| 1. |
- Borglin, Gunilla, et al.
(författare)
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Older people in Sweden with various degrees of present quality of life : their health, social support, everyday activities and sense of coherence.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Health & Social Care in the Community. - : Blackwell Publishing. - 0966-0410 .- 1365-2524. ; 14:2, s. 136-146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Public health policies in most European countries are concerned with how to keep older people living independently with a qualitatively good life in the community as long as possible. However, knowledge about what may characterise those seemingly 'healthy' older people is sparse. The aim of the study was to investigate the characteristics of a sample of people (75+) reporting various degrees of Quality of Life (QoL) with respect to QoL in different areas, as well as self-rated health, health problems, social support, everyday activities and sense of coherence. A postal questionnaire was sent out in spring 2001 to a randomly selected population-based sample (n= 600) in the southern parts of Sweden. A two-step cluster analysis was performed (n= 385, mean age 84.6, SD = 5.7) with 'present QoL' as clustering attribute. Three groups were disclosed, classified as high, intermediate and low present QoL, of which 33.8% could be regarded being at risk of low QoL. Those with low present QoL (18.4%) were the oldest and most vulnerable, a majority were women with 'poor or bad' self-rated health, high frequencies of health problems, low total QoL, low social support and sense of coherence and less physically active. Those with high present QoL (47.8%) reported more 'excellent or good' self-rated health, physical activity, satisfactory social support and higher sense of coherence and total QoL than the other two groups. Those with intermediate present QoL (33.8%) had more of 'poor or bad' self-rated health, more health problems were less physically active, had lower total QoL and sense of coherence, and less social support than those with high present QoL. The sample seemed to reflect the ageing process in that the respondents were at different stages of ageing. However, the fact that the level of social support, sense of coherence and self-rated health followed the same curve as QoL may indicate that some are more vulnerable to low present QoL given the same health and these should be targeted in preventive programmes since they report low QoL.
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| 2. |
- Christiansson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in aircraft cabins - A source of human exposure?
- 2008
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1298 .- 0045-6535. ; 73:10, s. 1654-1660
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Commercial aircrafts need a high degree of fire protection for passenger safety. Brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), may be used for this purpose. Because PBDEs readily absorb to dust particles, aircraft crew and passengers may receive significant PBDEs exposure via inhalation. The aims of this work were to assess whether PBDEs could be found in aircraft cabin dust and whether serum levels of PBDEs increased in passengers after long-distance flights. Hence nine subjects on intercontinental flights collected cabin dust samples, as well as donated blood samples before departure and after return to Sweden. Two subjects who were domestic frequent flyers were also investigated. The levels of PBDEs in dust and serum were determined by GC/MS in electron capture negative ionization (ECNI) mode. Authentic reference substances were used for identification and quantitation. PBDEs were found in all aircraft dust samples at high concentrations, higher than in common household dust. Congener patterns indicated that the technical products PentaBDE, OctaBDE and DecaBDE were used in the aircrafts. Serum concentrations in the travellers were similar to those observed in Swedish residents in general. Post-travel serum levels of BDE-28. BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153, and BDE-154 were significantly higher(p<0.05) than concentrations prior to travel. The findings from this pilot study call for investigations of occupational exposures to PBDEs in cabin and cockpit crews. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Condelius, Anna, Universitetslektor, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Hospital admissions among people 65+ related to multimorbidity, municipal and outpatient care
- 2008
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Ingår i: Archives of gerontology and geriatrics (Print). - Shannon : Elsevier. - 0167-4943 .- 1872-6976. ; 46:1, s. 41-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aimed at examine the number of planned and acute hospital admissions during 1 year among people 65+ and its relation to municipal care, outpatient care, multimorbidity, age and sex. Four thousand nine hundred and seven individuals having one or more admissions during 2001 were studied. Data were collected from two registers and comparisons were made between those having one, two and three or more hospital stays and between those with and without municipal care and services. Linear regression was used to examine factors predicting number of acute and planned admissions. Fifteen percent of the sample had three or more hospital stays (range 3-15) accounting for 35% of all admissions. This group had significantly more contacts in outpatient care with physician (median number of contacts (md)=15), compared to those with one (md: 8), or two admissions (md: 11). Main predictors for number of admissions were number of diagnosis groups and number of contacts with physician in outpatient care. Those who are frequently admitted to hospital constitute a small group that consume a great deal of inpatient care and also tend to have frequent contacts in outpatient care. Thus interventions focusing on frequent admissions are needed, and this requires collaboration between outpatient and hospital care. © 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 4. |
- Jakobsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Competition for pollinators between invasive and native plants : Effects of spatial scale of investigation (note)
- 2009
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Ingår i: Ecoscience. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1195-6860. ; 16:1, s. 138-141
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this study we show that spatial scale of investigation affects the estimated strength of competition for pollinators between an invasive and a native plant species. The effect of the invasive herb Oxalis pes-caprae on pollinator visits to the native herb Diplotaxis erucoides was studied when the invader was (1) totally present, (2) present on a large scale (of hectares) but absent on a small scale (of square metres), and (3) totally absent. No difference in number of pollinator visits to D. erucoides was found between treatment 1 and 3, i.e., between total presence and total absence of the invader. However, when the invader was removed in the small scale while still remaining in the large scale, a higher number of visits to the native was recorded. Our study thus shows the importance of incorporating multiple spatial scales to allow for investigation of hierarchical effects on competition for pollinators, and it suggests that small-scale studies of effects of invasive plants on pollinator visitation might risk overstating negative effects of the invader.
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| 5. |
- Jakobsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Pollen transfer from invasive Carpobrotus spp. to natives - a study of pollinator behaviour and reproduction success
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biological Conservation. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-3207 .- 1873-2917. ; 141:1, s. 136-145
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The influence of invasive plant species on native community composition is well-documented, but less is known about underlying mechanisms. Especially scarce is knowledge about effects on biotic interactions such as relationships between native plants and their pollinators. In this study we investigate if pollen transfer from the invasive and highly pollen productive Carpobrotus spp. affects seed production and/or seed quality in three native species. We monitored pollinator movements and pollen loads on pollinators and native stigmas, and in a field pollination experiment we investigated the effect of invasive pollen on reproduction. Invasive pollen adhered to pollinators, pollinators switched from Carpobrotus spp. to natives, invasive pollen was transferred to native stigmas, and it affected seed production in one species. Although all possible steps for interference with seed production were found to be qualitatively taken, invasive pollen has probably little impact on the native community because the frequency of invasive pollen transfer to natives was low. However, pollination interactions may change with plant abundance and our study provides evidence that pollen transfer from Carpobrotus spp. to natives does occur and have the potential to affect seed production. We found the species identity of shared pollinators to be of importance, higher flower constancy and lower capacity of pollen adherence are likely to result in less invasive pollen transfer.
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| 6. |
- Johnsson, Anna, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Bioligand-mediated partitioning of radionuclides to the aqueous phase
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0236-5731 .- 1588-2780. ; 277:3, s. 637-644
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aqueous-phase partitioning of 59Fe, 147Pm, 234Th and 241Am by complexing compounds from subsurface bacteria has previously been studied in the presence of quartz sand. In this study the aqueous-phase partitioning of pico- to submicromolar amounts of 59Fe, 147Pm, 234Th and 241Am was analyzed in the presence of TiO2 and exudates from three species of subsurface bacteria: Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas stutzeri, and Shewanella putrefaciens. All were grown under aerobic conditions and P. stutzeri and S. putrefaciens were grown under anaerobic conditions as well. The supernatants of the aerobic and anaerobic cultures were collected and radionuclide was added. TiO2, with BET surface area of 49.9 m2·g-1, was added to the supernatant radionuclide mix, and the pH was adjusted to approximately 8. After incubation, the amount of radionuclide in the liquid phase of the samples and controls was analyzed using scintillation method. Two types of values were calculated: solution% = the activity maintained in solution relative to the total activity, and Q-values = the quotient between the activity in samples and the activity in controls. Aerobic supernatants had solution% values between 89% and 100% for 59Fe and between 18 and 43% for 234Th. The solution% values for 241Am and 147Pm were less than 2% overall, but the Q-values were between 34 and 115 times more 241Am in bacterial supernatants than in controls. The corresponding values for 147Pm ranged from 6 to 20 times more than in the control. The solution% values for all elements in the presence of anaerobic supernatants were below 2%, but the Q-values clustered around 7 for 59Fe and ranging from 2 to 29 for 234Th, indicated that anaerobic supernatants partitioned these elements to the aqueous phase. Both aerobic and anaerobic supernatants tested positive for complexing compounds when analyzed, using the Chrome Azurol S assay. Complexation with excreted organic ligands is most likely the reason for the higher amounts of metals in samples than in the controls. Hence, aerobically and anaerobically excreted organic ligands seem able to influence the mobility of radionuclides in aerobic and anaerobic environments contaminated with these compounds.
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| 7. |
- Lindgren, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Traffic exposure associated with allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis in adults. A cross-sectional study in southern Sweden.
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Health Geographics. - 1476-072X. ; 8:May 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: There is conflicting evidence that traffic-related air pollution is a risk factor for allergic conditions. Few studies have investigated this in adults. In adults, a high proportion of asthma, rhinitis and eczema is triggered by non-allergic factors. We investigated traffic as a risk factor for allergic versus non-allergic asthma and rhinitis, and eczema, in adults. A questionnaire from 2000 (n = 9319, 18-77 years) provided individual data about disease outcome and self-reported traffic exposure. Additional exposure assessments were obtained using Geographical Informations Systems (GIS). Residential addresses were linked to the national Swedish Road Database and to a pollutant database with modelled annual means of NOx (Nitrogen Oxids). RESULTS: Living within 100 m from a road with a traffic intensity of >10 cars/min (24 hour mean) was associated with prevalence of current asthma reported to be triggered by allergic factors (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.23-2.72) and with allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.30, 95%CI = (1.05-1.61). No relation was seen with asthma or rhinitis triggered by other factors. Living within 100 m of a road with >10 cars/min was also associated with hand-eczema during the last 12 months (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.19-2.23), but not with allergic eczema or diagnosed hand-eczema. Consistent results were seen using self-reported traffic, but the associations with NOx were less consistent. CONCLUSION: Exposure to traffic was associated with a higher prevalence of allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis, but not with asthma or rhinitis triggered by non-allergic factors. This difference was suggested by the overall pattern, but only clear using GIS-measured traffic intensity as a proxy for traffic exposure. An association was also found with hand-eczema during the last 12 months. We suggest that asthma and rhinitis should not be treated as homogenous groups when estimating effects from traffic in adults.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Lindgren, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Traffic-related air pollution associated with prevalence of asthma and COPD/chronic bronchitis. A cross-sectional study in Southern Sweden
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Health Geographics. - 1476-072X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There is growing evidence that air pollution from traffic has adverse long-term effects on chronic respiratory disease in children, but there are few studies and more inconclusive results in adults. We examined associations between residential traffic and asthma and COPD in adults in southern Sweden. A postal questionnaire in 2000 (n = 9319, 18-77 years) provided disease status, and self-reported exposure to traffic. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to link geocoded residential addresses to a Swedish road database and an emission database for NOx. Results: Living within 100 m of a road with > 10 cars/minute (compared with having no heavy road within this distance) was associated with prevalence of asthma diagnosis (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.04-1.89), and COPD diagnosis (OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.11-2.4), as well as asthma and chronic bronchitis symptoms. Self-reported traffic exposure was associated with asthma diagnosis and COPD diagnosis, and with asthma symptoms. Annual average NOx was associated with COPD diagnosis and symptoms of asthma and chronic bronchitis. Conclusion: Living close to traffic was associated with prevalence of asthma diagnosis, COPD diagnosis, and symptoms of asthma and bronchitis. This indicates that traffic-related air pollution has both long-term and short-term effects on chronic respiratory disease in adults, even in a region with overall low levels of air pollution.
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| 10. |
- Anderson, Craig, 1976, et al.
(författare)
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Autoradiographic comparisons of radionuclide adsorption between subsurface anaerobic biofilms and granitic host rocks
- 2006
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Ingår i: Geomicrobiology Journal. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0149-0451 .- 1521-0529. ; 23:1, s. 15-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In high level nuclear waste repositories, the host rock is considered to be an important barrier to radionuclide migration by adsorbing metals at fluid rock interfaces. In granitic rock environments the surfaces of hydraulically conductive fractures are covered with mixed community biofilms. Biofilms were grown in situ on glass and rock surfaces in high pressure flow cells using groundwater sourced from a borehole 450 meters below sea level in the Aspo hard rock laboratory, Sweden. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), epifluorescence microscopy and energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDS) revealed monolayer biofilms consisting of up to 2 x 10(4) bacteria/mm(2) surrounded by an extensive extracellular matrix and carbonate precipitates that covered
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