| 1. |
- Fall, Tove, et al.
(författare)
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Age- and sex-specific causal effects of adiposity on cardiovascular risk factors
- 2015
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Ingår i: Diabetes. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0012-1797 .- 1939-327X. ; 64:5, s. 1841-1852
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Observational studies have reported different effects of adiposity on cardiovascular risk factors across age and sex. Since cardiovascular risk factors are enriched in obese individuals, it has not been easy to dissect the effects of adiposity from those of other risk factors. We used a Mendelian randomization approach, applying a set of 32 genetic markers to estimate the causal effect of adiposity on blood pressure, glycemic indices, circulating lipid levels, and markers of inflammation and liver disease in up to 67,553 individuals. All analyses were stratified by age (cutoff 55 years of age) and sex. The genetic score was associated with BMI in both nonstratified analysis (P = 2.8 × 10(-107)) and stratified analyses (all P < 3.3 × 10(-30)). We found evidence of a causal effect of adiposity on blood pressure, fasting levels of insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in a nonstratified analysis and in the <55-year stratum. Further, we found evidence of a smaller causal effect on total cholesterol (P for difference = 0.015) in the ≥55-year stratum than in the <55-year stratum, a finding that could be explained by biology, survival bias, or differential medication. In conclusion, this study extends previous knowledge of the effects of adiposity by providing sex- and age-specific causal estimates on cardiovascular risk factors.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Nilsson, Jessica, et al.
(författare)
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A low-carbohydrate high-fat diet decreases lean mass and impairs cardiac function in pair-fed female C57BL/6J mice
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nutrition & Metabolism. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1743-7075. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Excess body fat is a major health issue and a risk factor for the development of numerous chronic diseases. Low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet are popular for rapid weight loss, but the long-term consequences remain the subject of debate. The Scandinavian low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet, which has been popular in Scandinavian countries for about a decade, has very low carbohydrate content (~5 E %) but is rich in fat and includes a high proportion of saturated fatty acids. Here we investigated the metabolic and physiological consequences of a diet with a macronutrient composition similar to the Scandinavian LCHF diet and its effects on the organs, tissues, and metabolism of weight stable mice.METHODS: Female C57BL/6J mice were iso-energetically pair-fed for 4 weeks with standard chow or a LCHF diet. We measured body composition using echo MRI and the aerobic capacity before and after 2 and 4 weeks on diet. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography before and after 4 weeks on diet. The metabolic rate was measured by indirect calorimetry the fourth week of the diet. Mice were sacrificed after 4 weeks and the organ weight, triglyceride levels, and blood chemistry were analyzed, and the expression of key ketogenic, metabolic, hormonal, and inflammation genes were measured in the heart, liver, and adipose tissue depots of the mice using real-time PCR.RESULTS: The increase in body weight of mice fed a LCHF diet was similar to that in controls. However, while control mice maintained their body composition throughout the study, LCHF mice gained fat mass at the expense of lean mass after 2 weeks. The LCHF diet increased cardiac triglyceride content, impaired cardiac function, and reduced aerobic capacity. It also induced pronounced alterations in gene expression and substrate metabolism, indicating a unique metabolic state.CONCLUSIONS: Pair-fed mice eating LCHF increased their percentage of body fat at the expense of lean mass already after 2 weeks, and after 4 weeks the function of the heart deteriorated. These findings highlight the urgent need to investigate the effects of a LCHF diet on health parameters in humans.
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| 4. |
- Nilsson, Leif, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in numbers and distribution of breeding waterfowl in the Swedish mountain chain between 1972–1975 and 2009
- 2012
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Ingår i: Ornis Svecica. - 1102-6812. ; 22:3-4, s. 107-126
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During 1972–1975, the breeding waterfowl populations of the northern parts of Fennoscandia (south to 65° N in Sweden) were surveyed for the first time. In 2009, a new survey was undertaken in the Swedish part of the mountain chain. Censuses were performed from the air in transects of 5×5 km squares and in special areas. The distribution of the different species was largely similar between the two periods but there were a number of differences on the regional level. Most species had more or less the same population sizes but there were some variation in the different parts of the mountains. Three species showed clear increases between the periods. Cygnus cygnus had the same increase in the mountain chain as in the rest of the country. Melanitta nigra was about four times as common in 2009 compared to the 1970s and Mergus merganser also had higher counts in 2009. Melanitta fusca decreased
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| 5. |
- Nordberg, Gunnar F, et al.
(författare)
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Lung function in volunteers before and after exposure to trichloramine in indoor pool environments and asthma in a cohort of pool workers
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group. - 2044-6055. ; 2:5, s. e000973-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Exposure to trichloramine (NCl(3)) in indoor swimming-pool environments is known to cause mucous membrane irritation, but if it gives rise to changes in lung function or asthma in adults is not known. (1) We determined lung function in volunteers before and after exposure to indoor pool environments. (2) We studied the occurrence of respiratory symptoms and asthma in a cohort of pool workers.DESIGN/METHODS/PARTICIPANTS: (1) We studied two groups of volunteers, 37 previously non-exposed healthy persons and 14 pool workers, who performed exercise for 2 h in an indoor pool environment. NCl(3) in air was measured during pool exposures and in 10 other pool environments. Filtered air exposures were used as controls. Lung function and biomarkers of pulmonary epithelial integrity were measured before and after exposure. (2) We mailed a questionnaire to 1741 persons who indicated in the Swedish census 1990 that they worked at indoor swimming-pools.RESULTS: (1) In previously non-exposed volunteers, statistically significant decreases in FEV(1) (forced expiratory volume) and FEV(%) (p=0.01 and 0.05, respectively) were found after exposure to pool air (0.23 mg/m(3) of NCl(3)). In pool workers, a statistically significant decrease in FEV(%) (p=0.003) was seen (but no significant change of FEV(1))(.) In the 10 other pool environments the median NCl(3) concentration was 0.18 mg/m(3). (2) Our nested case/control study in pool workers found an OR for asthma of 2.31 (95% CI 0.79 to 6.74) among those with the highest exposure. Exposure-related acute mucous membrane and respiratory symptoms were also found.CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study in adults showing statistically significant decreases in lung function after exposure to NCl(3). An increased OR for asthma among highly exposed pool workers did not reach statistical significance, but the combined evidence supports the notion that current workroom exposures may contribute to asthma development. Further research on sensitive groups is warranted.
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| 6. |
- Nordeman, Patrik, et al.
(författare)
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C-11 and F-18 Radiolabeling of Tetra- and Pentathiophenes as PET-Ligands for Amyloid Protein Aggregates
- 2016
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Ingår i: ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-5875 .- 1948-5875. ; 7:4, s. 368-373
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Three oligothiophenes were evaluated as PET ligands for the study of local and systemic amyloidosis ex vivo using tissue from patients with amyloid deposits and in vivo using healthy animals and PET-CT. The ex vivo binding studies revealed that all three labeled compounds bound specifically to human amyloid deposits. Specific binding was found in the heart, kidney, liver, and spleen. To verify the specificity of the oligothiophenes toward amyloid deposits, tissue sections with amyloid pathology were stained using the fluorescence exhibited by the compounds and evaluated with multiphoton microscopy. Furthermore, a in vivo monkey PET-CT study showed very low uptake in the brain, pancreas, and heart of the healthy animal indicating low nonspecific binding to healthy tissue. The biological evaluations indicated that this is a promising group of compounds for the visualization of systemic and localized amyloidosis.
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| 7. |
- Sommar, Johan Nilsson, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of lead concentrations in whole blood, plasma and urine as biomarkers for biological monitoring of lead exposure
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1559-064X .- 1559-0631. ; 24:1, s. 51-57
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lead in blood is a major concept in biomonitoring of exposure but investigations of its alternatives are scarce. The aim of the study was to describe different lead biomarkers' variances, day-to-day and between individuals, estimating their fraction of the total variance. Repeated sampling of whole blood, plasma and urine were conducted for 48 lead-exposed men and 20 individuals under normal environmental lead exposure, in total 603 measurements. For lead workers, the fraction of the total variance attributed to differences between individuals was 91% for whole-blood lead (geometric mean 227 mg/l; geometric standard deviation (GSD): 1.55 mg/l); plasma 78% (0.57 mg/l; GSD: 1.84 mg/l); density-adjusted urine 82%; and unadjusted urine 75% (23.7 mg/l; GSD: 2.48 mg/l). For the individuals under normal lead exposure, the corresponding fractions were 95% of the total variance for whole blood (20.7 mg/l; GSD: 8.6 mg/l), 15% for plasma (0.09 mg/l; GSD: 0.04 mg/l), 87% for creatinine-adjusted urine and 34% for unadjusted (10.8 mg/l; GSD: 6.7 mg/l). Lead concentration in whole blood is the biomarker with the best ability to discriminate between individuals with different mean concentration. Urinary and plasma lead also performed acceptably in lead workers, but at low exposures plasma lead was too imprecise. Urinary adjustments appear not to increase the between-individual fraction of the total variance among lead workers but among those with normal lead exposure.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Abelius, Martina S, et al.
(författare)
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Gene expression in placenta, peripheral and cord blood mononuclear cells from allergic and non-allergic women
- 2014
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: The influence of maternal allergy on the development of immune responses and allergy in the offspring is not understood.Objective: To investigate (i) if maternal allergy influences the gene expression locally in placenta, systemically in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and fetally in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC), (ii) if the gene expression in the placenta and PBMC influences the gene expression in CBMC and (iii) how the gene expression at birth relates to allergy development during childhood.Methods: A real-time PCR array was used to quantify forty immune regulatory genes in placenta, PBMC (gestational week 39) and in CBMC from 7 allergic and 12 non-allergic women and their offspring. Furthermore, quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA expression of Tbx21, GATA-3, Foxp3, RORC and CCL22 in CBMC, selected based on present PCR array results and previous protein findings in cord blood, in 13 children who developed and 11 children who did not develop allergy during childhood.Results: The gene expression profile in the placenta revealed a T-helper (Th) 2-/anti-inflammatory environment as compared with gene expression systemically, in PBMC. Maternal allergy was associated with increased expression of p35 in PBMC and CBMC and p40 in placenta. Placental p35 expression correlated with fetal Tbx21 expression (Rho=-0.88, p<0.001) and maternal IL-5 expression in PBMC with fetal Galectin-1 (Rho=0.91, p<0.001) expression. Allergy development in the children was preceded by high mRNA expression of the Th2-associated chemokine CCL22 at birth.Conclusion and clinical relevance: Gene expression locally and systemically during pregnancy influenced the offspring’s gene expression at birth, indicating an interplay between maternal and fetal immunity. Children developing allergy during childhood had an increased expression of the Th2-associated chemokine CCL22 at birth, indicating a Th2 skewing before disease onset. Maternal allergy was not associated with a Th2-dominance in placenta, PBMC or CBMC.
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| 10. |
- Abelius, Martina S, et al.
(författare)
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High cord blood levels of the T-helper 2-associated chemokines CCL17 and CCL22 precede allergy development during the first 6 years of life
- 2011
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Ingår i: Pediatric Research. - 0031-3998 .- 1530-0447. ; 70:5, s. 495-500
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure to a strong T-helper 2 (Th2)-like environment during fetal development may promote allergy development. Increased cord blood (CB) levels of the Th2-associated chemokine CCL22 were associated with allergy development during the first 2 y of life. The aim of the present study was to determine whether CB Th1- and Th2-associated chemokine levels are associated with allergy development during the first 6 y of life, allowing assessment of respiratory allergic symptoms usually developing in this period. The CB levels of cytokines, chemokines, and total IgE were determined in 56 children of 20 women with allergic symptoms and 36 women without allergic symptoms. Total IgE and allergen-specific IgE antibody levels were quantified at 6, 12, 24 mo, and 6 y of age. Increased CB CCL22 levels were associated with development of allergic sensitization and asthma and increased CCL17 levels with development of allergic symptoms, including asthma. Sensitized children with allergic symptoms showed higher CB CCL17 and CCL22 levels and higher ratios between these Th2-associated chemokines and the Th1-associated chemokine CXCL10 than nonsensitized children without allergic symptoms. A pronounced Th2 deviation at birth, reflected by increased CB CCL17 and CCL22 levels, and increased CCL22/CXCL10 and CCL17/CXCL10 ratios might promote allergy development later in life.
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