| 1. |
- Clarin, M., et al.
(författare)
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Detection of subarachnoid haemorrhage with spectrophotometry of cerebrospinal fluid - a comparison of two methods
- 2022
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Ingår i: Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 1434-6621 .- 1437-4331. ; 60:7, s. 1053-1057
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Spectrophotometric absorption curve analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for oxyhaemoglobin and bilirubin is necessary to accurately diagnose subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) in patients with typical symptoms but with negative findings on X-ray examinations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of two methods for interpreting absorption curves; one method from the United Kingdom National External Quality Assessment Service (UK-NEQAS) and the other from the national quality assurance programme in Sweden (Equalis). Methods Consecutive absorbance curves (n=336) were interpreted with two different methods, and their performance was compared to the diagnosis as stated in the patient records. Results The UK-NEQAS method displayed equal sensitivity to the Equalis method, but the specificity of the UK-NEQAS method was significantly higher than the Equalis method resulting in fewer false positive results. For UK-NEQAS, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 84.6% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.7% were observed, whereas the Equalis method had a PPV of 27.5% and an NPV of 99.7%. Conclusions The semi-automated method based on the guidelines from UK-NEQAS provides an efficient and correct interpretation of absorbance curves with short turn-around times. We propose using this method for the routine interpretation of CSF spectrophotometric curves.
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| 2. |
- Cronberg, Olof, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnosis-linked antibiotic prescribing in Swedish primary care : a comparison between in-hours and out-of-hours
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMC Infectious Diseases. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2334. ; 20:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The rise in antibiotic resistance is a global public health concern, and antibiotic overuse needs to be reduced. Earlier studies of out-of-hours care have indicated that antibiotic prescribing is less appropriate than that of in-hours care. However, no study has compared the out-of-hours treatment of infections to in-hours treatment within the same population.Methods: This retrospective, descriptive study was based on data retrieved from the Kronoberg Infection Database in Primary Care (KIDPC), which consists of all visits to primary care with an infection diagnosis or prescription of antibiotics during 2006-2014. The purpose was to study the trends in antibiotic prescribing and to compare consultations and prescriptions between in-hours and out-of-hours.Results: The visit rate for all infections was 434 visits per 1000 inhabitants per year. The visit rate was stable during the study period, but the antibiotic prescribing rate decreased from 266 prescriptions per 1000 inhabitants in 2006 to 194 prescriptions in 2014 (mean annual change - 8.5 [95% CI - 11.9 to - 5.2]). For the out-of-hours visits (12% of the total visits), a similar reduction in antibiotic prescribing was seen. The decrease was most apparent among children and in respiratory tract infections. When antibiotic prescribing during out-of-hours was compared to in-hours, the unadjusted relative risk of antibiotic prescribing was 1.37 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.38), but when adjusted for age, sex, and diagnosis, the relative risk of antibiotic prescribing was 1.09 (95% CI 1.08 to 1.10). The reduction after adjustment was largely explained by a higher visit rate during out-of-hours for infections requiring antibiotics (acute otitis media, pharyngotonsillitis, and lower urinary tract infection). The choices of antibiotics used for common diagnoses were similar.Conclusions: Although the infection visit rate was unchanged over the study period, there was a significant reduction in antibiotic prescribing, especially to children and for respiratory tract infections. The higher antibiotic prescribing rate during out-of-hours was small when adjusted for age, sex, and diagnosis. No excess prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics was seen. Therefore, interventions selectively aiming at out-of-hours centres seem to be unmotivated in a low-prescribing context.
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| 3. |
- Ekblom, Kim, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of urine dipsticks for quality control of residual erythrocytes and leukocytes in leukocyte-depleted donor plasma
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686. ; 80:1, s. 39-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Currently used methodologies for quality control of residual leukocytes and erythrocytes in leukocyte-depleted plasma are either expensive or time-consuming. It has been proposed that urine dipsticks could be used as a screening method for residual erythrocytes. The aim was, therefore, to evaluate if urine dipsticks could be used to detect residual erythrocytes and also residual leukocytes in leukocyte-depleted plasma. Dilution series ranging over the decision limits for residual erythrocytes and leukocytes were prepared. Positive, negative and overall agreements, as well as the precision and joint frequency distributions, were calculated for five dipstick analyzers and their corresponding dipsticks. Twenty-four consecutive leukocyte-depleted donor plasma samples were also tested. None of the dipstick analyzers had both a high positive and a high negative agreement. Accordingly, none of the analyzers were able to discriminate between cell concentrations close to the decision limits. The inconsistency count revealed differences in precision between the dipstick analyzers. In the 24 consecutive donor samples, no significant correlation between the dipstick analyzers and the reference methods were found. In conclusion, urine dipsticks are not suitable for quality control of residual leukocytes and erythrocytes in leukocyte-depleted donor plasma.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Ekelund, Oskar, et al.
(författare)
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High-throughput immunoassays for SARS-CoV-2 : considerable differences in performance when comparing three methods
- 2021
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Ingår i: Infectious Diseases. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2374-4235 .- 2374-4243. ; 53:10, s. 805-810
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The recently launched high-throughput assays for detecting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 has contributed to the managing strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the performance of three high-throughput assays and one rapid lateral flow test relative to regulatory authorities' recommended criteria.METHODS: A total of 315 samples, including 150 pre-pandemic samples, 152 samples from SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR positive individuals and 13 potentially cross-reactive samples were analysed with SARS-CoV-2 IgG (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL), Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 (Roche, Solna, Sweden), LIAISON SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy) and 2019-nCOV IgG/IgM Rapid Test (Dynamiker Biotechnology Co., Tianjin, China).RESULTS: All assays performed with a high level of specificity ranging from 96.7% to 99.3%. Sensitivity differed more between the assays, Roche exhibiting the highest sensitivity of 98.7%. The corresponding figures for Abbott, DiaSorin and Dynamiker Biotechnology were 80.9%, 89.0% and 72.4%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: The results of the evaluated SARS-CoV-2 assays vary considerably, as well as their ability to fulfil the performance criteria proposed by regulatory authorities. Introduction into clinical use in low-prevalent settings, should, therefore, be made with caution.
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| 6. |
- Johansson, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Von Willebrand factor, ABO blood group, and risk of first-ever intracerebral hemorrhage : A prospective nested case-control study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Thrombosis Research. - : Elsevier. - 0049-3848 .- 1879-2472. ; 195, s. 77-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and purpose: Low levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF) were associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in a previous study. Persons with blood group O have lower VWF levels than other ABO blood groups. This study aimed to investigate the association between VWF and the risk of ICH in adults, as well as the association between ABO blood group and risk of ICH.Methods: This population-based, nested case-control study was conducted using data and blood samples from health examinations between 1985 and 2007. All participants were followed, and cases with first-ever ICH were identified and validated. One or two controls were matched to each case.Results: During a median follow-up time from blood sampling to ICH of 5.6 years, 176 cases with ICH were identified. The mean age at health examination was 57 years; 50% of participants were women. There was an association between hypertension and risk of ICH, but there was no association between VWF level and risk of ICH. There was no association between blood group O and risk of ICH.Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the largest prospective study investigating the association between VWF, ABO blood group and ICH. We found no association between VWF or blood group O and risk of future ICH.
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| 7. |
- Mickelsson, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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ABO blood groups, RhD factor and their association with subclinical atherosclerosis assessed by carotid ultrasonography
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Medicine. - : MDPI. - 2077-0383. ; 13:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The ABO blood group system has previously been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), where non-O blood group individuals have shown an increased risk. Studies assessing early atherosclerotic disease while also including RhD are few. We aimed to determine whether the ABO and RhD blood groups are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in a healthy population.Methods: We included 3532 participants from the VIPVIZA trial with available carotid ultrasonography results to assess subclinical disease. Information about blood groups was obtained from the SCANDAT-3 database, where 85% of VIPVIZA participants were registered.Results: RhD− individuals aged 40 years showed increased carotid intima–media thickness (B 1.09 CI 95% 1.03; 1.14) compared to RhD+ individuals. For ABO, there were no differences in ultrasonography results when assessing the whole study population. However, 60-year-old individuals with heredity for CVD and a non-O blood group had decreased odds for carotid plaques (OR 0.54 CI 95% 0.33; 0.88).Conclusions: RhD blood group is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in younger individuals, indicating a role as a mediator in the atherosclerotic process. In addition, a non-O blood group was associated with decreased subclinical atherosclerosis in individuals aged 60 and with heredity (corresponding to the group with the highest atherosclerotic burden).
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| 8. |
- Petersson, Annika, et al.
(författare)
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Differences in SARS-CoV-2 antibodies depending on age, blood group, and sex in a Swedish blood donor cohort
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed to describe differences in prevalence and the long-term presence of nucleocapsid antibodies (N-antibodies) elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection in a Swedish blood donor population not subjected to lockdown. We tested 20,651 blood donor samples for nucleocapsid antibodies from the beginning of March 2020 and 27 months onwards using the Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay. The proportion of positive SARS-CoV-2 antibody samples was determined each week. After the exclusions of one-time donors and subjects with incomplete data, 19,726 samples from 4003 donors remained. Differences in antibody prevalences stratified for age, sex, and blood groups (ABO and RhD) were determined, as well as antibody loss and recovery. Lower antibody prevalence was seen for older donors, blood group AB, and RhD-negative subjects. A significant decrease in antibody titer between the first and the second antibody-positive donation was seen for the whole study group, females, older subjects, blood group O, AB, and RhD-positive subjects. The titer waned below the detection limit in 60 (3.0%) of 1983 N-antibody-positive donors, and for 18 of these donors, a second episode with antibodies was detected. We showed that N-antibodies persist for months or years and that surprisingly few antibody-positive donors lost their antibodies. We also conclude that antibody prevalence in a Swedish population never subject to lockdown did not apparently differ from populations that were subject to stricter regulations.
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| 9. |
- Widbom, Lovisa, 1994-
(författare)
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Lifestyle, biomarkers and the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), is a chronic disease causing inflammation in the gut mucosa. The pathogenesis involves alteration in gut microbiota and in the intestinal barrier due to genetic factors, environmental exposure and dysregulation of the immune response. Several environmental risk factors and risk genes have been identified, but still, the pathogenesis is not fully understood. Methods: Included papers are all case-control studies based on previously collected data stored with the biobank in Umeå, Sweden. Cases are individuals that participated in the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study (NSHDS) at least one year before developing IBD. Information was available for all cases regarding age, time and place for inclusion in NSHDS, height and weight, sex and tobacco use. Part of the cases also had available data from a detailed food-frequency questionnaire. For each available case, controls matched for age, sex and time and place were selected. Analysed factors included tobacco use, with smoking and snuff use analysed separately), cotinine (a metabolite of nicotine), iron status (including ferritin, iron, transferrin and transferrin saturation), B-vitamins and tryptophan metabolites. Results: Smoking was associated with an increased risk of developing IBD both based on questionnaire data and using cotinine as a marker for exposure. Snuff use was not associated with risk for developing IBD. A lower ferritin was associated with an increased risk of developing IBD, whereas no association was seen for other iron status analytes. When analysing iron deficiency based on ferritin and CRP, it was shown that iron deficiency was more common among men before onset of IBD, whereas no difference was seen for women. Active vitamin B6 was lower among cases compared to controls, as well as an index indicating functional B6 deficiency. Kynurenic acid and xanthurenic acid, both tryptophan metabolites with immunomodulatory properties, were lower among cases than controls. For CD only, picolinic acid was lower among cases later developing IBD.Discussion: Smoking increases the risk of developing both UC and CD. Snuff use did not increase the risk for IBD, indicating that tobacco exposure is not the reason for increased IBD risk. Low ferritin indicates an early pathological process affecting iron storage unrelated to inflammation. Changes in vitamin B6 and tryptophan metabolites might indicate early pathological processes possibly related to gut microbiota changes. To conclude, this dissertation shows that multiple differences between individuals later developing IBD and controls can be seen years before IBD diagnosis. Some of which give insight to early pathophysiology in IBD.
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| 10. |
- Widbom, Lovisa, et al.
(författare)
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Patients developing inflammatory bowel disease have iron deficiency and lower plasma ferritin years before diagnosis : a nested case-control study
- 2020
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Ingår i: European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepathology. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0954-691X .- 1473-5687. ; 32:9, s. 1147-1153
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Iron deficiency is common among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, generally reported without comparisons with controls. The aim of this study was to analyse if iron deficiency was more common among those later developing IBD compared to matched controls in a prospective setting.Methods: We included 96 healthy subjects later developing IBD and 191 matched controls from the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study. We analysed iron, ferritin, transferrin, and calculated transferrin saturation in plasma sampled at least 1 year prior to IBD diagnosis. Iron deficiency was defined as plasma ferritin <30 µg/L if C-reactive protein (CRP) was <3 mg/L. When CRP was >3 mg/L, iron deficiency could not be excluded if ferritin was <100 µg/L.Results: Iron deficiency could not be excluded among more male cases vs controls (25.0% vs 2.2%; P < 0.001), whereas with no differences for women (39.6% vs 35.3%; P = 0.538). Ferritin was lower among male IBD cases (P = 0.001) and for ulcerative colitis (P = 0.016 for males and 0.017 for females), but not for Crohn's disease. Ferritin was associated with a lower risk for IBD and in the ulcerative colitis subgroup when using sex-based z-scores. Ferritin quartiles 2–4 had a 65% lower odds ratio for all IBD, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease in multivariable analysis.Conclusions: Lower ferritin was associated with higher risk for developing IBD in a prospective setting. Iron deficiency was more common among healthy males years later developing IBD compared to matched controls, but not among women.
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