| 1. |
- Löfdahl, Elisabet, et al.
(författare)
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Compromised quality of life in adult patients who have received a radiation dose towards the basal part of the brain. A case-control study in long-term survivors from cancer in the head and neck region.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Radiation oncology (London, England). - 1748-717X. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Adult patients with hypothalamic-pituitary disorders have compromised quality of life (QoL). Whether this is due to their endocrine consequences (hypopituitarism), their underlying hypothalamic-pituitary disorder or both is still under debate. The aim of this trial was to measure quality of life (QoL) in long-term cancer survivors who have received a radiation dose to the basal part of the brain and the pituitary. METHODS: Consecutive patients (n=101) treated for oropharyngeal or epipharyngeal cancer with radiotherapy followed free of cancer for a period of 4 to10 years were identified. Fifteen patients (median age 56 years) with no concomitant illness and no hypopituitarism after careful endocrine evaluation were included in a case-control study with matched healthy controls. Doses to the hypothalamic-pituitary region were calculated. QoL was assessed using the Symptom check list (SCL)-90, Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), and Psychological Well Being (PGWB) questionnaires. Level of physical activity was assessed using the Baecke questionnaire. RESULTS: The median accumulated dose was 1.9 Gy (1.5--2.2 Gy) to the hypothalamus and 2.4 Gy (1.8--3.3 Gy) to the pituitary gland in patients with oropharyngeal cancer and 6.0--9.3 Gy and 33.5--46.1 Gy, respectively in patients with epipharyngeal cancer (n=2). The patients showed significantly more anxiety and depressiveness, and lower vitality, than their matched controls. CONCLUSION: In a group of long time survivors of head and neck cancer who hade received a low radiation dose to the hypothalamic-pituitary region and who had no endocrine consequences of disease or its treatment QoL was compromised as compared with well matched healthy controls.
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| 2. |
- Olsson, Erik, 1960, et al.
(författare)
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Hippocampal volumes in patients exposed to low-dose radiation to the basal brain. A case--control study in long-term survivors from cancer in the head and neck region.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Radiation oncology (London, England). - 1748-717X. ; 7:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: An earlier study from our group of long time survivors of head and neck cancer who had received a low radiation dose to the hypothalamic-pituitary region, with no signs of recurrence or pituitary dysfunction, had their quality of life (QoL) compromised as compared with matched healthy controls. Hippocampal changes have been shown to accompany several psychiatric conditions and the aim of the present study was to test whether the patients' lowered QoL was coupled to a reduction in hippocampal volume. METHODS: Patients (11 men and 4 women, age 31--65) treated for head and neck cancer 4--10 years earlier and with no sign of recurrence or pituitary dysfunction, and 15 matched controls were included. The estimated radiation doses to the basal brain including the hippocampus (1.5 -- 9.3 Gy) had been calculated in the earlier study. The hippocampal volumetry was done on coronal sections from a 1.5 T MRI scanner. Measurements were done by two independent raters, blinded to patients and controls, using a custom method for computer assisted manual segmentation. The volumes were normalized for intracranial volume which was also measured manually. The paired t test and Wilcoxon's signed rank test were used for the main statistical analysis. RESULTS: There was no significant difference with respect to left, right or total hippocampal volume between patients and controls. All mean differences were close to zero, and the two-tailed 95% confidence interval for the difference in total, normalized volume does not include a larger than 8% deficit in the patients. CONCLUSION: The study gives solid evidence against the hypothesis that the patients' lowered quality of life was due to a major reduction of hippocampal volume.
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| 3. |
- Eckerström, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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A Combination of Neuropsychological, Neuroimaging, and Cerebrospinal Fluid Markers Predicts Conversion from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Dementia.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. - 1875-8908. ; 36:3, s. 421-431
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition with increased risk for further cognitive decline. A considerable challenge lies in predicting which patients will eventually convert to dementia. Objective: To study prediction of dementia in MCI using neuropsychological tests, commonly used cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, and hippocampal volume. Methods: Twenty-one MCI patients converting to dementia, 21 stable MCI patients, and 26 controls were included in the study with a follow-up time of two years. The study participants underwent comprehensive examinations at inclusion: a neuropsychological assessment comprising 20 tests, MRI scanning with subsequent hippocampal volumetry, and CSF analyses of T-tau, P-tau, and Aβ42. Results: Neuropsychological tests, hippocampal volume, and the CSF markers Aβ42, P-tau, and T-tau all predicted conversion from MCI to dementia. A combination of all classes of markers was the most successful at predicting dementia (AUC 0.96) with a memory test (RAVLT) as the best individual predictor (AUC 0.93). Similar findings are reported for the prediction of Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: Neuropsychological tests were the best individual predictors of dementia. A combination of markers improved the predictive ability with the combination of neuropsychological tests, CSF, and hippocampal volume as the best predictors of dementia.
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| 4. |
- Eckerström, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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Combination of Hippocampal Volume and Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers Improves Predictive Value in Mild Cognitive Impairment.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1421-9824 .- 1420-8008. ; 29:4, s. 294-300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous condition, and the prognosis differs within the group. Recent findings suggest that hippocampal volumetry and CSF biomarkers can be used to predict which MCI patients have an underlying neurodegenerative disorder. Objective: To examine the combined predictive value of hippocampal volume and CSF levels of total tau (T-tau) and beta-amyloid(42) (Abeta(42)) in stable and converting MCI patients. The participants (n = 68) included patients with MCI at baseline and who converted to dementia by the time of the 2-year follow-up (n = 21), stable MCI patients (n = 21) and healthy controls (n = 26). Methods: The Göteborg MCI study is a clinically based longitudinal study with biannual clinical assessments. Hippocampal volumetry was performed manually, based on data from the 0.5-tesla MRI investigations at baseline. Baseline CSF levels of T-tau and Abeta(42) were measured using commercially available, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: The converting MCI group had significantly smaller left hippocampi, lower CSF Abeta(42) and higher T-tau compared to both the stable MCI group and the healthy controls. Multivariate analysis revealed that a combination of the variables outperformed the prognostic ability of the separate variables. Conclusions: Hippocampal volumes supplement the prognostic accuracy of CSF Abeta(42) and T-tau in MCI.
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| 5. |
- Eckerström, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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High white matter lesion load is associated with hippocampal atrophy in mild cognitive impairment.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. - : S. Karger AG. - 1421-9824 .- 1420-8008. ; 31:2, s. 132-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous condition suggested as a prodromal state of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and subcortical vascular dementia (SVD). Recent findings suggest that white matter lesions (WML) may be associated with hippocampal atrophy. The objective of the study was to examine hippocampal and WML volumes in MCI patients and to examine if WML were linked to hippocampal atrophy.
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| 6. |
- Gustavsson, Johan, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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High-speed 850-nm VCSELs for 40 Gb/s transmission
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We have explored the possibility to extend the data transmission rate for standard 850-nm GaAs-based VCSELs beyond the 10 Gbit/s limit of today's commercially available directly-modulated devices. By sophisticated tailoring of the design for high-speed performance we demonstrate that 10 Gb/s is far from the upper limit. For example, the thermal conductivity of the bottom mirror is improved by the use of binary compounds, and the electrical parasitics are kept at a minimum by incorporating a large diameter double layered oxide aperture in the design. We also show that the intrinsic high speed performance is significantly improved by replacing the traditional GaAs QWs with strained InGaAs QWs in the active region. The best overall performance is achieved for a device with a 9 μm diameter oxide aperture, having in a threshold current of 0.6 mA, a maximum output power of 9 mW, a thermal resistance of 1.9 °C/mW, and a differential resistance of 80 Ω. The measured 3dB bandwidth exceeds 20 GHz, and we experimentally demonstrate that the device is capable of error-free transmission (BER
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Hysing, Erik, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
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Who greens the northern light? : green inside activists in local environmental governing in Sweden
- 2011
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Ingår i: Environment and Planning. C, Government and Policy. - : SAGE Publications. - 0263-774X .- 1472-3425. ; 29:4, s. 693-708
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- With this paper we aim to further our understanding of local environmental governing by analysing green inside activists who use expert-based authority, networks, and a professional position within public administration to green government policy and action from the inside. Using new survey data, we identify and analyse who these actors are and whether they matter for local environmental governing in Sweden. The results show that green inside activists operate within 23% of the Swedish municipalities and that these municipalities score higher on three different measurements of environmental governing performance, which supports the conclusion that green inside activists do make a difference. We also show that green inside activists differ from other public officials working with environmental issues in that they are more frequently involved in policy making, have more extensive horizontal and vertical networks, and promote societal changes to a greater degree. We end by raising key questions concerning the democratic legitimacy of these actors.
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| 9. |
- Ludwig, Frank, et al.
(författare)
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Magnetic, Structural, and Particle Size Analysis of Single- and Multi-Core Magnetic Nanoparticles
- 2014
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Ingår i: IEEE Transactions on Magnetics. - 0018-9464 .- 1941-0069. ; 50:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have measured and analyzed three different commercial magnetic nanoparticle systems, both multi-core and single-core in nature, with the particle (core) size ranging from 20 to 100 nm. Complementary analysis methods and same characterization techniques were carried out in different labs and the results are compared with each other. The presented results primarily focus on determining the particle size-both the hydrodynamic size and the individual magnetic core size-as well as magnetic and structural properties. The used analysis methods include transmission electron microscopy, static and dynamic magnetization measurements, and Mossbauer spectroscopy. We show that particle (hydrodynamic and core) size parameters can be determined from different analysis techniques and the individual analysis results agree reasonably well. However, in order to compare size parameters precisely determined from different methods and models, it is crucial to establish standardized analysis methods and models to extract reliable parameters from the data.
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| 10. |
- Olsson, Daniel S, 1983, et al.
(författare)
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Tumour recurrence and enlargement in patients with craniopharyngioma with and without GH replacement therapy during more than 10 years of follow-up.
- 2012
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Ingår i: European journal of endocrinology. - 1479-683X. ; 166:6, s. 1061-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Most patients who have been treated for craniopharyngioma (CP) are GH deficient (GHD). GH replacement therapy (GHRT) may stimulate tumour regrowth; and one of the concerns with long-term GHRT is the risk of tumour progression. Therefore, the objective was to study tumour progression in CP patients on long-term GHRT.Case-control study.The criteria for inclusion of cases were: i) GHD caused by CP; ii) GHRT >3 years; and iii) regular imaging. This resulted in 56 patients (mean age at diagnosis 25±16 years) with a mean duration of GHRT of 13.6±5.0 years. As controls, 70 CP patients who had not received GHRT were sampled with regard to follow-up, gender, age at diagnosis and initial radiation therapy (RT).The 10-year tumour progression-free survival rate (PFSR) for the entire population was 72%. There was an association (hazard ratio, P value) between PFSR and initial RT (0.13, 0.001) and residual tumour (3.2, 0.001). The 10-year PFSR was 88% for the GHRT group and 57% for the control group. Substitution with GHRT resulted in the following associations to PFSR: GHRT (0.57, 0.17), initial RT (0.16, <0.001), residual tumour (2.6, <0.01) and gender (0.57, 0.10). Adjusted for these factors, the 10-year PFSR was 85% for the GHRT group and 65% for the control group.In patients with CP, the most important prognostic factors for the PFSR were initial RT and residual tumour after initial treatment. Long-term GHRT did not affect the PFSR in patients with CP.
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