| 1. |
- Culina, Antica, et al.
(författare)
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Connecting the data landscape of long-term ecological studies : The SPI-Birds data hub
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Animal Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0021-8790 .- 1365-2656. ; 90:9, s. 2147-2160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes in the wild. Furthermore, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change). To solve data integration issues and enable a new scale of ecological and evolutionary research based on long-term studies of birds, we have created the SPI-Birds Network and Database ()-a large-scale initiative that connects data from, and researchers working on, studies of wild populations of individually recognizable (usually ringed) birds. Within year and a half since the establishment, SPI-Birds has recruited over 120 members, and currently hosts data on almost 1.5 million individual birds collected in 80 populations over 2,000 cumulative years, and counting. SPI-Birds acts as a data hub and a catalogue of studied populations. It prevents data loss, secures easy data finding, use and integration and thus facilitates collaboration and synthesis. We provide community-derived data and meta-data standards and improve data integrity guided by the principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), and aligned with the existing metadata languages (e.g. ecological meta-data language). The encouraging community involvement stems from SPI-Bird's decentralized approach: research groups retain full control over data use and their way of data management, while SPI-Birds creates tailored pipelines to convert each unique data format into a standard format. We outline the lessons learned, so that other communities (e.g. those working on other taxa) can adapt our successful model. Creating community-specific hubs (such as ours, COMADRE for animal demography, etc.) will aid much-needed large-scale ecological data integration.
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| 2. |
- Nilsson, Jan Åke, et al.
(författare)
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2021 a new beginning
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Avian Biology. - : Wiley. - 0908-8857 .- 1600-048X. ; 52:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 3. |
- Amkreutz, J. A. M. P., et al.
(författare)
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Association Between Bone Mineral Density and Autoantibodies in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatology. - : Wiley. - 2326-5191 .- 2326-5205. ; 73:6, s. 921-930
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Autoantibodies, such as anti–citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs), have been described as inducing bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which can also be reflected by bone mineral density (BMD). We therefore examined the association between osteoporosis and autoantibodies in two independent RA cohorts. Methods: Dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine and left hip was performed in 408 Dutch patients with early RA during 5 years of follow-up and in 198 Swedish patients with early RA during 10 years of follow-up. The longitudinal effect of ACPAs and other autoantibodies on several BMD measures was assessed using generalized estimating equations. Results: In the Dutch cohort, significantly lower BMD at baseline was observed in ACPA-positive patients compared to ACPA-negative patients, with an estimated marginal mean BMD in the left hip of 0.92 g/cm2 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.91–0.93) versus 0.95 g/cm2 (95% CI 0.93–0.97) (P = 0.01). In line with this, significantly lower Z scores at baseline were noted in the ACPA-positive group compared to the ACPA-negative group (estimated marginal mean Z score in the left hip of 0.18 [95% CI 0.08–0.29] versus 0.48 [95% CI 0.33–0.63]) (P < 0.01). However, despite clear differences at baseline, ACPA positivity was not associated with greater decrease in absolute BMD or Z scores over time. Furthermore, there was no association between BMD and higher levels of ACPAs or other autoantibodies (rheumatoid factor and anti–carbamylated protein antibodies). In the Swedish cohort, ACPA-positive patients tended to have a higher prevalence of osteopenia at baseline (P = 0.04), but again, ACPA positivity was not associated with an increased prevalence of osteopenia or osteoporosis over time. Conclusion: The presence of ACPAs is associated with significantly lower BMD at baseline, but not with greater BMD loss over time in treated RA patients. These results suggest that ACPAs alone do not appear to contribute to bone loss after disease onset when disease activity is well-managed. © 2020 The Authors. Arthritis & Rheumatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Rheumatology.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, Carl, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical effectiveness of golimumab in ulcerative colitis : a prospective multicentre study based on the Swedish IBD Quality Register, SWIBREG
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 56:11, s. 1304-1311
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Clinical trials demonstrated that golimumab is effective in anti-TNF naïve patients with ulcerative colitis. We aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness of golimumab in a real-world setting. Materials and methods: This was a prospective cohort study, conducted at 16 Swedish hospitals. Data were collected using an electronic case report form. Patients with active ulcerative colitis, defined as Mayo endoscopic subscore ≥2 were eligible for inclusion. The primary outcomes were clinical effectiveness at 12 weeks and 52 weeks, i.e. response (defined as a decrease in Mayo score by ≥3 points or 30% from baseline) and remission (defined as a Mayo score of ≤2 with no individual subscores >1). Results: Fifty patients were included. At study entry, 70% were previously exposed to anti-TNF, 16% to vedolizumab, and 96% to immunomodulators. The 12 and 52-week drug continuation rates were 37/50 (74%) and 23/50 (46%), respectively. The 12-week response rate was 14/50 (28%), the remission rate, 8/50 (16%) and the corresponding figures at week 52 were 13/50 (26%) and 10/50 (20%). Among patients who continued golimumab, the median Mayo score decreased from 7 (6–9) at baseline to 1 (0–5) at 52 weeks (p <.01) and the faecal calprotectin decreased from 862 (335–1759) µg/g to 90 (34–169) µg/g (p <.01). Clinical response at week 12 was highly predictive of clinical remission at week 52 (adjusted OR: 73.1; 95% CI: 4.5‒1188.9). Conclusions: The majority of golimumab treated patients represented a treatment refractory patient-group. Despite this, our results confirm that golimumab is an effective therapy in ulcerative colitis.
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| 5. |
- Green, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Övervakning av fåglarnas populationsutveckling. Årsrapport för 2020.
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We present the results of the Swedish Bird Survey, run by the Department of Biology, Lund University, as a part of the National Monitoring Programme of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The results for 2020 include data from: 564 winter point counts in 2019/2020 (45th winter), of which 274 were carried out during the Christmas/New Year count, 210 summer point count routes (46th year) and 550 Fixed routes (25th year). In the programme for covering night-active birds (11th season), 151 routes were covered on up to three occasions each (March, April and June). In addition, 372 waterbird routes (6th season) and 200 archipelago squares (6th season) were surveyed. New for this year is that we alsoinclude the International Waterbird Census (IWC) from September (47th year, 145 sectors) and January (55th year, 1066 sectors), and nationwide goose counts in September, October, November and January (44th season, 1537 sites). In total 759 persons were involved in the surveys reported here. Population trends were analyzed using TRIM and trends for 228 different bird species are presented, as well as the geographical distributions of the covered routes. Larger mammals are counted on the Night routes and the Fixed routes since 2010 and 2011, respectively, and we present short-term trends for 12 mammal species based on these two systems. We also present trends from the new schemes of water- and archipelago birds, through which we can now follow yet more species withsystematic counts during the breeding period. The long-term trends show both winners and losers among the Swedish birds. In general breeding bird numbers have decreased since the 1970s. Among the winners are swans and geese,raptors and cranes. Most species of autumn staging and wintering waterbirds have increased in numbers during the same period. When it comes to the wintering birds, the increases are most likely a result of generally milder winters with more open water and snow-free ground. Year 2020 was in general a good bird year in Sweden and based on 204 taxa recorded on the Fixed routes over the last 10 years, there are more species significantly increasing in numbers (26%), than decreasing in numbers (15%). For the remaining species (59%), no statistically significant changes were recorded during the last ten years. Based on the winter point counts, the trends during the last ten winters are strongly positive. Intotal 35 % of 114 species have increased significantly, while only 8 % have decreased. For waterbirds specifically, the majority of the surveyed species (67%) have increased in winter during the last ten years and only one species (3%) decreased significantly. The increasing numbers of wintering waterbirds is also in the short perspective a result of mild winters. With the additions of our latest survey programs we can now follow the population development of somewhere between 80 and 90% of the about 250 bird species breeding in Sweden.
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| 6. |
- Hoffman, Tove, et al.
(författare)
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Association between guilds of birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region and the tick species Hyalomma rufipes, one of the main vectors of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus
- 2021
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Ingår i: One Health. - : Elsevier. - 2352-7714. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IntroductionThe ecology of the vertebrate host contributes to the geographical range expansion of ticks. In this study, we investigated which tick taxa that infest and are dispersed by birds along African-Western Palaearctic flyways during northward migration, and whether bird ecology was associated with tick taxa.Materials and methodsTicks were collected from birds trapped at bird observatories in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Israel during the spring migration of 2014 and 2015, using mist nets. The tick-infested bird species were classified into guilds, using different combinations of the variables: migration distance, wintering region, foraging behaviour, and winter habitat. Ticks were molecularly determined to genus and species level by sequencing fragments of the 12S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene and by phylogenetic inference, using the Maximum Likelihood algorithm. Data were analysed using descriptive measures, graphs, Chi2 tests, the Tukey-Kramer test, and a parametric linear model (generalized linear model) in order to analyse and adjust for characteristics in the bird guilds and their relationship to collected tick taxa.ResultsMost (84.2%) of the 10,209 trapped birds were long-distance migrants, of which 2.4% were infested by ticks. The most common tick species was Hyalomma rufipes (77.7%; 447/575), a known vector and reservoir of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus. Bird guilds containing only long-distance migrants with wintering areas in Africa were associated with the tick species H. rufipes (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, bird winter habitat was associated with H. rufipes (p = 0.003); with bird species overwintering in open habitat (p = 0.014) and wetlands (p = 0.046) having significantly more H. rufipes as compared to birds with a winter habitat comprising forest and shrubs (p = 0.82).ConclusionsWith climate change, the likelihood of establishment of permanent Hyalomma populations in central and northern Europe is increasing. Thus, surveillance programs for monitoring the risk of introduction and establishment of H. rufipes in the Western-Palaearctic should be established. Our study suggests that migratory bird species wintering in African open habitats and wetlands are good candidates for monitoring potential introduction.
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| 7. |
- Hoffman, Tove
(författare)
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Dispersal of ticks and their microorganisms by African-Western Palaearctic migratory birds
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In Europe, tick-borne diseases are the most widespread and common vector-borne diseases and their geographical distribution is increasing. The dispersal of ticks depends on the movements of their vertebrate hosts. Avian hosts are more likely to be involved in long-distance range expansion of ticks due to their migration pattern. Billions of birds in the African-Palaearctic migration system migrate biannually between breeding grounds in the Palaearctic and wintering grounds in Africa and thereby create natural links between Africa, Europe, and Asia. In this thesis the dispersal of ticks and their microorganisms by northbound migratory birds utilizing flyways in the African-Western Palaearctic region has been investigated and the association between bird ecology and tick taxon addressed. The results suggest that long-distance migratory birds with wintering regions in Africa are involved in northward dispersal of the tick species Hyalomma rufipes, a known vector or Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, and that birds with an open or wetland habitat have more H. rufipes in comparison to birds with a winter habitat comprising forest and shrubs. The results also suggest a role for birds in the ecology of Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus, a hemorrhagic flavivirus, and a potential mechanism for dispersal of the virus to new regions, including Europe and Asia Minor. The results did not provide evidence for immature ticks of the Hyalomma marginatum complex and birds having a major role in the ecology and northward dispersal of tick-borne Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a zoonotic bacterium causing febrile illness in humans and domestic animals. However, the results give support to the idea of a divergent enzootic cycle of A. phagocytophilum involving birds as hosts. Finally, the results of this thesis suggest that H. rufipes do not serve as vectors or contribute to the transmission of the tularemia-causing bacterium Francisella tularensis and that migratory birds do not contribute to northward dispersal of F. tularensis-infected ticks. However, the results suggest that migratory birds contribute to northward dispersal of H. rufipes carrying both Francisella and spotted fever group Rickettsia species, including Francisella-like endosymbionts and Rickettsia aeschlimannii. In conclusion, this thesis helps to clarify the knowledge about the dispersal of ticks and the microorganisms they carry by northbound migrating birds in the African-Western Palaearctic region. Furthermore, it highlights the need of establishing surveillance programs for monitoring the risk of introduction and establishment of important exotic tick species, such as H. rufipes, and tick-borne pathogens in the Western Palaearctic.
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| 8. |
- Källmark, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Sustained Remission in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Receiving Triple Therapy Compared to Biologic Therapy : A Swedish Nationwide Register Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatology. - : Wiley. - 2326-5191 .- 2326-5205. ; 73:7, s. 1135-1144
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To compare the real-life effectiveness of biologic therapy (a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug plus methotrexate [MTX]) versus triple therapy (MTX plus sulfasalazine plus hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine) for sustained remission of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: RA patients who were registered in the nationwide Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register between 2000 and 2012 and were receiving biologic or triple therapy as a first treatment strategy after MTX monotherapy were included. Sustained remission was defined as a Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) of <2.6 for ≥6 months (short-term sustained remission) or for ≥24 months (long-term sustained remission). Treatment groups were compared during treatment, at 1 year, and at 2 years for 1) all patients starting therapy and 2) patients continuing to receive therapy, using propensity score–adjusted regression analyses. In addition, survival analyses were used to compare treatment groups at any time during follow-up irrespective of therapy retention. Results: A total of 1,502 patients were included (1,155 receiving biologic therapy and 347 receiving triple therapy). For patients starting therapy, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of achieving short-term and long-term remission, respectively, at 1 year after start of biologic therapy versus triple therapy were 1.79 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.18–2.71) and 1.86 (95% CI 1.00–3.48). At 2 years, the ORs were 1.92 (95% CI 1.21–3.06) and 1.62 (95% CI 0.94–2.79), respectively. For patients continuing to receive therapy, corresponding results at 1 year were 1.12 (95% CI 0.72–1.75) and 1.1 (95% CI 0.59–2.16); at 2 years, 0.85 (95% CI 0.49–1.47) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.41–1.39). Hazard ratios for short-term and long-term sustained remission at any time during follow-up were 1.15 (95% CI 0.91–1.46) and 1.09 (95% CI 0.77–1.54), respectively. Conclusion: Among patients starting biologic or triple therapy, biologic therapy was more effective for remaining on therapy and achieving sustained remission. However, similar probabilities were found for achieving sustained remission among patients remaining on therapy and at any time during follow-up irrespective of therapy retention. Although the likelihood of reaching sustained remission is higher with biologic therapy, for certain RA patients triple therapy may still be an alternative to biologic therapy without hampering future chances of obtaining sustained remission.
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| 9. |
- Lewin, Nongnit, et al.
(författare)
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Survival Time among Young and Old Breast Cancer Patients in Relation to Circulating Blood-Based Biomarkers, Acute Radiation Skin Reactions, and Tumour Recurrence
- 2021
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Ingår i: Oncology. - : Karger. - 0030-2414 .- 1423-0232. ; 999, s. 740-746
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: It has been suggested that age could influence the treatment-induced side effects and survival time of cancer patients. The influence of age on blood-based biomarkers, acute radiation skin reactions (ARSRs), and survival time of breast cancer patients was analysed. Materials and Methods: Two hundred ninety-three individuals, 119 breast cancer patients, and 174 healthy blood donors were included. Results: Before radiotherapy (RT), decreased levels of lymphocytes, interleukin 2, platelet-derived growth factors, and tumour necrosis factor but increased levels of monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1b (MIP1b) were detected in the patient group. All of the patients developed ARSRs and intensity of ARSRs was inversely related to the MIP1b level before RT. Fifteen out of 119 (13%) patients deceased during follow-up time. No influence of age (<= 50 compared to >50 years) on survival time was detected (p = 0.442). Tumour recurrence, found in 11 out of 119 (9%) patients, had impact on survival time of these patients (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The level of circulating MIP1b before RT was associated with intensity of ARSRs. Tumour recurrence, but not age, was associated with poor survival time. Analysis of circulating MIP1b was low cost, rapid, and could be done in routine laboratory facility. Since RT almost always induces ARSRs, the possibility of using MIP1b as a prognostic biomarker for ARSRs is of interests for further investigation.
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| 10. |
- Liljebäck, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Learning from long time series of harvest and population data : Swedish lessons for European goose management
- 2021
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Ingår i: Wildlife Biology. - : Nordic Council for Wildlife Research (NKV). - 0909-6396 .- 1903-220X. ; 1, s. 1-10
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Recension (refereegranskat)abstract
- Goose management in Europe is faced by multiple challenges, as some species are declining and in need of conservation actions, while other populations have become very abundant, resulting in calls for increased harvest. Sweden has long-term series of harvest data and counts of breeding and autumn-staging geese. We used national data (indices) for greylag goose, bean goose and Canada goose to study shifts in temporal trends and correlative patterns, and to infer possible causal links between harvest and population trends. Our study provides an opportunity to guide management given the data collected within the present monitoring, as well as to suggest improvements for future data collection. The populations of greylag and Canada geese increased in Sweden 1979–2018, but this long-term trend included a recent decrease in the latter species. Bean goose breeding index decreased, whilst staging numbers and harvest varied with no clear long-term trend. For Canada goose, our analysis suggests that harvest may affect population growth negatively. For bean goose and greylag goose we could not detect any effect of harvest on autumn counts the following year. We find that the present data and analysis of coherence may suffice as basis for decisions for the current management situation in Sweden with its rather unspecific goals for greylag (very abundant) and Canada goose (invasive species) populations. However, for management of bean geese, with international concerns of over harvest, data lack crucial information. For future management challenges, with more explicit goals, for all goose species we advocate information that is more precise. Data such as hunting effort, age-structure of goose populations and mark–recapture data to estimate survival and population size, is needed to feed predictive population models guiding future Swedish and European goose management.
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