| 1. |
- Andersson, Annika, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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A developmental ERP study of nonword rhyming
- 2005
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Ingår i: Cognitive Neuroscience Society Meeting, CNS 2005. - : Cognitive Neuroscience Society.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous event-related potential (ERP) research of auditory rhyming showed the classical phonological rhyming effect (N450) to be evident in children as young as 6 years of age (Coch, Grossi, Skendzel & Neville, in press). ERPs to spoken nonwords preceded by nonrhyming nonwords showed increased negativity (400-600ms post-stimulus-onset) in comparison to rhyming targets. This effect was largest at posterior medial sites bilaterally. Thus the previous research suggests that the neurocognitive networks involved in processing auditory rhyme information are comparable to adults by the age of 6. The current study extends this finding to even younger children aged 5 to 7 years who also show typical adult rhyming effects. However, more interestingly, younger children ages 3-4 did not show the same distribution of rhyming effects. A second ERP component commonly reported in rhyming tasks with adults is a slow contingent negative variation (CNV) in response to the first stimulus presented, thought to reflect phonological rehearsal. Unlike the N450 the CNV component has been shown to differ between adults and children age 6 to 8 (Coch et al, 2002; Coch et al, in press). The current study allowed us to address the development of this component at an even earlier age. The data provide further information regarding the development of rhyming skill in young children, thought to be fundamental to the acquisition of reading. Both rhyming and phonological rehearsal effects will be discussed in the frameworks of how phonological processing and awareness impact language and literacy development.
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| 2. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Hyperacusi - ett outforskat område. Kognitiv beteendeterapi kan lindra besvären vid ljudöverkänslighet, ett tillstånd med många frågetecken
- 2005
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 44, s. 3210-3212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hyperacusis innebär extrem känslighet för vardagens ljud är ett problem som drabbar cirka 8% av befolkningen. I svåra fall uppstår undvikande av många situationer samt en vana att skydda öronen med hörselskydd även i situationer där det inte behövs. Orsakerna till hyperacusis är till viss del kända, men många frågetecken kvarstår. För hyperacusis finns ingen dokumenterat botande behandling, men kognitiv beteendeterapi, samt eventuellt även tinnitus retraining therapy med brusgenerator, kan minska besvären,. Gott omhändertagande och en multidisciplinär utredning är att rekommendera i svåra fall. En av de viktigaste uppgifterna för framtida forskning är att kartlägga naturalförloppet vad gäller hyperacusis, då detta är i stort okänt. Det finns även ett stort behov av kontrollerade behandlingsstudier.
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| 3. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Internet-based self-help for depression : randomised controlled trial
- 2005
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Ingår i: British Journal of Psychiatry. - : Royal College of Psychiatrists. - 0007-1250 .- 1472-1465. ; 187, s. 456-461
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:Major depression can be treated by means of cognitive-behavioural therapy, but as skilled therapists are in short supply there is a need for self-help approaches. Many individuals with depression use the internet for discussion of symptoms and to share their experience.AIMS:To investigate the effects of an internet-administered self-help programme including participation in a monitored, web-based discussion group, compared with participation in web-based discussion group only.METHOD:A randomised controlled trial was conducted to compare the effects of internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy with minimal therapist contact (plus participation in a discussion group) with the effects of participation in a discussion group only.RESULTS:Internet-based therapy with minimal therapist contact, combined with activity in a discussion group, resulted in greater reductions of depressive symptoms compared with activity in a discussion group only (waiting-list control group). At 6 months' follow-up, improvement was maintained to a large extent.CONCLUSIONS:Internet-delivered cognitive cognitive-behavioural therapy should be pursued further as a complement or treatment alternative for mild-to-moderate depression.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, 1966-, et al.
(författare)
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Internet-based self-help with therapist feedback and in vivo group exposure for social phobia : A randomized controlled trial
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. - 0022-006X .- 1939-2117. ; 74:4, s. 677-686
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sixty-four individuals with social phobia (social anxiety disorder) were assigned to a multimodal cognitive-behavioral treatment package or to a waiting list control group. Treatment consisted of a 9-week, Internet-delivered, self-help program that was combined with 2 group exposure sessions in real life and minimal therapist contact via e-mail. Results were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis, including all randomized participants. From pre- to posttest, treated participants in contrast to controls showed significant improvement on most measured dimensions (social anxiety scales, general anxiety and depression levels, quality of life). The overall within- and between-groups effect sizes were Cohen's d = 0.87 and 0.70, respectively. Treatment gains were maintained at 1-year follow-up. The results from this study support the continued use and development of Internet-distributed, self-help programs for people diagnosed with social phobia.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, et al.
(författare)
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Tinnitus and short-term serial recall in stable versus intermittent masking conditions
- 2009
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. - : Wiley. - 0036-5564 .- 1467-9450. ; 50:5, s. 517-522
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The relation between tinnitus and short-term memory performance in varying background sounds is not well understood. In the present study a sample of 18 persons with tinnitus completed a serial recall test in three conditions, silence, masking and intermittent masking. The performance of a matched control group without tinnitus was also investigated. Based on the literature on the "irrelevant sound effect" we expected that the tinnitus group would perform worse during intermittent masking and that they would score lower overall compared to the control group. Results revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups, nor any group interaction within sound conditions for the serial recall test. Groups did however differ regarding subjective measures of concentration problems, anxiety and depression. Results are discussed in relation to thought suppression and distraction from tinnitus.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Andersson, Jonas, 1979, et al.
(författare)
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Automation Inflicted Differences on Operator Performance in Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms
- 2007
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Today it is possible to automate almost any function in a human-machine system. Therefore it is important to find a balance between automation level and the prerequisites for the operator to maintain safe operation. Different human factors evaluation methods can be used to find differences between automatic and manual operations that have an effect on operator performance; e.g. Predictive Human Error Analysis (PHEA), NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), Halden Questionnaire, and Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART). Results from an empirical study concerning automation levels, made at Ringhals power plant, showed that factors as time pressure and criticality of the work situation influenced the operator’s performance and mental workload more than differences in level of automation. The results indicate that the operator’s attention strategies differ between the manual and automatic sequences. Independently of level of automation, it is essential that the operator retains control and situational understanding. When performing a manual task, the operator is “closer” to the process and in control with sufficient situational understanding. When the level of automation increases, the demands on information presentation increase to ensure safe plant operation. The need for control can be met by introducing “control gates” where the operator has to accept that the automatic procedures are continuing as expected. Situational understanding can be established by clear information about process status and by continuous feedback. A conclusion of the study was that a collaborative control room environment is important. Rather than allocating functions to either the operator or the system, a complementary strategy should be used. Key parameters to consider when planning the work in the control room are time constraints and task criticality and how they affect the performance of the joint cognitive system.However, the examined working situations were too different with respect to levels of automation and therefore it is not possible yet to propose general automation level guidelines. Further studies are still needed.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Andersson, Jessika, et al.
(författare)
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The carotid artery plaque size and echogenicity are related to different cardiovascular risk factors in the elderly : the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study
- 2009
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Ingår i: Lipids. - : Springer. - 0024-4201 .- 1558-9307. ; 44:5, s. 397-403
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Carotid plaques can be characterised by ultrasound by size and echogenicity. Both size and echogenicity are predictors of cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to examine whether traditional risk factors and markers of inflammation and oxidation were associated with plaque size and echogenicity. Computerised analysis of carotid plaque size and echogenicity (grey scale median, GSM) were performed by ultrasound in a population-based health survey in 1,016 subjects aged 70 years (PIVUS study). Information on cardiovascular risk factors was collected, together with markers of inflammation and oxidation. Increased Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, higher BMI and decreased HDL, lower glutathione levels were related to echolucent plaques. Previous or present smoking was common with significantly more pack-years related to the echorich plaques. Plaque size was associated with increased Framingham risk score, systolic blood pressure, blood glucose levels, smoking, ApoB/A1 ratio, OxLDL, TNF alpha, HOMA insulin resistance, leucocyte count, decreased BCD-LDL and low levels of l-selectin. Low HDL, increased BMI and decreased glutathione levels were associated with the echolucency of carotid plaques, implying metabolic factors to play a role for plaque composition. Markers of inflammation were related to plaque size alone, implying inflammation to be predominantly associated with the amount of atherosclerosis. These results suggest that plaque size and echogenicity are influenced by different risk factors.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
- Andersson, Rickard, et al.
(författare)
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Den fria men begränsade rörligheten
- 2008
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Ingår i: Fronesis. - 1404-2614. ; :27, s. 8-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Rätten att röra sig fritt, inom och över nationsgränser, är ett ideal intimt förknippat med det moderna samhällets självförståelse. Att man kan bryta upp från en plats för att söka en annan, tillfällig eller permanent, vistelseort är en central del av vårt samhälles demokratiuppfattning. I synnerhet i dag är det påfallande hur starkt detta ideal framhävs. Berlinmurens fall och globaliseringen av affärsresor, turism och migrationsflöden har under senare år ofta använts som argument för att vår tid skulle präglas av en den fria rörlighetens demokratisering. Men möjligheten till rörlighet är fortfarande starkt beroende av individens ekonomi och status inom hennes eget land och av hennes plats inom världssamfundet i stort.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Buvall, Lisa, 1976, et al.
(författare)
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Antibodies against the beta1-adrenergic receptor induce progressive development of cardiomyopathy
- 2007
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Ingår i: J Mol Cell Cardiol. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-2828. ; 42:5, s. 1001-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Different immune disturbances have been found among patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), including antibodies directed against different cardiac antigens, such as the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor. The aim of our study was to investigate antibodies directed against the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor effect on cardiac functions at an early and late stage during DCM development. This was made in a mouse model, in which DCM was induced by immunization with the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor. Mice were immunized for 14 or 25 weeks respectively with the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor. At 14 weeks, there was no decreased heart function reviled by echocardiography at rest, but when dobutamine stress echocardiography was used, a lower cardiac reserve was shown in the mice with antibodies against the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor. By 25 weeks, decreased heart function, dilatation of the left ventricle and thinner left ventricular posterior wall were observed. Further biochemical analyses at 25 weeks showed increased mRNA expressions for beta(1)-adrenergic receptor kinase, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and the brain natriuretic peptide as well as increased concentrations of complement factor 3 in sera in the immunized animals. Our data suggest a cardiotoxic effect of antibodies directed against the second extracellular loop of the beta(1)-adrenergic receptor and a capacity to induce DCM with progressive remodeling, decreased cardiac function, altered beta(1)AR signaling and upregulation of proinflammatory components.
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| 20. |
- Carlbring, Per, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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An open study of Internet-based bibliotherapy with minimal therapist contact via e-mail for social phobia
- 2006
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Ingår i: Clinical Psychologist. - 1328-4207 .- 1742-9552. ; 10, s. 30-38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study evaluated a nine-week Internet-based self-help program for people suffering from social phobia. After confirming the diagnosis with a structured clinical interview for the DSM-IV (SCID) by telephone, 26 participants were treated with a multimodal treatment package based on cognitive behavioral therapy plus weekly therapist contact via e-mail. Results were analyzed on a basis of intention-to-treat. There were no differences between the two pre-treatment assessment points. However, from pre- to post-test, treated participants improved signi?cantly on all measured dimensions (social anxiety, general anxiety, depression levels, and quality of life). The overall within-group effect size measured with Cohen-s d was d=0.88. Treatment gains were maintained or improved at the 6-month follow-up (Cohen-s d=1.31). The results of this study support the continued use and development of Internet-distributed self-help programs for people diagnosed with social phobia.
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| 21. |
- Carlbring, Per, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Internet treatment for social phobia
- 2005
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Ingår i: 5th international congress of cognitive psychotherapy,2005. ; , s. 56-
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)
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| 22. |
- Carlbring, Per, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Remote treatment of panic disorder : A randomized trial of internet-based cognitive behavior therapy supplemented with telephone calls
- 2006
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Ingår i: American Journal of Psychiatry. - 0002-953X .- 1535-7228. ; 163:12, s. 2119-2125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: This study evaluated a 10-week Internet-based bibliotherapy self-help program with short weekly telephone calls for people suffering from panic disorder with or without agoraphobia. Method: After the authors confirmed the diagnosis by administering the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV by telephone, 60 participants were randomly assigned to either a wait-listed control group or a multimodal treatment package based on cognitive behavior therapy plus minimal therapist contact via e-mail. A 10-minute telephone call was made each week to support each participant. Total mean time spent on each participant during the 10 weeks was 3.9 hours. The participants were required to send in homework assignments before receiving the next treatment module. Results: Analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis, which included all randomly assigned participants. From pretreatment to posttreatment, all treated participants improved significantly on all measured dimensions (bodily interpretations, maladaptive cognitions, avoidance, general anxiety and depression levels, and quality of life). Treatment gains on self-report measures were maintained at the 9-month follow-up. A blind telephone interview after the end of treatment revealed that 77% of the treated patients no longer fulfilled the criteria for panic disorder, whereas all of the wait-listed subjects still suffered from it. Conclusions: This study provides evidence to support the use of treatment distributed via the Internet with the addition of short weekly telephone calls to treat panic disorder. Replication should be made to compare self-help and telephone treatment based on cognitive behavior methods with nonspecific interventions.
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| 23. |
- Carlbring, Per, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment of Panic Disorder : Live Therapy vs. Self-Help via Internet
- 2005
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Ingår i: Behaviour Research and Therapy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0005-7967 .- 1873-622X. ; 43:10, s. 1321-1333
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A randomized trial was conducted comparing 10 individual weekly sessions of cognitive behaviour therapy for panic disorder (PD) with or without agoraphobia with a 10-module self-help program on the Internet. After confirming the PD diagnosis with an in-person structured clinical interview (SCID) 49 participants were randomized. Overall, the results suggest that Internet-administered self-help plus minimal therapist contact via e-mail can be equally effective as traditional individual cognitive behaviour therapy. Composite within-group effect sizes were high in both groups, while the between-group effect size was small (Cohen's d=16). One-year follow-up confirmed the results, with a within-group effect size of Cohen's d=0.80 for the Internet group and d=0.93 for the live group. The results from this study generally provide evidence to support the continued use and development of Internet-distributed self-help programs.
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| 24. |
- Carlbring, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment of social phobia : Randomised trial of internet-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy with telephone support
- 2007
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Ingår i: British Journal of Psychiatry. - : Royal College of Psychiatrists. - 0007-1250 .- 1472-1465. ; 190, s. 123-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Although effective therapies for social phobia exist, many individuals refrain from seeking treatment owing to the embarrassment associated with help-seeking. Internet-based cognitive-behavioural self-help can be an alternative, but adherence is a problem. Aims: To evaluate a 9-week programme of internet-based therapy designed to increase treatment adherence by the addition of short weekly telephone calls, nine in all, with a total duration of 95 min. Method: In a randomised controlled trial the effects of internet-based cognitive-behavioural therapy in the treatment group (n=29) were compared with a waiting-list control group (n=28). Results: Compared with the control group the treated participants experienced greater reductions on measures of general and social anxiety, avoidance and depression. Adherence to treatment was high, with 93% finishing the complete treatment package. One year later all improvements were maintained. Conclusions: This study provides evidence to support the use of internet-based treatment supplemented by short, weekly telephone calls.
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| 25. |
- Cuijpers, Pim, et al.
(författare)
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Psychological treatment of depression : A meta-analytic database of randomized studies
- 2008
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Ingår i: BMC Psychiatry. - 1471-244X. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: A large number of randomized controlled studies have clearly demonstrated that psychological interventions are effective in the treatment of depression. The number of studies in this area is increasing rapidly. In this paper, we present a database of controlled and comparative outcome studies on psychological treatments of depression, based on a series of meta-analyses published by our group. The database can be accessed freely through the Internet. Description: We conducted a comprehensive literature search of the major bibliographical databases (Pubmed, Psycinfo, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and we examined the references of 22 earlier meta-analyses of psychological treatment of depression. We included randomized studies in which the effects of a psychological therapy on adults with depression were compared to a control condition, another psychological intervention, or a combined treatment (psychological plus pharmacological). We conducted nine meta-analyses of subgroups of studies taken from this dataset. The 149 studies included in these 9 meta-analyses are included in the current database. In the 149 included studies, a total of 11,369 patients participated. In the database, we present selected characteristics of each study, including characteristics of the patients (the study population, recruitment method, definition of depression), characteristics of the experimental conditions and interventions (the experimental conditions, N per condition, format, number of sessions), and study characteristics (measurement times, measures used, attrition, type of analysis and country). Conclusion: The data on the 149 included studies are presented in order to give other researchers access to the studies we collected, and to give background information about the meta-analyses we have published using this dataset. The number of studies examining the effects of psychological treatments of depression has increased considerably in the past decades, and this will continue in the future. The database we have presented in this paper can help to integrate the results of these studies in future meta-analyses and systematic reviews on psychological treatments for depression. © 2008 Cuijpers et al, licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
- Furmark, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Guided and unguided self-help for social anxiety disorder : randomised controlled trial
- 2009
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Ingår i: British Journal of Psychiatry. - : Royal College of Psychiatrists. - 0007-1250 .- 1472-1465. ; 195:5, s. 440-447
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Internet-delivered self-help programmes with added guidance have shown efficacy in social anxiety disorder, unguided self-help has been insufficiently studied. Aims To evaluate the efficacy of guided and unguided self-help social anxiety disorder. Method Participants followed a cognitive-behavioural self-help programme in the form of either pure bibliotherapy or an internet-based treatment with therapist guidance and online group discussions. A subsequent trial was conducted to evaluate treatment specificity. Participants (n=235) were randomised to one of three conditions in the first trial, or one of four conditions in the second. Results Pure bibliotherapy and the internet-based treatment were better than waiting list on measures of social anxiety, general anxiety, depression and quality of life. The internet-based therapy had the highest effect sizes, but directly comparable effects were noted for bibliotherapy augmented with online group discussions. Gains were well maintained a year later. Conclusions Unguided self-help through bibliotherapy can produce enduring improvement for individuals with social anxiety disorder.
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| 29. |
- Hellner, Britt Marie, et al.
(författare)
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Systematiskt arbete för äldres säkerhet : om fall, trafikolyckor och bränder
- 2007
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Bok (refereegranskat)abstract
- Äldre personer är överrepresenterade i nästan alla olyckor. Förutom stort personligt lidande för individen leder skadorna ofta till omfattande kostnader för samhället. Därför har Räddningsverket och IMS/Socialstyrelsen tilsammans med forskare vid Umeå Universitet, Karlstad Universitet, Krolinska Insitutet, FoU Välfärd Örebro samt Vägverket gemensamt sammaställt denna bok. Syftet är att inspirera och vägleda ett systematiskt arbete i samhället för att öka säkerheten och minska skadorna till följd av olyckor bland äldre. Boken riktar sig till verksamma inom vård och omsorg för äldre, tjänstemän och politiker på olika nivåer i samhället
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| 30. |
- Kildal, Morten, et al.
(författare)
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Coping strategies, injury characteristics and long term outcome after burn injury
- 2005
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Ingår i: Injury. - : Elsevier BV. - 0020-1383 .- 1879-0267. ; 36:4, s. 511-518
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Coping consists of cognitive and behavioural strategies aimed at enhancing adaptation, and the use of certain coping strategies is proposed to be beneficial for health. The relationship between coping strategies and burn injury characteristics, sociodemographics and long-term outcome was evaluated in 161 previous victims of severe burn injury. Functional and psychosocial restrictions were measured with the burn specific health scale-brief (BSHS-B) and related to coping strategies measured by the coping with burns questionnaire (CBQ). Patients were on average 47.7 years at measurement of health status and they were assessed 9.2 (S.D. = 4.8) years after injury. The mean area burned was 24.0 and 7.2% was full thickness injury.There was no relation between coping strategies and injury characteristics except in individuals with a full thickness burn exceeding 10%, who exhibited more Revaluation/adjustment. An Avoidant coping strategy was related to work status, marital status and living conditions, and this was the strategy most clearly related to--Bad outcome-- in all scales of the BSHS-B. Emotional support was the most beneficial strategy and was mainly associated with the psychosocial scales of the BSHS-B.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Klasson, Lisa, 1977-
(författare)
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Genome Evolution in Maternally Inherited Insect Endosymbionts
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Symbiosis is a widely common phenomenon in nature and has undoubtedly contributed to the evolution of all organisms on earth. Symbiotic associations can be of varying character, such as parasitic or mutualistic, but all imply a close relationship. To study the evolution of genomes of insect endosymbionts, we have sequenced the genomes of the mutualist Buchnera aphidicola from the aphid Schizaphis graminum (Sg) and the reproductive manipulator Wolbachia pipientis strain wRi from Drosophila simulans that show strikingly different evolutionary patterns. The comparison between the genome of B.aphidicola (Sg) and the genome of B.aphidicola from the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Ap), that are believed to have diverged 50 million years ago, revealed a perfect gene order conservation and loss of only 14 genes in either of the lineages. In contrast, the rate of nucleotide turnover is very fast probably due to relaxed selection and loss of DNA repair genes. The genomic stasis observed in Buchnera was attributed to the loss of repeats and of the gene recA. In striking contrast to the genomes of B.aphidicola, a vast amount of repeats were found in the genome sequence of W.pipientis strain wMel. The comparison between the genomes of W.pipientis strain wRi and W.pipientis strain wMel shows that a lot of rearrangements have occurred since their divergence. The massive amount of repeats might stem from relaxed selection pressure but possibly also from selection to create variability via recombination. Comparisons between pairs of genomes from closely related bacteria showed that the stability of gene order and content is connected to an intracellular lifestyle and indicated that homologous recombination between repeats is an important mechanisms for causing intrachromosomal rearrangements. Our studies show that the lifestyle of a bacterium to a great extent shapes the evolution of their genetic material and future capabilities to adapt to new environments.
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| 33. |
- Klasson, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Strong asymmetric mutation bias in endosymbiont genomes coincide with loss of genes for replication restart pathways
- 2006
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Ingår i: Molecular biology and evolution. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0737-4038 .- 1537-1719. ; 23:5, s. 1031-1039
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A large majority of bacterial genomes show strand asymmetry, such that G and T preferentially accumulate on the leading strand. The mechanisms are unknown, but cytosine deaminations are thought to play an important role. Here, we have examined DNA strand asymmetry in three strains of the aphid endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola. These are phylogenetically related, have similar genomic GC contents, and conserved gene order structures, yet B. aphidicola (Bp) shows a fourfold higher replication-induced strand bias than B. aphidicola (Sg) and (Ap). We rule out an increase in the overall substitution frequency as the major cause of the stronger strand bias in B. aphidicola (Bp). Instead, the results suggest that the higher GC skew in this species is caused by a different spectrum of mutations, including a relatively higher frequency of C to T mutations on the leading strand and/or of G to A mutations on the lagging strand. A comparative analysis of 20 γ-proteobacterial genomes revealed that endosymbiont genomes lacking recA and other genes involved in replication restart processes, such as priA, which codes for primosomal helicase PriA, displayed the strongest strand bias. We hypothesize that cytosine deaminations accumulate during single-strand exposure at arrested replication forks and that inefficient restart mechanisms may lead to high DNA strand asymmetry in bacterial genomes.
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| 34. |
- Klasson, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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The mosaic genome structure of the Wolbachia wRi strain infecting Drosophila simulans
- 2009
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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 .- 1091-6490. ; 106:14, s. 5725-5730
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The obligate intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis infects around 20% of all insect species. It is maternally inherited and induces reproductive alterations of insect populations by male killing, feminization, parthenogenesis, or cytoplasmic incompatibility. Here, we present the 1,445,873-bp genome of W. pipientis strain wRi that induces very strong cytoplasmic incompatibility in its natural host Drosophila simulans. A comparison with the previously sequenced genome of W. pipientis strain wMeI from Drosophila melanogaster identified 35 breakpoints associated with mobile elements and repeated sequences that are stable in Drosophila lines transinfected with wRi. Additionally, 450 genes with orthologs in wRi and wMeI were sequenced from the W. pipientis strain wUni, responsible for the induction of parthenogenesis in the parasitoid wasp Muscidifurax uniraptor. The comparison of these A-group Wolbachia strains uncovered the most highly recombining intracellular bacterial genomes known to date. This was manifested in a 500-fold variation in sequence divergences at synonymous sites, with different genes and gene segments supporting different strain relationships. The substitution-frequency profile resembled that of Neisseria meningitidis, which is characterized by rampant intraspecies recombination, rather than that of Rickettsia, where genes mostly diverge by nucleotide substitutions. The data further revealed diversification of ankyrin repeat genes by short tandem duplications and provided examples of horizontal gene transfer across A- and B- group strains that infect D. simulans. These results suggest that the transmission dynamics of Wolbachia and the opportunity for coinfections have created a freely recombining intracellular bacterial community with mosaic genomes.
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| 35. |
- Larsson, Pär, et al.
(författare)
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The complete genome sequence of Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia
- 2005
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 37:2, s. 153-159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Francisella tularensis is one of the most infectious human pathogens known. In the past, both the former Soviet Union and the US had programs to develop weapons containing the bacterium. We report the complete genome sequence of a highly virulent isolate of F. tularensis (1,892,819 bp). The sequence uncovers previously uncharacterized genes encoding type IV pili, a surface polysaccharide and iron-acquisition systems. Several virulence-associated genes were located in a putative pathogenicity island, which was duplicated in the genome. More than 10% of the putative coding sequences contained insertion-deletion or substitution mutations and seemed to be deteriorating. The genome is rich in IS elements, including IS630 Tc-1 mariner family transposons, which are not expected in a prokaryote. We used a computational method for predicting metabolic pathways and found an unexpectedly high proportion of disrupted pathways, explaining the fastidious nutritional requirements of the bacterium. The loss of biosynthetic pathways indicates that F. tularensis is an obligate host-dependent bacterium in its natural life cycle. Our results have implications for our understanding of how highly virulent human pathogens evolve and will expedite strategies to combat them.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Mowbray, Sherry L., et al.
(författare)
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X-ray structure of potato epoxide hydrolase sheds light on its substrate specificity
- 2006
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Ingår i: Protein Science. - : Wiley. - 0961-8368 .- 1469-896X. ; 15:7, s. 1628-1637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Epoxide hydrolases catalyze the conversion of epoxides to diols. The known functions of such enzymes include detoxification of xenobiotics, drug metabolism, synthesis of signaling compounds, and intermediary metabolism. In plants, epoxide hydrolases are thought to participate in general defense systems. In the present study, we report the first structure of a plant epoxide hydrolase, one of the four homologous enzymes found in potato. The structure was solved by molecular replacement and refined to a resolution of 1.95 angstrom. Analysis of the structure allows a better understanding of the observed substrate specificities and activity. Further, comparisons with mammalian and fungal epoxide hydrolase structures reported earlier show the basis of differing substrate specificities in the various epoxide hydrolase subfamilies. Most plant enzymes, like the potato epoxide hydrolase, are expected to be monomers with a preference for substrates with long lipid-like substituents of the epoxide ring. The significance of these results in the context of biological roles and industrial applications is discussed.
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
- Persson, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Human sinus studies using Monte Carlo simulations and diode laser gas absorption spectroscopy
- 2006
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Ingår i: Proceedings of International Symposium on Biophotonics, Nanophotonics and Metamaterials. - 0780397738 ; , s. 84-87
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate the possibility of non-intrusive in-vivo human sinus studies by diode laser gas absorption spectroscopy. Molecular oxygen in tissue-l ike phantoms were investigated in a practical backscattering detection geometry for frontal sinus studies both experimentally and numerically using the Monte Carlo concept, implemented in the Advanced Systems Analysis Program (ASAP (TM)) software. Light was launched into and detected from the forehead on a health volunteer. A model representing the frontal sinus measurements was implemented in ASAP (TM) and studied. The results from the experiments and the simulations show a good agreement for both the tissue-like phantom measurements and the measurements of the healthy volunteer. Preliminary data from human maxillary sinus measurements are also shown. The results are promising and suggest further development of this technique for sinuses studies.
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- Sgroi, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Fear-avoidance in recovered burn patients : Association with psychological and somatic symptoms
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of Health Psychology. - : SAGE Publications. - 1359-1053 .- 1461-7277. ; 10:4, s. 491-502
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fear-avoidance, an important model in the understanding of chronic pain, has not yet been studied in patients with burns. The purpose of this study was to investigate if recovered burn patients have fear-avoidance beliefs and to explore the association with psychological and somatic symptoms. Eighty-four recovered burn patients completed self-report questionnaires. The results showed that there were fear-avoidance beliefs, but not to a large extent. Beta coefficients from multiple regression analyses indicated a strong association between fear-avoidance and problems with work, heat sensitivity and arousal symptoms. The model was capable of explaining 73 per cent of the variance in fear-avoidance beliefs. Copyright © 2005 SAGE Publications.
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| 44. |
- Tillfors, Maria, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Treating university students with social phobia and public speaking fears : Internet delivered self-help with or without live group exposure sessions
- 2008
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Ingår i: Depression and anxiety (Print). - : Hindawi Limited. - 1091-4269 .- 1520-6394. ; 25:8, s. 708-717
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: This study investigated the efficacy of an Internet-based self-help program with minimal therapist contact via e-mail for Swedish university students with social phobia and public speaking fears. The main objective was to test if the Internet-based self-help program would be more effective if five live group exposure sessions were added. METHODS: Thirty-eight students meeting the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edition criteria for social phobia were randomized into two different treatment groups: Internet delivered cognitive behavior therapy combined with five group exposure sessions (ICBT+ exp) or the Internet program alone (ICBT). RESULTS: Results were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. Both treatment groups showed significant improvement from pre- to post-test, and from pre-test to 1-year follow-up, on all measured dimensions (social anxiety, general anxiety, depression levels, and quality of life). For both the groups, the average within-group effect sizes for the primary social anxiety scales, expressed as Cohen's d, were comparable to those seen in traditionally administered cognitive behavioral therapy both at post-test and at 1- year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the Internet-based self-help program on its own is efficient in the treatment of university students with social phobia. Adding group exposure sessions did not improve the outcome significantly.
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| 45. |
- Uhlén, Mathias, et al.
(författare)
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A human protein atlas for normal and cancer tissues based on antibody proteomics
- 2005
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Ingår i: Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. - 1535-9476 .- 1535-9484. ; 4:12, s. 1920-1932
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antibody-based proteomics provides a powerful approach for the functional study of the human proteome involving the systematic generation of protein-specific affinity reagents. We used this strategy to construct a comprehensive, antibody-based protein atlas for expression and localization profiles in 48 normal human tissues and 20 different cancers. Here we report a new publicly available database containing, in the first version, similar to 400,000 high resolution images corresponding to more than 700 antibodies toward human proteins. Each image has been annotated by a certified pathologist to provide a knowledge base for functional studies and to allow queries about protein profiles in normal and disease tissues. Our results suggest it should be possible to extend this analysis to the majority of all human proteins thus providing a valuable tool for medical and biological research.
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| 46. |
- Uller, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Antagonism of the prostaglandin D2 receptor CRTH2 attenuates asthma pathology in mouse eosinophilic airway inflammation.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Respiratory Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1465-9921 .- 1465-993X. ; 8:16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Mast cell-derived prostaglandin D-2 (PGD(2)), may contribute to eosinophilic inflammation and mucus production in allergic asthma. Chemoattractant receptor homologous molecule expressed on TH2 cells (CRTH2), a high affinity receptor for prostaglandin D-2, mediates trafficking of TH2-cells, mast cells, and eosinophils to inflammatory sites, and has recently attracted interest as target for treatment of allergic airway diseases. The present study involving mice explores the specificity of CRTH2 antagonism of TM30089, which is structurally closely related to the dual TP/CRTH2 antagonist ramatroban, and compares the ability of ramatroban and TM30089 to inhibit asthma-like pathology. Methods: Affinity for and antagonistic potency of TM30089 on many mouse receptors including thromboxane A(2) receptor mTP, CRTH2 receptor, and selected anaphylatoxin and chemokines receptors were determined in recombinant expression systems in vitro. In vivo effects of TM30089 and ramatroban on tissue eosinophilia and mucus cell histopathology were examined in a mouse asthma model. Results: TM30089, displayed high selectivity for and antagonistic potency on mouse CRTH2 but lacked affinity to TP and many other receptors including the related anaphylatoxin C3a and C5a receptors, selected chemokine receptors and the cyclooxygenase isoforms 1 and 2 which are all recognized players in allergic diseases. Furthermore, TM30089 and ramatroban, the latter used as a reference herein, similarly inhibited asthma pathology in vivo by reducing peribronchial eosinophilia and mucus cell hyperplasia. Conclusion: This is the first report to demonstrate anti-allergic efficacy in vivo of a highly selective small molecule CRTH2 antagonist. Our data suggest that CRTH2 antagonism alone is effective in mouse allergic airway inflammation even to the extent that this mechanism can explain the efficacy of ramatroban.
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| 47. |
- Westerlund, Tommy, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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The quality of self-care counselling by pharmacy practitioners, supported by IT-based clinical guidelines.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Pharmacy world & science : PWS. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0928-1231 .- 1573-739X. ; 29:2, s. 67-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the study was to assess the quality of self-care counselling from pharmacy practitioners, supported by national clinical guidelines. The research questions addressed (1) the distribution of symptoms among customers in need of self-care counselling, (2) the quality of the self-care advice provided by pharmacy practitioners, (3) the degree of customer compliance with appropriate pharmacy advice versus the extent of symptom relief, (4) and versus a subsequent medical care visit, and (5) which resource the customers would have turned to in the first place for their ailments, had the pharmacy practitioner not been available. SETTING: Three large community pharmacies with non-prescription self-selection departments in central Sweden. METHODS: Ten pharmacy practitioners counselled all customers > or = 18 years old, with whom a dialogue was initiated on advice or products for self-care. The counselling was based on national clinical guidelines for self-care advice in the form of a software decision support program. The data collection consisted of documentation of background customer information, independent assessments of the quality of the advice provided and of telephone follow-ups. RESULTS: Of all documented symptoms (n = 250), the most common were allergy (26.4%), musculoskeletal symptoms (8.4%) and dyspepsia (7.2%). Independent assessments of the documentation by a physician and a pharmacist found that self-care advice was appropriate to give 97.6% of the customers and that the advice provided was correct in 88.4% of the cases. In total, 217 cases (86.8%) were fully approved by both the physician and the pharmacist. Among the 182 customers who claimed that they complied completely with appropriate advice provided, 135 (74.2%) experienced a great improvement in symptoms. Among the 21 who had only partly followed the advice, six (28.6%) reported the same level of improvement (p < 0.001). If the pharmacy practitioner had not been available, 56.8% of the customers would have turned to medical care in the first instance. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the high quality of pharmacy practitioners' self-care counselling supported by IT-based national clinical guidelines, including a favourable impact on customers' ailments. Furthermore, it reveals that pharmacy practitioners greatly relieve the pressure on the health-care system, resulting in reduced costs to society.
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| 48. |
- Worrillow, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Polymorphic MLH1 and risk of cancer after methylating chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Genetics. - : BMJ. - 0022-2593 .- 1468-6244. ; 45:3, s. 142-146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and objective: Methylating agents are effective chemotherapy agents for Hodgkin lymphoma, but are associated with the development of second primary cancers. Cytotoxicity of methylating agents is mediated primarily by the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system. Loss of MLH1, a major component of DNA MMR, results in tolerance to the cytotoxic effects of methylating agents and persistence of mutagenised cells at high risk of malignant transformation. We hypothesised that a common substitution in the basal promoter of MLH1 (position-93, rs1800734) modifies the risk of cancer after methylating chemotherapy. Methods: 133 patients who developed cancer following chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (n = 133), 420 patients diagnosed with de novo myeloid leukaemia, 242 patients diagnosed with primary Hodgkin lymphoma, and 1177 healthy controls were genotyped for the MLH1 -93 polymorphism by allelic discrimination polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for cancer risk by MLH1 -93 polymorphism status, and stratified by previous exposure to methylating chemotherapy, were calculated using unconditional logistic regression. Results: Carrier frequency of the MLH1 -93 variant was higher in patients who developed therapy related acute myeloid leukaemia (t-AML) (75.0%, n = 12) or breast cancer (53.3%. n = 15) after methylating chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma compared to patients without previous methylating exposure (t-AML, 30.4%, n = 69; breast cancer patients, 27.2%, n = 22). The MLH1 -93 variant allele was also over-represented in t-AML cases when compared to de novo AML cases (36.9%, n = 420) and healthy controls (36.3%, n = 952), and was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing t-AML (odds ratio 5.31, 95% confidence interval 1.40 to 20.15), but only in patients previously treated with a methylating agent. Conclusions: These data support the hypothesis that the common polymorphism at position - 93 in the core promoter of MLH1 defines a risk allele for the development of cancer after methylating chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma. However, replication of this finding in larger studies is suggested.
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| 49. |
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