| 1. |
- Augustsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Failure of generic risk assessment model framework to predict groundwater pollution risk at hundreds of metal contaminated sites : Implications for research needs
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 185, s. 1-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil pollution constitutes one of the major threats to public health, where spreading to groundwater is one of several critical aspects. In most internationally adopted frameworks for routine risk assessments of contaminated land, generic models and soil guideline values are cornerstones. In order to protect the groundwater at contaminated sites, a common practice worldwide today is to depart from health risk-based limit concentrations for groundwater, and use generic soil-to-groundwater spreading models to back-calculate corresponding equilibrium levels (concentration limits) in soil, which must not be exceeded at the site. This study presents an extensive survey of how actual soil and groundwater concentrations, compiled for all high-priority contaminated sites in Sweden, relate to the national model for risk management of contaminated sites, with focus on As, Cu, Pb and Zn. Results show that soil metal concentrations, as well as total amounts, constitute a poor basis for assessing groundwater contamination status. The evaluated model was essentially incapable of predicting groundwater contamination (i.e. concentrations above limit values) based on soil data, and erred on the "unsafe side" in a significant number of cases, with modelled correlations not being conservative enough. Further, the risk of groundwater contamination was almost entirely independent of industry type. In essence, since neither soil contaminant loads nor industry type is conclusive, there is a need for a supportive framework for assessing metal spreading to groundwater accounting for site-specific, geochemical conditions.
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| 2. |
- Bergström, Göran, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of Subclinical Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis in the General Population
- 2021
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Ingår i: Circulation. - Philadelphia : American Heart Association. - 0009-7322 .- 1524-4539. ; 144:12, s. 916-929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Early detection of coronary atherosclerosis using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in addition to coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring, may help inform prevention strategies. We used CCTA to determine the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis and its association with CAC scores in a general population.Methods: We recruited 30 154 randomly invited individuals age 50 to 64 years to SCAPIS (the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study). The study includes individuals without known coronary heart disease (ie, no previous myocardial infarctions or cardiac procedures) and with high-quality results from CCTA and CAC imaging performed using dedicated dual-source CT scanners. Noncontrast images were scored for CAC. CCTA images were visually read and scored for coronary atherosclerosis per segment (defined as no atherosclerosis, 1% to 49% stenosis, or ≥50% stenosis). External validity of prevalence estimates was evaluated using inverse probability for participation weighting and Swedish register data.Results: In total, 25 182 individuals without known coronary heart disease were included (50.6% women). Any CCTA-detected atherosclerosis was found in 42.1%; any significant stenosis (≥50%) in 5.2%; left main, proximal left anterior descending artery, or 3-vessel disease in 1.9%; and any noncalcified plaques in 8.3% of this population. Onset of atherosclerosis was delayed on average by 10 years in women. Atherosclerosis was more prevalent in older individuals and predominantly found in the proximal left anterior descending artery. Prevalence of CCTA-detected atherosclerosis increased with increasing CAC scores. Among those with a CAC score >400, all had atherosclerosis and 45.7% had significant stenosis. In those with 0 CAC, 5.5% had atherosclerosis and 0.4% had significant stenosis. In participants with 0 CAC and intermediate 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease according to the pooled cohort equation, 9.2% had CCTA-verified atherosclerosis. Prevalence estimates had excellent external validity and changed marginally when adjusted to the age-matched Swedish background population.Conclusions: Using CCTA in a large, random sample of the general population without established disease, we showed that silent coronary atherosclerosis is common in this population. High CAC scores convey a significant probability of substantial stenosis, and 0 CAC does not exclude atherosclerosis, particularly in those at higher baseline risk.
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| 3. |
- Bergström, Göran, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of Subclinical Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis in the General Population
- 2021
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Ingår i: Circulation. - : Wolters Kluwer. - 0009-7322 .- 1524-4539. ; 144:12, s. 916-929
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Early detection of coronary atherosclerosis using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in addition to coronary artery calcification (CAC) scoring, may help inform prevention strategies. We used CCTA to determine the prevalence, severity, and characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis and its association with CAC scores in a general population.Methods: We recruited 30 154 randomly invited individuals age 50 to 64 years to SCAPIS (the Swedish Cardiopulmonary Bioimage Study). The study includes individuals without known coronary heart disease (ie, no previous myocardial infarctions or cardiac procedures) and with high-quality results from CCTA and CAC imaging performed using dedicated dual-source CT scanners. Noncontrast images were scored for CAC. CCTA images were visually read and scored for coronary atherosclerosis per segment (defined as no atherosclerosis, 1% to 49% stenosis, or ≥50% stenosis). External validity of prevalence estimates was evaluated using inverse probability for participation weighting and Swedish register data.Results: In total, 25 182 individuals without known coronary heart disease were included (50.6% women). Any CCTA-detected atherosclerosis was found in 42.1%; any significant stenosis (≥50%) in 5.2%; left main, proximal left anterior descending artery, or 3-vessel disease in 1.9%; and any noncalcified plaques in 8.3% of this population. Onset of atherosclerosis was delayed on average by 10 years in women. Atherosclerosis was more prevalent in older individuals and predominantly found in the proximal left anterior descending artery. Prevalence of CCTA-detected atherosclerosis increased with increasing CAC scores. Among those with a CAC score >400, all had atherosclerosis and 45.7% had significant stenosis. In those with 0 CAC, 5.5% had atherosclerosis and 0.4% had significant stenosis. In participants with 0 CAC and intermediate 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease according to the pooled cohort equation, 9.2% had CCTA-verified atherosclerosis. Prevalence estimates had excellent external validity and changed marginally when adjusted to the age-matched Swedish background population.Conclusions: Using CCTA in a large, random sample of the general population without established disease, we showed that silent coronary atherosclerosis is common in this population. High CAC scores convey a significant probability of substantial stenosis, and 0 CAC does not exclude atherosclerosis, particularly in those at higher baseline risk.
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| 4. |
- Uddh Söderberg, Terese, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Challenges in geochemical modelling of metal(loid) solubility and binding mechanisms along a soil profile at a multi-contaminated site
- 2024
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Ingår i: Applied Geochemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0883-2927 .- 1872-9134. ; 170
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recognising the need for robust models in predicting groundwater contamination risks from metal(loid)s in contaminated topsoil, this study focuses on the geochemical behaviour of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn in one of Sweden’s most heavily contaminated areas. Samples were collected from the waste zone and underlying subsoil down to 5 meters and batch experiments were carried out to assess pH-dependent solubility. The results indicate that Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn are efficiently immobilized in the waste zone, while As(V) and Sb(V) are more easily leached. With the exception of Pb and Cu at high pH, the mobilized metals appear to be predominantly in a truly dissolved state, as confirmed by ultrafiltration at 10 kDa.Speciation modelling using Visual MINTEQ did not suggest a significant role of precipitates such as Zn or Pb arsenates and phosphates, although their involvement could not be ruled out. To better understand sorption/desorption patterns, a multi-surface geochemical model was established, drawing on the Stockholm Humic and CD-MUSIC models for organic matter and Fe/Al (hydr)oxide sorption. However, when default parameters were used, the model consistently overestimated the solubility of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in both the waste zone and the uncontaminated subsoil. In contrast, As(V) solubility was generally underestimated, also when the reactive surface area of the Fe- and Al (hydr)oxides was decreased in the model. The model's performance was better for Sb(V), though not without imperfections. When the parameters for organic matter were adjusted such that 100% of the solid-phase organic matter was active with respect to ion binding, but only 25% of the dissolved organic matter, the model description improved considerably for Pb and Cu in the upper soil layers. The model revealed distinct differences in the adsorption behaviour of the metal cations, with Pb being sorbed mostly to Fe/Al (hydroxides), whereas a considerable part of Cu was sorbed to organic matter, particularly in the waste zone.Possibly, the dissolution of easily weatherable metal-containing mineral phases may have contributed to the poor model performance for Cd, Zn and for Cu in the deeper soil layers, although other factors, such as a contribution of hydrous SiO2 or Mn oxides to metal binding, could not be ruled out. Metal sorption to carbonate phases may also have been a contributing factor in the waste zone. Lastly, the reactivity of Fe- and Al (hydr)oxides may have been overestimated by oxalate extraction when default parameters for high-surface-area ferrihydrite were applied. These findings provide valuable insights for environmental management and underscore the need for a more detailed characterization of metal(loid) sorption in contaminated soils, as well as the development of improved modelling strategies to enhance solubility predictions.
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| 5. |
- Agerhäll, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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High prevalence of pharyngeal bacterial pathogens among healthy adolescents and young adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS). - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0903-4641 .- 1600-0463. ; 129:12, s. 711-716
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pharyngeal mucosa can be colonized with bacteria that have potential to cause pharyngotonsillitis. By the use of culturing techniques and PCR, we aimed to assess the prevalence of bacterial pharyngeal pathogens among healthy adolescents and young adults. We performed a cross-sectional study in a community-based cohort of 217 healthy individuals between 16 and 25 years of age. Samples were analyzed for Group A streptococci (GAS), Group C/G streptococci (SDSE), Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. Compared to culturing, the PCR method resulted in more frequent detection, albeit in most cases with low levels of DNA, of GAS (20/217 vs. 5/217; p < 0.01) and F. necrophorum (20/217 vs. 8/217; p < 0.01). Culturing and PCR yielded similar rates of SDSE detection (14/217 vs. 12/217; p = 0.73). Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was rarely detected (3/217), and only by PCR. Overall, in 25.3% (55/217) of these healthy adolescents and young adults at least one of these pathogens was detected, a rate that is higher than previously described. Further studies are needed before clinical adoption of PCR-based detection methods for pharyngeal bacterial pathogens, as our findings suggest a high incidence of asymptomatic carriage among adolescents and young adults without throat infections.
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| 6. |
- Brett, Calvin
(författare)
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Neutron and X-ray Surface Scattering Reveals the Morphology of Soft Matter Thin Films
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The last decades have been overshadowed by reports about the seemingly endless increase use of fossil-based resources. With the development of new products, our mindset is changing so that we more and more need to consider sustainability in our daily lives. Furthermore, smarter devices are indispensable in our world and daily life, and these are expected to be smaller and smaller in size.To support the transition from fossil-based to sustainable materials, we need to develop knowledge of new materials. Within this thesis project, the aim has been to understand the thin-film properties of sustainable materials and to develop methodologies to measure these. As sustainable template material wood-based nanocellulose was chosen as a bio-degradable representative with favourable favourable physical properties, such as lightweight, transparency, and flexibility. These properties make nanocellulose a perfect candidate for future advanced applications in thin-film organic solar cells, supercapacitors, or sensors. Nanocellulose comprises only a part of such a device, and hence the relevant functional materials and their combinations have to be studied to reveal the interaction between multiple material components on the final device performance. As the nanoscale, or even Ångstrom scale, governs the macroscopic physical properties, it is crucial to understand the materials in detail. Ergo, neutron and X-ray surface-sensitive scattering methods were applied to study nanoparticle deposition layering kinetics and the effects of environmental changes, which revealed the morphology of the resulting nanoporous nanocellulose thin films. The knowledge was used to infiltrate water-soluble intrinsic conductive polymers into these nanopores, which serves as a model for transparent but conductive templates for organic electronics. By changing the environment of the films through humidity cycling, the impact of the environment during a real-life application could be illustrated. Neutron scattering experiments also showed that the cellulose-conductive polymer composite (or hybridmaterial) changes irreversibly during humidity cycling while the pure nanocellulose films show fully reversible properties.Furthermore, the thermal decomposition of silver nitrate deposited on nanocellulose was studied to understand the nanofibrils' impact on the synthesis of nanoparticles. The transparency allowed in situ studies of the synthesis process, the spectroscopic properties as well as the plasmonic effect, which demonstrated routes for minimal material usage concepts for surface synthesis processes. It was also discovered that the process allows for band-gap tuning, which can be directly be applied in organic solar cells to tailor the band-gap to be adapted and hence increasing the efficiency.The morphological properties, as studied using X-rays and neutrons, were correlated to macroscopic properties by measuring wettability, surface topography, spectroscopy, or conductivity to examine the full materials application possibilities. Neutron and X-ray scattering methods are complementary and wisely combined, thus allowed pioneering studies of bio-based sustainable nanocomposites leading to advanced functional material concepts that support the development of devices using less fossil-based materials.
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| 7. |
- Brunström, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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SCORE2 – ett uppdaterat verktyg för att skatta kardiovaskulär risk : [SCORE2 - an updated model for cardiovascular risk prediction]
- 2021
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cardiovascular disease is the most important cause of death and life-years lost in Sweden today. Cardiovascular risk prediction is a cornerstone in primary prevention; the use of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy is guided by absolute cardiovascular risk. The Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) model has been the most widely applied model in Sweden for almost two decades. Recently, an updated model called SCORE2 was published. The new risk prediction model is based on contemporary data, predicts the risk of incident cardiovascular disease in addition to cardiovascular mortality, and accounts for competing risks, thus overcoming some major limitations with SCORE. Sweden is classified as a moderate-risk country according to the new model; here we report the risk chart for moderate-risk countries translated into Swedish.
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| 8. |
- Byhamre, Marja Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Association between snus use and lipid status in Swedish men
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0036-5513 .- 1502-7686. ; 83:4, s. 241-250
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Snus is a common tobacco product in Sweden, but the cardiovascular risk profile for snus users is less known than for cigarette smokers. We examined the association of snus use with lipid status, particularly in comparison to non-tobacco use and cigarette smoking, using data from 5930 men in the Northern Sweden MONICA study. Tobacco use was self-reported in 1986 to 2014 (24.4% used snus) and blood samples were collected at the same time. Harmonized analyses on non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides were conducted in 2016 to 2018. Three hundred eighty-one snus users had also been examined more than once, allowing us to study the effect of discontinued use (achieved by 21.0%). In multivariable linear regression models, snus use was associated with higher HDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations compared to non-tobacco use (p values ≤ 0.04), and it was associated with higher HDL cholesterol concentrations and lower triglyceride concentrations compared to cigarette smoking (p values ≤ 0.02). Snus use was not associated with non-HDL cholesterol concentrations, irrespective of the comparison group (p values ≥ 0.07). There was no indication that higher intensity of snus use led to a worse lipid profile, given that high-consumers had higher HDL cholesterol concentrations than low-consumers (p value = 0.02), or that discontinuation of snus use led to a better lipid profile, given that continued users had lower triglyceride concentrations than discontinued users (p value = 0.03). Further studies are needed to confirm or refute our findings.
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| 9. |
- Forsblad-D’Elia, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Biomechanical properties of common carotid arteries assessed by circumferential 2D strain and β stiffness index in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X. ; 48:3, s. 352-360
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) related to atherosclerosis, preceded by arterial stiffness. We aimed to examine common carotid artery (CCA) biomechanical properties using ultrasound to calculate β stiffness index (indicating arterial stiffness) and, a more recently developed technique, 2-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking strain (indicating arterial motion and deformation, strain) to (1) compare with age- and sex-matched controls, and (2) analyze relationships between strain and stiffness with disease characteristics and traditional risk factors for CVD in patients with AS. Methods. In this cross-sectional study, a cohort of 149 patients with AS, mean age 55.3 ± 11.2 years, 102 (68.5%) men, and 146 (98%) HLA-B27–positive, were examined. Bilateral CCA were examined for circumferential 2D strain and β stiffness index. A subgroup of 46 patients was compared with 46 age- and sex-matched controls, both groups without hypertensive disease, diabetes, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Results. Mean bilateral circumferential 2D strain was lower in AS patients compared with controls (7.9 ± 2.6% vs 10.3 ± 1.9%, P < 0.001), whereas mean bilateral β stiffness index was higher (13.1 ± 1.7 mmHg/mm vs 12.3 ± 1.3 mmHg/mm, P = 0.02). In multivariable linear regression analyses, strain was associated with age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, history of anterior uveitis, and treatment with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) and/or biological DMARD (R2 0.33), while stiffness was associated with age (R2 0.19). Conclusion. Both CCA circumferential 2D strain and β stiffness index differed between patients with AS and controls. Strain was associated with AS-related factors and age, whereas only age was associated with stiffness, suggesting that the obtained results reflect different pathogenic vascular processes.
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| 10. |
- Forsblad-d'Elia, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Biomechanical properties of common carotid arteries assessed by circumferential two-dimensional strain and β stiffness index in patients with ankylosing spondylitis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - : The Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 48:3, s. 352-360
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) related to atherosclerosis, preceded by arterial stiffness. We aimed to examine common carotid artery (CCA) biomechanical properties using ultrasound to calculate β stiffness index (indicating arterial stiffness) and, a more recently developed technique, two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking strain (indicating arterial motion and deformation, strain) to 1) compare with age- and sex-matched controls and to 2) analyze relationships between strain and stiffness with disease characteristics and traditional risk factors for CVD in AS patients.METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a cohort of 149 patients with AS, mean age 55.3±11.2 years, 102(68.5%) men, 146 (98%) HLA-B27 positive, were examined. Bilateral CCAs were examined for circumferential 2D strain and β stiffness index. A subgroup of 46 patients were compared with 46 age- and sex-matched controls, both groups without hypertensive disease, diabetes, myocardial infarction or stroke.RESULTS: Mean bilateral circumferential 2D strain was lower in AS patients compared with controls, 7.9±2.6% vs 10.3±1.9%, p<0.001 whereas mean bilateral β stiffness index was higher, 13.1±1.6mmHg/mm vs 12.3±1.3mmHg/mm, p=0.018. In multivariable linear regression analyses strain was associated with age, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, history of anterior uveitis and treatment with csDMARD and/or bDMARD (R2 0.33), while stiffness was associated with age (R2 0.19).CONCLUSION: Both CCA circumferential 2D strain and β stiffness index differed between AS patients and controls. Strain was associated with AS-related factors and age while stiffness with age, suggesting that the obtained results reflect different pathogenic vascular processes.
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