| 1. |
- Andersson, Axel G, et al.
(författare)
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High Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine-an Observational Study in Adults from Ronneby, Sweden.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental health perspectives. - 1552-9924. ; 131:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used, environmentally ubiquitous, and stable chemicals that have been associated with lower vaccine-induced antibody responses in children; however, data on adults are limited. The drinking water from one of the two waterworks in Ronneby, Sweden, was heavily contaminated for decades with PFAS from firefighting foams, primarily perfluorohexane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 offered a unique opportunity to investigate antibody responses to primary vaccination in adults who had been exposed to PFAS.Our objective was to evaluate associations between PFAS, across a wide range of exposure levels, and antibody responses in adults 5 wk and 6 months after a two-dose vaccination regime against SARS-CoV-2.Adults age 20-60 y from Ronneby (n=309, median PFOS serum level 47ng/mL, fifth to 95th percentile 4-213ng/mL) and a group with background exposure (n=47, median PFOS serum level 4ng/mL) received two doses of the Spikevax (Moderna) mRNA vaccine. The levels of seven PFAS were measured in serum before vaccination. Serum immunoglobulin G antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen (S-Abs) were measured before vaccination and at 5 wk (n=350) and 6 months (n=329) after the second vaccine dose. Linear regression analyses were fitted against current, historical, and prenatal exposure to PFAS, adjusting for sex, age, and smoking, excluding individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2-infection.PFAS exposure, regardless of how it was estimated, was not negatively associated with antibody levels 5 wk [current PFOS: -0.5% S-Abs/PFOS interquartile range (IQR); 95% confidence interval (CI): -8, 7] or 6 months (current PFOS: 3% S-Abs/PFOS IQR; 95% CI: -6, 12) after COVID-19 vaccination.Following a strict study protocol, rigorous study design, and few dropouts, we found no indication that PFAS exposure negatively affected antibody responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccination for up to 6 months after vaccination. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11847.
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| 2. |
- Borne, Kurtis D., et al.
(författare)
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Ultrafast electronic relaxation pathways of the molecular photoswitch quadricyclane
- 2024
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Ingår i: NATURE CHEMISTRY. - : Springer Nature. - 1755-4330 .- 1755-4349. ; 16, s. 499-505
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The light-induced ultrafast switching between molecular isomers norbornadiene and quadricyclane can reversibly store and release a substantial amount of chemical energy. Prior work observed signatures of ultrafast molecular dynamics in both isomers upon ultraviolet excitation but could not follow the electronic relaxation all the way back to the ground state experimentally. Here we study the electronic relaxation of quadricyclane after exciting in the ultraviolet (201 nanometres) using time-resolved gas-phase extreme ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy combined with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. We identify two competing pathways by which electronically excited quadricyclane molecules relax to the electronic ground state. The fast pathway (<100 femtoseconds) is distinguished by effective coupling to valence electronic states, while the slow pathway involves initial motions across Rydberg states and takes several hundred femtoseconds. Both pathways facilitate interconversion between the two isomers, albeit on different timescales, and we predict that the branching ratio of norbornadiene/quadricyclane products immediately after returning to the electronic ground state is approximately 3:2.
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| 3. |
- Broström, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Worldwide estimation of restless legs syndrome : a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence in the general adult population
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Sleep Research. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0962-1105 .- 1365-2869. ; 32:3
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression assessed the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in the general adult population. Studies identified in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycInfo between January 2000 and February 2022 were included if they used a case–control or cross-sectional design and reported data regarding the prevalence of RLS. The protocol was pre-registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42022300709). A total of 97 studies including 483,079 participants from 33 different countries met the eligibility criteria. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality, and the fill-and-trim method was used to correct probable publication bias, while the jack-knife method was performed to assess small study effect. The corrected overall pooled prevalence of RLS was 3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4%–3.8%). The pooled prevalence of RLS syndrome was affected by methodological quality (no data from non-respondents in the included studies), gender (higher among women), study design (lower prevalence in case–control versus cohort and cross-sectional studies). The figures for corrected pooled prevalence among men, women, alcohol consumers and smokers were 2.8% (95% CI 2%–3.7%); 4.7% (95% CI 3.2%–6.3%); 1.4% (95% CI 0%–4.2%); and 2.7% (95% CI 0%–5.3%), respectively. The prevalence among male and female participants was lower in community-based versus non-community-based studies. Moreover, the prevalence was higher in developed versus developing countries and among elders versus adults. In conclusion, RLS is a common disorder in the general adult population, with a higher prevalence in women; however, prevalence data are affected by study design and quality.
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| 4. |
- Bumann, Adrian, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting the spread of invasive marine species with open data and machine learning: Process and Challenges
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Conference on Marine Data and Information Systems (IMDIS) 2021.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- One of the world’s most complex marine challenges is the spread of invasive species. Invasive species cause severe harm to marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them, with economic impact alone amounting to several billion dollars annually. Recent advances in data science and artificial intelligence (AI) along with the increasing availability of free marine and other data online are improving the possibility to tackle these challenges. This paper presents the efforts by Ocean Data Factory Sweden (ODF Sweden), a data-driven innovation consortium in Gothenburg, to apply machine learning (ML) to one use case – the prediction of the spread of the Killer Shrimp, or Dikerogammarus Villosus, into the Baltic Sea (Figure 1). We discuss our process to address this use case as well as some reflections on the process and its challenges, in particular when taking into consideration the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles in data science.
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| 5. |
- Edén, Arvid, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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Viral Antigen and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Patients With COVID-19 Infection and Neurologic Symptoms Compared With Control Participants Without Infection or Neurologic Symptoms.
- 2022
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Ingår i: JAMA network open. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 2574-3805. ; 5:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neurologic symptoms are common in COVID-19, but the central nervous system (CNS) pathogenesis is unclear, and viral RNA is rarely detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).To measure viral antigen and inflammatory biomarkers in CSF in relation to neurologic symptoms and disease severity.This cross-sectional study was performed from March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, in patients 18 years or older who were admitted to Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden, with COVID-19. All patients had CSF samples taken because of neurologic symptoms or within a study protocol. Healthy volunteer and prepandemic control groups were included.SARS-CoV-2 infection.Outcomes included CSF SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen (N-Ag) using an ultrasensitive antigen capture immunoassay platform and CSF biomarkers of immune activation (neopterin, β2-microglobulin, and cytokines) and neuronal injury (neurofilament light protein [NfL]).Forty-four patients (median [IQR] age, 57 [48-69] years; 30 [68%] male; 26 with moderate COVID-19 and 18 with severe COVID-19 based on the World Health Organization Clinical Progression Scale), 10 healthy controls (median [IQR] age, 58 [54-60] years; 5 [50%] male), and 41 patient controls (COVID negative without evidence of CNS infection) (median [IQR] age, 59 [49-70] years; 19 [46%] male) were included in the study. Twenty-one patients were neuroasymptomatic and 23 were neurosymptomatic (21 with encephalopathy). In 31 of 35 patients for whom data were available (89%), CSF N-Ag was detected; viral RNA test results were negative in all. Nucleocapsid antigen was significantly correlated with CSF neopterin (r=0.38; P=.03) and interferon γ (r=0.42; P=.01). No differences in CSF N-Ag concentrations were found between patient groups. Patients had markedly increased CSF neopterin, β2-microglobulin, interleukin (IL) 2, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor α compared with controls. Neurosymptomatic patients had significantly higher median (IQR) CSF interferon γ (86 [47-172] vs 21 [17-81] fg/mL; P=.03) and had a significantly higher inflammatory biomarker profile using principal component analysis compared with neuroasymptomatic patients (0.54; 95% CI, 0.03-1.05; P=.04). Age-adjusted median (IQR) CSF NfL concentrations were higher in patients compared with controls (960 [673-1307] vs 618 [489-786] ng/L; P=.002). No differences were seen in any CSF biomarkers in moderate compared with severe disease.In this study of Swedish adults with COVID-19 infection and neurologic symptoms, compared with control participants, viral antigen was detectable in CSF and correlated with CNS immune activation. Patients with COVID-19 had signs of neuroaxonal injury, and neurosymptomatic patients had a more marked inflammatory profile that could not be attributed to differences in COVID-19 severity. These results highlight the clinical relevance of neurologic symptoms and suggest that viral components can contribute to CNS immune responses without direct viral invasion.
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| 6. |
- Gonzalez Lindh, Margareta, 1965-
(författare)
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Swallowing Dysfunction in Respiratory Diseases : Prevalence and risk factors in COPD and COVID-19
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objective: Swallowing dysfunction, dysphagia, is a common, sometimes dangerous, and often neglected problem that affects many people. The prevalence is estimated to be approximately 8% in the general population which makes it as common as e.g. diabetes or asthma. Dysphagia can cause serious complications like malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia and even death. The aims of this thesis were to gain further knowledge and a broader understanding of the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of swallowing dysfunction in patients with respiratory diseases. Specifically Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, COPD, and COVID-19 after invasive mechanical ventilation.Study I is a prospective explorative study of 51 COPD patients in stable phase. Swallowing function was evaluated through a questionnaire and through two swallowing tests (water and a cookie) and lung function was measured through a spirometry. The prevalence of self- reported swallowing dysfunction was 65% and the screened prevalence was 49%. There was a negative correlation between lung function and both measurements of swallowing function, i.e. the poorer the lung function the more dysphagia symptoms.Study II is a cross-sectional multi-centre study where we examined the prevalence of self-reported swallowing dysfunction in 571 COPD patients. Additional tests were: spirometry, physical capacity, mMRC and CAT. Subjective swallowing symptoms were found in 33% of the patients. More prevalent in symptomatic patients and patients with lower physical capacity. A high score on the mMRC or CAT and a classification in GOLD groups B and D may be predictive of a swallowing dysfunction and should be addressed by the COPD nurse or physician.Study III is a cross-sectional study of 30 COPD patients hospitalized with a severe exacerbation. Their swallowing function was compared to a control group. The main results of this study were that the prevalence of swallowing dysfunction, both patient-reported and screened in patients hospitalised with a COPD exacerbation, was high. In addition, the AECOPD group was almost three times more likely to suffer from self-reported dysphagia compared to the control group.Study IV is a longitudinal cohort study of swallowing function in 28 COVID-19 patients post invasive mechanical ventilation. Dysphagia was found in 71% of the patients at baseline and it was associated with number of days in the hospital and in the ICU. At discharge from the hospital swallowing function and tolerance of oral intake had improved significantly.Conclusion: Swallowing dysfunction is prevalent both in COPD and in COVID-19 patients post invasive mechanical ventilation.
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| 7. |
- Haars, Jonathan, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Sublineages and Spike Protein Mutations Conferring Resistance against Monoclonal Antibodies in a Swedish Cohort during 2022–2023
- 2023
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Ingår i: Microorganisms. - : MDPI. - 2076-2607. ; 11:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are an important treatment option for COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2, especially in immunosuppressed patients. However, this treatment option can become ineffective due to mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, mainly in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein. In the present study, 7950 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples from the Uppsala and Örebro regions of central Sweden, collected between March 2022 and May 2023, were whole-genome sequenced using amplicon-based sequencing methods on Oxford Nanopore GridION, Illumina MiSeq, Illumina HiSeq, or MGI DNBSEQ-G400 instruments. Pango lineages were determined and all single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations that occurred in these samples were identified. We found that the dominant sublineages changed over time, and mutations conferring resistance to currently available mAbs became common. Notable ones are R346T and K444T mutations in the RBD that confer significant resistance against tixagevimab and cilgavimab mAbs. Further, mutations conferring a high-fold resistance to bebtelovimab, such as the K444T and V445P mutations, were also observed in the samples. This study highlights that resistance mutations have over time rendered currently available mAbs ineffective against SARS-CoV-2 in most patients. Therefore, there is a need for continued surveillance of resistance mutations and the development of new mAbs that target more conserved regions of the RBD.
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| 8. |
- Johnsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Anal cancer in Sweden 2015-2019. Implementation of guidelines, structural changes, national registry and early results
- 2022
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Ingår i: Acta Oncologica. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 61:5, s. 575-582
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Squamous cell cancer of the anus is an uncommon malignancy, usually caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the recommended treatment in localized disease with cure rates of 60-80%. Local failures should be considered for salvage surgery. With the purpose of improving and equalizing the anal cancer care in Sweden, a number of actions were taken between 2015 and 2017. The aim of this study was to describe the implementation of guidelines and organizational changes and to present early results from the first 5 years of the Swedish anal cancer registry (SACR). Methods The following were implemented: (1) the first national care program with treatment guidelines, (2) standardized care process, (3) centralization of CRT to four centers and salvage surgery to two centers, (4) weekly national multidisciplinary team meetings where all new cases are discussed, (5) the Swedish anal cancer registry (SACR) was started in 2015. Results The SACR included 912 patients with a diagnosis of anal cancer from 2015 to 2019, reaching a national coverage of 95%. We could show that guidelines issued in 2017 regarding staging procedures and radiotherapy dose modifications were rapidly implemented. At baseline 52% of patients had lymph node metastases and 9% had distant metastases. Out of all patients in the SACR 89% were treated with curative intent, most of them with CRT, after which 92% achieved a local complete remission and the estimated overall 3-year survival was 85%. Conclusions This is the first report from the SACR, demonstrating rapid nation-wide implementation of guidelines and apparently good treatment outcome in patients with anal cancer in Sweden. The SACR will hopefully be a valuable source for future research.
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| 9. |
- Lindh, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions of nutrient and water availability control growth and diversity effects in a Salix two-species mixture
- 2022
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Ingår i: Ecohydrology. - : Wiley. - 1936-0584 .- 1936-0592. ; 15:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant growth is constrained by resource availability and interactions among limiting resources—abundance in one resource (e.g., nutrients) might promote growth, thereby causing the depletion of other resources (e.g., water), potentially inducing stress or mortality. In a diverse plant community, complementary resource use has been hypothesized to increase the overall productivity, but how diversity effects vary with interacting water and nutrient limitation and through time is not known. Here, we address this knowledge gap in a controlled pot experiment where species composition (two Salix species in monoculture or mixture), nutrient addition, and watering frequency (for fixed total water inputs) were varied during two growing seasons. High nutrient availability promoted plant growth and nitrogen accumulation at the pot scale, as well as increased allocation aboveground, but also triggered more intense water stress and mortality, as larger plants depleted soil water during warm periods. Supplying water more frequently slightly alleviated water stress under high nutrient availability, thus promoting growth and nitrogen accumulation. The species mixtures performed better than the average of the mixture constituents (positive net diversity effects) and increasingly so through time. The complementarity and selection effects, respectively, increased and decreased under both high nutrient availability and high watering frequency. Overall, these results suggest that as plants grow larger, plant interactions and resource partitioning intensify, causing the positive diversity effects, but also that drought consequences might be exacerbated in plant communities rapidly growing thanks to high nutrient supply.
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| 10. |
- Martner, Anna, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Transient and durable T cell reactivity after COVID-19
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424. ; 119:30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study analyzed whole blood samples (n = 56) retrieved from 30 patients at 1 to 21 (median 9) mo after verified COVID-19 to determine the polarity and duration of antigen-specific T cell reactivity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-derived antigens. Multimeric peptides spanning the entire nucleocapsid protein triggered strikingly synchronous formation of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-12, IL-13, and IL-17 ex vivo until similar to 70 d after confirmed infection, whereafter this reactivity was no longer inducible. In contrast, levels of nucleocapsid-induced IL-2 and interferon-gamma remained stable and highly correlated at 3 to 21 mo after infection. Similar cytokine dynamics were observed in unvaccinated, convalescent patients using whole-blood samples stimulated with peptides spanning the N-terminal portion of the spike 1 protein. These results unravel two phases of T cell reactivity following natural COVID-19: an early, synchronous response indicating transient presence of multipolar, antigen-specific T helper (T-H) cells followed by an equally synchronous and durable T(H)1-like reactivity reflecting long-lasting T cell memory.
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