| 1. |
- Head, R. M., et al.
(författare)
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Gregarious settlement in cypris larvae: The effects of cyprid age and assay duration
- 2004
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Ingår i: Biofouling. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0892-7014 .- 1029-2454. ; 20:2, s. 123-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gregarious behaviour of marine larvae is perhaps most clearly associated with finding a suitable habitat in a changeable or restricted environment, or with finding other conspecifics with which to mate. Prior work has shown that in settlement assays using cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite , gregarious interactions significantly affected the interpretation of experiments testing the activity of organic settlement promoters and inhibitors. Other studies have also shown effects of cyprid age and pheromone concentration on settlement behaviour. However, the effects of interactions between gregariousness and these two factors are not known. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that i) as cyprids age the effects of gregariousness become less apparent, and ii) as the duration of the experiment increases gregarious effects become more apparent, using cypris larvae of B. amphitrite and Balanus improvisus . Three age classes of cyprids were used at six densities in a fully factorial design. For B. improvisus cyprids significant gregarious effects occurred between 3 or more larvae, and although larval age and experiment duration had significant main effects, there were no interactions between these important factors and gregariousness. For B. amphitrite cyprids significant gregarious effects also occurred with greater than or equal to3 larvae per well, though this effect was strongly dependent upon experiment duration. B. amphitrite cyprid sensitivity to conspecific cues does not change with age, although increasing experiment duration and age interact to increase settlement. Differences between species may be due to different thresholds to conspecific larval cues, or B. improvisus cyprids release much more larval temporary adhesive during exploration.
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| 2. |
- Bendtsen, Preben, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
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Sociodemographic gender differences in patients attending a community-based alcohol treatment centre
- 2002
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Ingår i: Addictive Behaviours. - 0306-4603 .- 1873-6327. ; 27:1, s. 21-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study included all individuals attending a community-based treatment centre during a 4-year period. Patients were referred to the treatment centre from the primary health care (17%), social insurance office (8%), social workers (19%), employers (7%), prisons and probation administration (3%), on their own initiative (25%), and by other means (21%). The participants, 355 men and 164 women, all between 18 and 64 years of age, were compared with the total population in the municipality with regards to gender differences in sociodemographic characteristics. Adult life circumstances such as legal problems, broken relationships, unemployment and lower social class, in both men and women, were clearly associated with an alcohol dependence or at least of seeking help for this problem. The study also emphasises important social consequences of alcohol dependence in women, such as legal problems and drunk driving, normally associated with male alcohol dependence. The study revealed that living with an abusing partner was associated with a higher frequency of alcohol dependence in women. The findings are important issues to address when offering treatment to women with alcohol dependence. ⌐ 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Bergström, Anders, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of carvedilol on diastolic function in patients with diastolic heart failure and preserved systolic function. Results of the Swedish Doppler-echocardiographic study (SWEDIC)
- 2004
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Ingår i: Eur J Heart Fail. - : Wiley. - 1388-9842 .- 1879-0844. ; 6:4, s. 453-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of carvedilol on diastolic function (DF) in heart failure patients with preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function and abnormal DF. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We randomised 113 patients with diastolic heart failure (DHF) (symptomatic, with normal systolic LV function and abnormal DF) into a double blind multi-centre study. The patients received either carvedilol or matching placebo in addition to conventional treatment. After uptitration, treatment was continued for 6 months. Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography were used for quantification of LV function at baseline and at follow-up. Four different DF variables were evaluated by Doppler echocardiography: mitral flow E:A ratio, deceleration time (DT), isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and the ratio of systolic/diastolic pulmonary venous flow velocity (pv-S/D). Primary endpoint was change in the integrated quantitative assessment of all four variables during the study. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients completed the study. A mitral flow pattern reflecting a relaxation abnormality was recorded in 95 patients. There was no effect on the primary endpoint, although a trend towards a better effect in carvedilol treated patients was noticed in patients with heart rates above 71 beats per minute. At the end of the study, there was a statistically significant improvement in E:A ratio in patients treated with carvedilol (0.72 to 0.83) vs. placebo (0.71 to 0.76), P<0.05. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with carvedilol resulted in a significant improvement in E:A ratio in patients with heart failure due to a LV relaxation abnormality. E:A ratio was found to be the most useful variable to identify diastolic dysfunction in this patient population. This effect was observed particularly in patients with higher heart rates at baseline.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Cowie, MR, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical applications of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing
- 2003
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Ingår i: European Heart Journal. - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 24:19, s. 1710-1718
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many claims have been made in recent years regarding the utility of plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration measurements in the diagnosis, risk stratification and monitoring of patients with heart failure. This paper summarizes the current evidence and provides guidance for practising clinicians. Overall, plasma BNP testing appears to be of most value in the diagnostic arena, where it is likely to improve the performance of non-specialist physicians in diagnosing heart failure. In clinical practice, BNP testing is best used as a 'rule out' test for suspected cases of new heart failure in breathless patients presenting to either the outpatient or emergency care settings, it is not a replacement for echocardiography and full cardiological assessment, which will be required for patients with an elevated BNP concentration. Although work is ongoing in establishing the 'normal' values of BNP, heart failure appears to be highly unlikely below a plasma concentration of 100 pg/ml. However, as BNP levels rise with age and are affected by gender, comorbidity and drug therapy, the plasma BNP measurement should not be used in isolation from the clinical context.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Engellau, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Measurements before endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms : MR imaging with MRA vs. angiography and CT
- 2003
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Ingår i: Acta Radiologica. - : SAGE Publications. - 0284-1851 .- 1600-0455. ; 44:2, s. 177-184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: 1) To compare measurements obtained with MR imaging (MRI)/contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE MRA) with measurements obtained with angiography (DSA) and CT, for stent-graft sizing of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). 2) To compare MRA measurements obtained with the two post processing techniques MIP (maximum intensity projection) and VRT (3D volume rendering technique).Material and Methods: The prospective study included 20 consecutive patients with AAA identified by DSA and CT as suitable for endovascular repair. For the study, MRI/CE MRA was performed. Five measurement variables for stent-graft sizing were chosen. Comparisons were made between MRI/CE MRA, DSA and CT, and between observers. Comparisons were also made between MIP and VRT.Results: Significantly shorter lengths were obtained with MRA-MIP than with DSA. Three out of six diameter measurements were significantly smaller on MRI/CE MRA than on DSA and CT. No significant differences were found between the observers. One diameter measurement was significantly smaller on MIP than on VRT, while the other measurements showed no significant differences.Conclusion: The length measurements obtained with MRA-MIP were probably more correct than those with DSA. For more reliable diameter measurements with CE MRA, improvements of the technique, including VRT reconstructions and a standardized determination of the vessel boundaries, are needed.
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| 9. |
- Gidlöf, Veronica, et al.
(författare)
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Functionality in Digital Package Printing
- 2004
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Ingår i: TAGA Proceedings 2004.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- More than ten years ago, the first digital print units were introduced on the market and since then, the technology has developed rapidly. Today there is an interest in trying digital printing also for packages. Digital printing on paperboard may, however, require slightly different criteria than digital printing on paper, due to different characteristics. A very important factor in the Packaging Industry is, for example, the functionality after printing. This study reports on an investigation of the packaging functionalities; taste and odor, creasing, toner adhesion and stability of whiteness in digital printed paperboard. Test printing has been performed in digital print units based on both electrophotography and liquid toner technology. Furthermore, three different board types, one sack paper and a fine paper for digital printing were used. Results show that, whiteness stability, taste and odor are marginally affected after printing, but in some cases the amounts of volatile substances increase substantially. Furthermore, toner adhesion is relatively good, but some problems occur in liquid toner technology. The appearance of folding cracks, during manual folding, occurred rarely.
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| 10. |
- Johansson, Peter, 1962-, et al.
(författare)
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Measurement of health-related quality of life in chronic heart failure, from a nursing perspective - A review of the literature
- 2004
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1474-5151 .- 1873-1953. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) is distressful and affects daily life. Because of the lack of a cure for CHF, there has been a progressive interest in using health-related quality of life (Hr-QoL) as an outcome measurement of the treatment in patients with CHF. Objective: The aim of this review was to describe the instruments/questionnaires used in different studies in the measurement of Hr-QoL in patients with CHF, and how they were put into operation as seen from a nursing perspective. Method: MEDLINE and CINAHL databases were searched from January 1995 to June 2002, by using the keywords CHF, heart failure, QoL and Hr-QoL. A total of 33 articles were analysed. Results: Thirty-two different Hr-QoL questionnaires were found. Generic, disease-specific and battery approaches were different ways used to measure Hr-QoL. To assess/describe Hr-QoL, evaluate the impact of interventions and examine relations/predictors were three main objectives. However, different aspects of the concept Hr-QoL, influencing factors, how to implement the questionnaires and a lack of unified CHF criteria existed. Conclusions: To create a guideline for the measurement of Hr-QoL in CHF patients is of great importance for nurses and might generate homogeneity in the measurement methods and promote the scientific approach in the nursing care process. © 2003 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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