| 1. |
- Engström, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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Pulmonary function and atherosclerosis in the general population : causal associations and clinical implications
- 2024
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Ingår i: European Journal of Epidemiology. - : Springer Nature. - 0393-2990 .- 1573-7284. ; 39:1, s. 35-49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reduced lung function is associated with cardiovascular mortality, but the relationships with atherosclerosis are unclear. The population-based Swedish CArdioPulmonary BioImage study measured lung function, emphysema, coronary CT angiography, coronary calcium, carotid plaques and ankle-brachial index in 29,593 men and women aged 50–64 years. The results were confirmed using 2-sample Mendelian randomization. Lower lung function and emphysema were associated with more atherosclerosis, but these relationships were attenuated after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Lung function was not associated with coronary atherosclerosis in 14,524 never-smokers. No potentially causal effect of lung function on atherosclerosis, or vice versa, was found in the 2-sample Mendelian randomization analysis. Here we show that reduced lung function and atherosclerosis are correlated in the population, but probably not causally related. Assessing lung function in addition to conventional cardiovascular risk factors to gauge risk of subclinical atherosclerosis is probably not meaningful, but low lung function found by chance should alert for atherosclerosis.
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| 2. |
- Eriksson, Erik, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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The pitfalls of a popular concept : Co-production in times of individualization, marketization, and de-politicization
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration. - 2001-7405 .- 2001-7413. ; 27:3, s. 87-107
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Co-production between public administrators and citizens has attracted renewed interest in recent years. Co-production is predominantly perceived as something desirable and is claimed to improve service efficiency and outcome and user satisfaction, at the same time as addressing democratic ideals. Drawing from interviews with public administrators and patients in a Swedish healthcare context, this paper seeks to nuance the often overly positive notion of co-production by understanding these micro-level practices as being embedded in a macro-level societal context. Theorizing the empirical material based on three features of contemporary society –individualization, marketization, and de-politicization –we argue that co-production risks placing a burden and responsibility on individual users and creating a (welfare)market in which better-off people are recruited and benefitted. In this sense, co-production may consolidate or reinforce inequalities. Through de-politicization, political issues may appear as value-free; however, as long as market-logics prevail, the welfare system and practices of co-production will, in some respects, be impotent to address crucial societal issues. Co-production as a collective practice targeting democratic standards is called for, rather than an efficiency focus, preferably by taking the recruitment of those in the greatest need seriously –scaffolded by a revitalized public service ethos of public administrators and their organizations.
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| 3. |
- Malinovschi, Andrei, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Consequences of Using Post- or Prebronchodilator Reference Values in Interpreting Spirometry
- 2023
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Ingår i: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - : American Thoracic Society. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 208:4, s. 461-471
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- RATIONALE: Post-bronchodilator (BD) spirometry is used for diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, pre-BD reference values are used for spirometry interpretation.OBJECTIVES: To compare the resulting prevalence rates of abnormal spirometry and study the consequences of using pre- or post-BD reference values generated within the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS) when interpreting post-BD spirometry in a general population.METHODS: SCAPIS reference values for post-BD and pre-BD spirometry were based on 10,156 and 1,498 never-smoking, healthy participants, respectively. We studied the associations of abnormal spirometry, defined by using pre- or post-BD reference values, with respiratory burden in the SCAPIS general population (28,851 individuals).MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Bronchodilation resulted in higher predicted median and lower limit of normal (LLN) for FEV1/FVC ratio. The prevalence of post-BD FEV1/FVC < pre-bronchodilator LLN was 4.8% and that of post-BD FEV1/FVC < post-bronchodilator LLN was 9.9% for the general population. An additional 5.1% was identified as having an abnormal post-BD FEV1/FVC ratio and this group had more respiratory symptoms, emphysema (13.5% vs. 4.1%, p<0.001) and self-reported physician-diagnosed COPD (2.8% vs. 0.5%, p<0.001) than subjects with post-BD FEV1/FVC ratio > LLN for both pre- and post-bronchodilation).CONCLUSIONS: Pre- and post-bronchodilator spirometry reference values differ with regard to FEV1/FVC ratio. Use of post-bronchodilator reference values doubled the population prevalence of airflow obstruction; this was related to a higher respiratory burden. Using post-bronchodilator reference values when interpreting post-bronchodilator spirometry might enable identification of individuals with mild disease and be clinically relevant.
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| 4. |
- Näsman, Mattias, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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A promised land? : First summary of the research program
- 2023
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This document lays out the background for the research program “A promised land? Drivers, challenges and opportunities related to the (green) industrialization of Northern Sweden,” (nr. M22-0029) awarded by the Swedish Riksbankens Jubileumsfond’s in 2022. The document summarizes work in progress and may therefore be updated and republished in different versions according to the requirements of the program. This interdisciplinary program aims to understand the economic, social, and political challenges and opportunities of the ongoing industrial transformation in northern Sweden. A key element of the program is to identify drivers, obstacles, and preconditions in a historical, present, and forward-looking process-perspective.
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| 5. |
- Svensson, Nina, 1988-, et al.
(författare)
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Ride the future – strategisk satsning : fem studier med fokus på autonoma bussar i städer
- 2022
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Fem noga utvalda förstudier har initierats av VTI som en del i den strategiska satsningen ”Ride the future” kopplad till framtidens mobilitetslösningar. Förstudiernas titel är följande: ▪ Databearbetning och visualisering av mobila luftkvalitetsmätningar. ▪ SUMO och Unreal Engine för co-simulering. ▪ Exploring spatio-temporal accessibility in Lambohov: a pre-study. ▪ Vägytans betydelse för vibrationer och komfort i långsamma fordon. ▪ Infrastrukturbehov vid busshållplatser. Föreliggande pm innehåller en kort beskrivning av studierna och den mer utförliga redovisningen återfinns i bilagan.
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| 6. |
- Adams, Mike, et al.
(författare)
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Managing policy lapse risk in Sweden's life insurance market between 1915 and 1947
- 2020
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Ingår i: Business History. - : Routledge. - 0007-6791 .- 1743-7938. ; 62:2, s. 222-239
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We examine the challenges that Swedish life insurers faced in managing the lapse risk of policies written on the lives of the industrial urban working class between 1915 and 1947. We observe that with the threat of State socialisation of insurance in the 1930s, industrial life insurers modified their business practices to better control policy lapses. Using firm-level data, we also analyse the effect of socio-economic changes, such as rising real wages, interest rate fluctuations and unemployment on life insurance policy lapses. Our results support contemporary tests of the emergency fund and interest rate explanations for the voluntary premature termination of life insurance policies.
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| 7. |
- Ahltorp, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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A Digital Swedish–Yiddish/Yiddish–Swedish Dictionary : A Web-Based Dictionary that is also Available Offline
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the EURALI Workshop @LREC2022.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Yiddish is one of the national minority languages of Sweden, and one of the languages for which the Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore is responsible for developing useful language resources. We here describe the web-based version of a Swedish–Yiddish/Yiddish–Swedish dictionary. The single search field of the web-based dictionary is used for incrementally searching all three components of the dictionary entries (the word in Swedish, the word in Yiddish with Hebrew characters and the transliteration in Latin script). When the user accesses the dictionary in an online mode, the dictionary is saved in the web browser, which makes it possible to also use the dictionary offline.
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| 8. |
- Alijagic, Andi, 1992-, et al.
(författare)
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Immunotoxic, genotoxic, and endocrine disrupting impacts of polyamide microplastic particles and chemicals
- 2024
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Ingår i: Environment International. - : Elsevier. - 0160-4120 .- 1873-6750. ; 183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to their exceptional properties and cost effectiveness, polyamides or nylons have emerged as widely used materials, revolutionizing diverse industries, including industrial 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM). Powder-based AM technologies employ tonnes of polyamide microplastics to produce complex components every year. However, the lack of comprehensive toxicity assessment of particulate polyamides and polyamide-associated chemicals, especially in the light of the global microplastics crisis, calls for urgent action. This study investigated the physicochemical properties of polyamide-12 microplastics used in AM, and assessed a number of toxicity endpoints focusing on inflammation, immunometabolism, genotoxicity, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation, endocrine disruption, and cell morphology. Specifically, microplastics examination by means of field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that work flow reuse of material created a fraction of smaller particles with an average size of 1-5 µm, a size range readily available for uptake by human cells. Moreover, chemical analysis by means of gas chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry detected several polyamide-associated chemicals including starting material, plasticizer, thermal stabilizer/antioxidant, and migrating slip additive. Even if polyamide particles and chemicals did not induce an acute inflammatory response, repeated and prolonged exposure of human primary macrophages disclosed a steady increase in the levels of proinflammatory chemokine Interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL-8). Moreover, targeted metabolomics disclosed that polyamide particles modulated the kynurenine pathway and some of its key metabolites. The p53-responsive luciferase reporter gene assay showed that particles per se were able to activate p53, being indicative of a genotoxic stress. Polyamide-associated chemicals triggered moderate activation of AhR and elicited anti-androgenic activity. Finally, a high-throughput and non-targeted morphological profiling by Cell Painting assay outlined major sites of bioactivity of polyamide-associated chemicals and indicated putative mechanisms of toxicity in the cells. These findings reveal that the increasing use of polyamide microplastics may pose a potential health risk for the exposed individuals, and it merits more attention.
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| 9. |
- Almby, Kristina E., et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on the Brain : Simultaneous Assessment of Glucose Uptake, Blood Flow, Neural Activity, and Cognitive Function During Normo- and Hypoglycemia
- 2021
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Ingår i: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 70:6, s. 1265-1277
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery in obese individuals typically improves glycemic control and prevents diabetes, it also frequently causes asymptomatic hypoglycemia. Previous work showed attenuated counterregulatory responses following RYGB. The underlying mechanisms as well as the clinical consequences are unclear. In this study, 11 subjects without diabetes with severe obesity were investigated pre- and post-RYGB during hyperinsulinemic normo-hypoglycemic clamps. Assessments were made of hormones, cognitive function, cerebral blood flow by arterial spin labeling, brain glucose metabolism by F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, and activation of brain networks by functional MRI. Post- versus presurgery, we found a general increase of cerebral blood flow but a decrease of total brain FDG uptake during normoglycemia. During hypoglycemia, there was a marked increase in total brain FDG uptake, and this was similar for post- and presurgery, whereas hypothalamic FDG uptake was reduced during hypoglycemia. During hypoglycemia, attenuated responses of counterregulatory hormones and improvements in cognitive function were seen postsurgery. In early hypoglycemia, there was increased activation post- versus presurgery of neural networks in brain regions implicated in glucose regulation, such as the thalamus and hypothalamus. The results suggest adaptive responses of the brain that contribute to lowering of glycemia following RYGB, and the underlying mechanisms should be further elucidated.
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| 10. |
- Almby, Kristina E., et al.
(författare)
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Time course of metabolic, neuroendocrine, and adipose effects during 2 years of follow-up after gastric bypass in patients with type 2 diabetes
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. - : Oxford University Press. - 0021-972X .- 1945-7197. ; 106:10, s. E4049-E4061
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) markedly improves glycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but underlying mechanisms and changes over time are incompletely understood.Objective: Integrated assessment of neuroendocrine and metabolic changes over time inT2D patients undergoing RYGB.Design and Setting: Follow-up of single-center randomized study.Patients: Thirteen patients with obesity andT2D compared to 22 healthy subjects.Interventions: Blood chemistry, adipose biopsies, and heart rate variability were obtained before and 4, 24, and 104 weeks post-RYGB.Results: After RYGB, glucose-lowering drugs were discontinued and hemoglobin A1c fell from mean 55 to 41 mmol/mol by 104 weeks (P < 0.001). At 4 weeks, morning cortisol (P < 0.05) and adrenocorticotropin (P = 0.09) were reduced by 20%. Parasympathetic nerve activity (heart rate variability derived) increased at 4 weeks (P < 0.05) and peaked at 24 weeks (P < 0.01). C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cells were rapidly reduced (P < 0.01). At 104 weeks, basal and insulin-stimulated adipocyte glucose uptake increased by 3-fold vs baseline and expression of genes involved in glucose transport, fatty acid oxidation, and adipogenesis was upregulated (P < 0.01). Adipocyte volume was reduced by 4 weeks and more markedly at 104 weeks, by about 40% vs baseline (P < 0.01).Conclusions: We propose this order of events: (1) rapid glucose lowering (days); (2) attenuated cortisol axis activity and inflammation and increased parasympathetic tone (weeks); and (3) body fat and weight loss, increased adipose glucose uptake, and whole-body insulin sensitivity (months-years; similar to healthy controls).Thus, neuroendocrine pathways can partly mediate early glycemic improvement after RYGB, and adipose factors may promote long-term insulin sensitivity and normoglycemia.
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