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| 2. |
- Almborg, Ann-Helene, et al.
(författare)
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Discharge planning of stroke patients : the relatives' perceptions of participation
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Nursing. - 0962-1067 .- 1365-2702. - 0962-1067 ; 18:6, s. 857-865
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To describe relatives' perceived participation in discharge planning for patients with stroke and identify correlates to perceived participation. Stroke affects both patients and their relatives and previous research shows that relatives were often dissatisfied with their perceived involvement in discharge planning and the information they get. Prospective cross-sectional study. The study comprised 152 consecutively enrolled relatives (mean age = 60.8 years) of acute stroke patients admitted to a stroke unit in southern Sweden during 2003-2005. Data were collected through interviews 2-3 weeks after discharge using 'Relative's Questionnaire about Participation in Discharge planning'. This instrument measures perceived participation in three subscales: R-Information-Illness, R-Information-Care/support, and R-Goals and Needs. The Overall Rating of Relative's Perceived Participation in Discharge Planning was measured by a visual analogue scale (VAS) (1-10 score). Among the relatives, 56-68% reported positively according to R-Information-Illness, but 46-53% perceived that they did not receive any information about care/medication/rehabilitation/support. About 80% perceived no participation at all in goals and needs. The mean value of the VAS was 3.89 (SD 3.40) score. Regression analyses revealed that longer stay at hospital, patients with higher education, and relatives of female patients and female relatives were associated with relatives' perceptions of higher participation in discharge planning. Relatives perceived that they needed more information and knowledge about stroke and care/medication/rehabilitation/support. They also needed to be more involved in goal-setting and in identifying patient needs. Professionals should take into consideration these associated variables to improve relatives' perceived participation. Clinicians should give more attention to the altered situation of stroke patients' relatives when planning for continuing care and when setting postdischarge goals for the patients. The professionals need to develop strategies to involve relatives in sharing information, goal-setting and needs assessment in discharge planning.
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| 4. |
- Taha, Muhamed-Kheir, et al.
(författare)
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Defining the breakpoint for resistance to rifampicin in Neisseria meningitidis by rpoB sequencing
- 2009
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Clinical isolates of Neisseria meningitidis resistant to rifampicin are important to identify asthey lead to failure of chemoprophylaxis of meningococcal disease. However, theidentification of these isolates is hindered by the absence of a harmonized breakpoint despiteefforts of standardization. In the present study, a large number (n=352) of clinical N.meningitidis isolates from 12 mainly European countries and spanning over 25 years (1984 to2009) were examined. The collection comprised all clinical isolates with MIC 0.25 mg/lreceived by the national reference laboratories for meningococci in the participating countries(n=161). In addition, representative isolates displaying MIC of rifampicin <0.25 mg/l wereexamined (n=191). Phenotyping and genotyping of isolates were performed and a 660 bpDNA fragment of the rpoB gene was sequenced in all the included isolates. Sequencesdiffering by at least one nucleotide were defined as a unique rpoB allele (n=55). Geometricmeans of MIC were calculated for isolates displaying the same allele. All the clinical isolatesdisplaying MIC >1 mg/l of rifampicin possessed rpoB alleles with critical mutations (in total21 alleles), resulting in substitutions at the codon H552 and less frequently at nearby codons(S548 and S557). These alterations were absent in the alleles (n=34) found in all isolates withMIC 1 mg/l. Based on these findings, rifampicin susceptible isolates could be defined asthose with MIC 1 mg/l. A new web site was created based on the data from this work (http://neisseria.org/nm/typing/rpoB). The rifampicin resistant isolates belonged to diversegenetic lineages and provoked lower bacteremia levels in mice. This biological cost mayexplain the non-expansion of the rifampicin resistant isolates.
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| 5. |
- Thulin, Carl-Gustaf, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic divergence in the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), a widely distributed invasive species
- 2006
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 15:13, s. 3947-3956
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The combination of founder events, random drift and new selective forces experienced by introduced species typically lowers genetic variation and induces differentiation from the ancestral population. Here, we investigate microsatellite differentiation between introduced and native populations of the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus). Many expectations based on introduction history, such as loss of alleles and relationships among populations, are confirmed. Nevertheless, when applying population assignment methods to our data, we observe a few specimens that are incorrectly assigned and/or appear to have a mixed ancestry, despite estimates of substantial population differentiation. Thus, we suggest that population assignments of individuals should be viewed as tentative and that there should be agreement among different algorithms before assignments are applied in conservation or management. Further, we find no congruence between previously reported morphological differentiation and the sorting of microsatellite variation. Some introduced populations have retained much genetic variation while others have not, irrespective of morphology. Finally, we find alleles from the sympatric grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii) in one small Indian mongoose within the native range, suggesting an alternative explanation for morphological differentiation involving a shift in female preferences in allopatry.
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| 7. |
- Cabaleiro-Lago, Celia, et al.
(författare)
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Inhibition of Amyloid beta Protein Fibrillation by Polymeric Nanoparticles
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 130:46, s. 15437-15443
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Copolymeric NiPAM:BAM nanoparticles of varying hydrophobicity were found to retard fibrillation of the Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid beta protein (A beta). We found that these nanoparticles affect mainly the nucleation step of A beta fibrillation. The elongation step is largely unaffected by the particles, and once the M is nucleated, the fibrillation process occurs with the same rate as in the absence of nanoparticles. The extension of the lag phase for fibrillation of A beta is strongly dependent on both the amount and surface character of the nanoparticles. Surface plasmon resonance studies show that A beta binds to the nanoparticles and provide rate and equilibrium constants for the interaction. Numerical analysis of the kinetic data for fibrillation suggests that binding of monomeric A beta and prefibrillar oligomers to the nanoparticles prevents fibrillation. Moreover, we find that fibrillation of A beta initiated in the absence of nanoparticles can be reversed by addition of nanoparticles up to a particular time point before mature fibrils appear.
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| 8. |
- Cedervall, Tommy, et al.
(författare)
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Understanding the nanoparticle-protein corona using methods to quantify exchange rates and affinities of proteins for nanoparticles
- 2007
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 104:7, s. 2050-2055
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to their small size, nanoparticles have distinct properties compared with the bulk form of the same materials. These properties are rapidly revolutionizing many areas of medicine and technology. Despite the remarkable speed of development of nanoscience, relatively little is known about the interaction of nanoscale objects with living systems. In a biological fluid, proteins associate with nanoparticles, and the amount and presentation of the proteins on the surface of the particles leads to an in vivo response. Proteins compete for the nanoparticle "surface," leading to a protein "corona" that largely defines the biological identity of the particle. Thus, knowledge of rates, affinities, and stoichiometries of protein association with, and dissociation from, nanoparticles is important for understanding the nature of the particle surface seen by the functional machinery of cells. Here we develop approaches to study these parameters and apply them to plasma and simple model systems, albumin and fibrinogen. A series of copolymer nanoparticles are used with variation of size and composition (hydrophobicity). We show that isothermal titration calorimetry is suitable for studying the affinity and stoichiometry of protein binding to nanoparticles. We determine the rates of protein association and dissociation using surface plasmon resonance technology with nanoparticles that are thiol-linked to gold, and through size exclusion chromatography of protein-nanoparticle mixtures. This method is less perturbing than centrifugation, and is developed into a systematic methodology to isolate nanoparticle-associated proteins. The kinetic and equilibrium binding properties depend on protein identity as well as particle surface characteristics and size.
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| 9. |
- Hedberg, Sara Thulin, et al.
(författare)
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Antibiotic susceptibility and characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis isolates from the African meningitis belt, 2000 to 2006 : phenotypic and genotypic perspectives
- 2009
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Ingår i: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. - 0066-4804 .- 1098-6596. ; 53:4, s. 1561-1566
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Up-to-date information regarding the antibiotic susceptibility of Neisseria meningitidis strains from African countries is highly limited. Our aim was to comprehensively describe the antibiotic susceptibilities of a selection of N. meningitidis isolates recovered between 2000 and 2006 from 18 African countries, mainly those within the meningitis belt. Susceptibilities to 11 antibiotics were determined using Etest for 137 N. meningitidis isolates (stringently selected from 693 available isolates). The isolates were also characterized by serogrouping, multilocus sequence typing, genosubtyping, and penA allele identification. All N. meningitidis isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, and ciprofloxacin. No isolate produced beta-lactamase. Only three isolates (2%) displayed reduced susceptibility to penicillin G. The two isolates with the highest penicillin G MICs were the only isolates showing reduced susceptibility to ampicillin and cefuroxime. One of these isolates was also resistant to penicillin V. One percent of isolates displayed reduced susceptibility to rifampin, while 52% of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline, 74% were resistant to erythromycin, and 94% were resistant to sulfadiazine. The MICs of rifampin and tetracycline seemed to be associated with the serogroup of the isolates. In total, 18 sequence types (STs), 10 genosubtypes, and 8 different penA alleles were identified; the most common were ST-7, P1.20,9,35-1, and penA4, respectively. A high level of correlation was found between ST, genosubtype, and penA allele. In conclusion, N. meningitidis isolates from the African meningitis belt remain highly susceptible to the antibiotics used. Regarding beta-lactam antibiotics, rare isolates showed a reduced susceptibility to penicillins, but the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins are not affected at present.
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| 10. |
- Linse, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Nucleation of protein fibrillation by nanoparticles
- 2007
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 1091-6490 .- 0027-8424. ; 104:21, s. 8691-8696
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nanoparticles present enormous surface areas and are found to enhance the rate of protein fibrillation by decreasing the lag time for nucleation. Protein fibrillation is involved in many human diseases, including Alzheimer's, Creutzfeld-Jacob disease, and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Fibril formation occurs by nucleation-dependent kinetics, wherein formation of a critical nucleus is the key rate-determining step, after which fibrillation proceeds rapidly. We show that nanoparticles (copolymer particles, cerium oxide particles, quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes) enhance the probability of appearance of a critical nucleus for nucleation of protein fibrils from human beta(2)-microglobulin. The observed shorter lag (nucleation) phase depends on the amount and nature of particle surface. There is an exchange of protein between solution and nanoparticle surface, and beta(2)-Microglobulin forms multiple layers on the particle surface, providing a locally increased protein concentration promoting oligomer formation. This and the shortened lag phase suggest a mechanism involving surf ace-assisted nucleation that may increase the risk for toxic cluster and amyloid formation. It also opens the door to new routes for the controlled self-assembly of proteins and peptides into novel nanomaterials.
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