| 1. |
- Peden, John F., et al.
(författare)
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A genome-wide association study in Europeans and South Asians identifies five new loci for coronary artery disease
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 43:4, s. 339-344
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genome-wide association studies have identified 11 common variants convincingly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD)(1-7), a modest number considering the apparent heritability of CAD(8). All of these variants have been discovered in European populations. We report a meta-analysis of four large genome-wide association studies of CAD, with similar to 575,000 genotyped SNPs in a discovery dataset comprising 15,420 individuals with CAD (cases) (8,424 Europeans and 6,996 South Asians) and 15,062 controls. There was little evidence for ancestry-specific associations, supporting the use of combined analyses. Replication in an independent sample of 21,408 cases and 19,185 controls identified five loci newly associated with CAD (P < 5 x 10(-8) in the combined discovery and replication analysis): LIPA on 10q23, PDGFD on 11q22, ADAMTS7-MORF4L1 on 15q25, a gene rich locus on 7q22 and KIAA1462 on 10p11. The CAD-associated SNP in the PDGFD locus showed tissue-specific cis expression quantitative trait locus effects. These findings implicate new pathways for CAD susceptibility.
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| 2. |
- Andreasson, Anna N., et al.
(författare)
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Development and preliminary validation of the Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ)
- 2013
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Ingår i: Brain, behavior, and immunity. - : Elsevier BV. - 0889-1591 .- 1090-2139. ; 32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The lack of questionnaires to measure subjective feelings of being sick made us develope the Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ) for assessment of sickness behavior in people. The objective of the present investigation was to test its internal consistency, criteria validity, and sensitivity to capture the sickness response in an experimental setting. An initial pool of items was developed based on previous research. The statistical properties of SicknessQ was assessed in 172 men and women primary care patients with acute complaints and involved three steps: (1) principal component analyses to reduce the number of items and to identify latent factor structures, (2) tests of internal consistencies of subscales, and (3) hierarchical regression analyses to test criteria validity of the subscales. Subsequently, sensitivity to change was tested in a placebo controlled experiment in which 31 blinded healthy men and women were injected with endotoxin (LPS) to provoke sickness behavior. Principal components analysis suggested a 3-factor solution with a total of 11 items measuring fatigue (5 items), pain (4 items) and emotion (2 items). The total scale as well as each of the three separate factors were significantly changed 90 min after endotoxin injection as compared to baseline (p’s < .01). In all, the new 11-item SicknessQ is highly sensitive to a mild systemic inflammation. Further studies are planned to test its usefulness and prognostic value in clinical settings.
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| 3. |
- Axelsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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Beauty sleep : experimental study on the perceived health and attractiveness of sleep deprived people
- 2010
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Ingår i: The BMJ. - : BMJ. - 1756-1833. ; 341
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our findings show that sleep deprived people appear less healthy, less attractive, and more tired compared with when they are well rested. This suggests that humans are sensitive to sleep related facial cues, with potential implications for social and clinical judgments and behaviour. Studies are warranted for understanding how these effects may affect clinical decision making and can add knowledge with direct implications in a medical context.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Axelsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Sustained Sleep Restriction on Mitogen-Stimulated Cytokines, Chemokines and T Helper 1/T Helper 2 Balance in Humans
- 2013
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Ingår i: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Recent studies suggest that acute sleep deprivation disrupts cellular immune responses by shifting T helper (Th) cell activity towards a Th2 cytokine profile. Since little is known about more long-term effects, we investigated how five days of sleep restriction would affect pro-inflammatory, chemotactic, Th1- and Th2 cytokine secretion. Methods: Nine healthy males participated in an experimental sleep protocol with two baseline sleep-wake cycles (sleep 23.00 - 07.00 h) followed by 5 days with restricted sleep (03.00 - 07.00 h). On the second baseline day and on the fifth day with restricted sleep, samples were drawn every third hour for determination of cytokines/chemokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL) -1 beta, IL-2, IL-4 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)) after in vitro stimulation of whole blood samples with the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Also leukocyte numbers, mononuclear cells and cortisol were analysed. Results: 5-days of sleep restriction affected PHA-induced immune responses in several ways. There was a general decrease of IL-2 production (p<.05). A shift in Th1/Th2 cytokine balance was also evident, as determined by a decrease in IL2/IL4 ratio. No other main effects of restricted sleep were shown. Two significant interactions showed that restricted sleep resulted in increased TNF-alpha and MCP-1 in the late evening and early night hours (p's<.05). In addition, all variables varied across the 24 h day. Conclusions: 5-days of sleep restriction is characterized by a shift towards Th2 activity (i.e. lower 1L-2/IL-4 ratio) which is similar to the effects of acute sleep deprivation and psychological stress. This may have implications for people suffering from conditions characterized by excessive Th2 activity like in allergic disease, such as asthma, for whom restricted sleep could have negative consequences. BAS AK, 1991, IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, V123, P5
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Axelsson, Linn, 1977-
(författare)
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Making Borders : Engaging the threat of Chinese textiles in Ghana
- 2012
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The borders of the twenty-first century come in many forms and are performed by an increasing number of actors in a broad variety of places, both within and beyond the territories of nation-states. This thesis sets out a detailed political geography of how borders operate to reconcile the often conflicting demands of open markets and security. Focusing on Ghana, where there is a widespread fear that the inflow of Chinese versions of African prints will lead to the collapse of the local textile industry, the study explores where and when borders are enforced, who performs them and what kinds of borders are enacted in order to maintain and protect the Ghanaian nation and market without compromising the country’s status as a liberal economy. It combines interviews and documentary sources with analysis drawn from border, security and migration studies to explore three sets of spatial strategies that have defined the Ghanaian approach to the perceived threat of Chinese African prints. They are the institution of a single corridor for African print imports, the anti-counterfeiting raids carried out in Ghana’s marketplaces, and the promotion of garments made from locally produced textiles as office wear through the National Friday Wear and Everyday Wear programmes. These strategies stretch, disperse and embody the borders of the state or nation to control trade in ways that resolve the fears of both open flows and closed borders. This thesis thus seeks to show how a geographical analysis can clarify the specificities of how borders now work to control mobility. In doing so, it not only unsettles conventional assumptions about what borders are and where they are supposed to be located, but also the idea that borders primarily are used to constrain the mobility of certain people while facilitating economic flows. Furthermore, this thesis adds to the understanding of the variety of responses to the inflow of Chinese consumer products to the African continent.
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| 9. |
- Eapen, Valsamma, et al.
(författare)
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"Are you available for the next 18 months?" - methods and aims of a longitudinal birth cohort study investigating a universal developmental surveillance program: the ’Watch Me Grow’ study
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Pediatrics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2431. ; 14, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Universal developmental surveillance programs aimed at early identification and targeted early intervention significantly improve short-and long-term outcomes in children at risk of developmental disorders. However, a significant challenge remains in providing sufficiently rigorous research and robust evidence to inform policy and service delivery. This paper describes the methods of the ’Watch Me Grow’ study that aims to maximise accurate early detection of children with developmental disorders through a partnership formed between policy makers, service providers and researchers. Methods/Design: A mixed methods study design was developed consisting of: (1) a qualitative study of parents and health service providers to investigate barriers and enablers of developmental surveillance; (2) recruitment of a birth cohort and their longitudinal follow-up to 18 months of age to: a) assess risk factors for not accessing existing developmental surveillance programs and b) estimate the prevalence of children identified with developmental risk; (3) comparison of surveillance outcomes with a reference standard at 18 months of age to assess the diagnostic test accuracy of existing and alternative developmental surveillance tools; and (4) comparison of developmental surveillance models to inform policy recommendations. Data linkage will be used to determine the uptake and representativeness of the study participant group versus non-participants. Discussion: The Watch Me Grow study is expected to provide a collaborative opportunity to enhance universal developmental surveillance for early accurate identification of developmental risk. This will also provide quality evidence about identification of developmental risk and access to services to be embedded in existing practice with linkages to policy development.
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| 10. |
- Fondell, Elinor, et al.
(författare)
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Short natural sleep is associated with higher T cell and lower NK cell activities
- 2011
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Ingår i: Brain, behavior, and immunity. - : Elsevier BV. - 0889-1591 .- 1090-2139. ; 25:7, s. 1367-1375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Short sleep duration increases the risk of several diseases, possibly involving compromised immune function. However, most previous studies are based on experimentally induced sleep deprivation, and only a few have studied natural variations in sleep duration. Thus our aim was to study how natural variations in sleep duration affect immune function. In total, 36 healthy men and women, aged 20-54, donated blood; 29 on three consecutive mornings, and seven on one morning. Each morning, participants self-reported sleep duration the night prior to blood draw. General sleep patterns, physical activity and stress were also assessed. A flow-cytometric assay was used to measure natural killer cell activity (NKCA), T cell function (in response to PHA, influenza, and SEA+B), and B cell function (in response to PWM) per volume whole blood. Short sleep duration prior to blood draw (<7h) was associated with 49% higher PHA-induced T cell function (95% CI 7/109%) and 30% lower NKCA compared with normal prior sleep (7-9h) (95% CI -46/-8%). In addition, high perceived stress was associated with 39% higher PHA-induced T cell function (95% CI 0/94%). High general physical activity was associated with 47% increased numbers of B cells and 28% increased numbers of T cells, but not with immune function. Our results suggest strong relationships between short sleep duration and T- and NK-cell functions. The stability of the findings as well as the clinical consequences of the link between short sleep and immune function should be explored in future studies.
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