tibial diaphysis, and bone mineral content (BMC) was measured in the whole dominant arm and right leg, using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. The aerobic workout group had significantly (P < 0.05-0.01) higher BMD in total body (3.7%), lumbar spine (7.8%), femoral neck (11.6%), Ward's triangle (11.7%), trochanter femoris (9.6%), proximal tibia (6.8%) and tibia diaphysis (5.9%) compared to the non-active controls. There were no differences between the groups concerning BMD of the whole dominant humerus, femoral diaphysis, distal femur and BMC and lean mass of the whole dominant arm and right leg. Leaness of the whole dominant arm and leg was correlated to BMC of the whole dominant arm and right leg in both groups. In young females, aerobic workout containing alternating high and low impact movements for the lower body is associated with a higher bone mass in clinically important sites like the lumbar spine and hip, but muscle strengthening exercises like push-ups and soft-glove boxing are not associated with a higher bone mass in the dominant humerus. It appears that there is a skeletal adaptation to the loads of the activity.
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| 9. |
- Alfredson, Håkan, et al.
(författare)
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Bone mass in female volleyball players : a comparison of total and regional bone mass in female volleyball players and nonactive females
- 1997
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Ingår i: Calcified Tissue International. - : Springer. - 0171-967X .- 1432-0827. ; 60:4, s. 338-342
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate bone mass in female athletes participating in an impact loading sport (volleyball), and especially to investigate whether any changes in bone mass might be related to the type and magnitude of weightbearing loading and muscle strength. The volleyball group consisted of 13 first division players (age 20.9 +/- 3.7 years) training for about 8 hours/week, and the reference group consisted of 13 nonactive females (age 25.0 +/- 2.4 years) not participating in any kind of regular or organized sport activity. The groups were matched according to weight and height. Areal bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in total body, head, lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward's triangle, trochanter, the whole femur, and humerus using dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry. Isokinetic concentric peak torque of the quadricep and hamstring muscles was measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Compared with the controls, the volleyball players had a significantly (P < 0.05-0.01) higher BMD of the total body (6.1%), lumbar spine (13.2%), femoral neck (15.8%), Ward's triangle (17.9%), trochanter (18.8%), nondominant femur (8.2%), and humerus (dominant 9.5%, nondominant 10.0%), but not of the head and the dominant whole femur. The dominant humerus showed significantly higher BMD than the nondominant humerus in both the volleyball and nonactive group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in muscle strength of the thigh between the two groups. In the nonactive group, muscle strength in the quadriceps, and especially hamstrings, was correlated to BMD of the adjacent bones (whole femur, hip sites) and also to distant sites (humerus). However, in the volleyball group there were no correlations between muscle strength and BMD of the adjacent bones, but quadricep strength correlated to BMD of the humerus. These results clearly show that young female volleyball players have a high bone mass. The demonstrated high bone mass seems to be related to the type of loading subjected to each BMD site. Muscle strength of the thigh seems to have little impact on BMD in female volleyball players.
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| 10. |
- Allard, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Unchanged density of caudate nucleus dopamine uptake sites in depressed suicide victims.
- 1997
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Ingår i: Journal of neural transmission. - 0300-9564 .- 1435-1463. ; 104:11-12, s. 1353-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In depressive states, theories concerning serotonin and norepinephrine have been dominating, but there are several lines of evidence indicating the involvement of the dopamine system as well, especially in suicidal depression. In this post-mortem study, the binding of the ligand [3H]WIN 35,428 to dopamine uptake sites in the caudate nucleus was investigated in 13 depressed suicide victims and 19 controls. There were no differences in Bmax or Kd between the suicide group and controls. Subdividing the suicide group into subgroups regarding the presence of major depression, antidepressant medication and suicide method, respectively, did not yield any differences. Previous findings regarding reduced CSF HVA in suicidal depression and indications of striatal dopaminergic biochemical and receptor changes in depression seem, according to the present study, not to be reflected by alterations in density or affinity of dopamine uptake sites in depressed suicide victims.
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