| 1. |
- Carmine Belin, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
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S18Y in ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) associated with decreased risk of Parkinson's disease in Sweden.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Parkinsonism & related disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1353-8020. ; 13:5, s. 295-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) is a neuron-specific enzyme that removes ubiquitin from the C-terminal end of substrates and a component of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. A protective effect of a UCH-L1 variant, S18Y, was suggested since the common variant was found to be inversely associated with sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated the association of S18Y in our Swedish PD material. The tyrosine variant was significantly inversely associated with PD (P=0.049) and with a low age of onset (50 years) (P=0.017) in the case-control material, supporting the hypothesis of a protective function.
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| 2. |
- Domellöf, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of mode of oral iron administration on serum ferritin and haemoglobin in infants
- 2008
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica. - : Wiley. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227. ; 97:8, s. 1055-1060
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To investigate effects of iron-fortified foods (FFs) and medicinal iron drops (MD) on iron status in infants. Methods: Data from one MD and one FF study were compared. Infants were divided into groups depending on the predominant source and amount of dietary iron during 6–9 months of age: MD: Medicinal iron drops (1 mg/kg/day). FF: iron intake >1.3 mg/kg/day, predominantly from FF and no iron supplements. Low iron (LI) group: iron intake <1.3 mg/kg/day and no iron supplements. Results: Mean iron intake did not differ between MD (n = 30) and FF (n = 35) groups but was lower in the LI (n = 232) group. The FF group had significantly higher mean Hb at 9 months compared to the MD and LI groups (120 vs. 115 g/L and 120 vs. 116 g/L, respectively, p ≤ 0.005). The MD group had significantly higher mean SF at 9 months compared to the FF and the LI groups (46 vs. 23 μg/L and 46 vs. 26 μg/L, respectively, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that, in healthy, term, nonanaemic 6–9-month-old infants, iron given as medicinal iron drops is primarily deposited into iron stores while iron given as iron-fortified foods is primarily utilized for Hb synthesis.
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| 3. |
- Lind, Olle, et al.
(författare)
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Avian colour vision: Effects of variation in receptor sensitivity and noise data on model predictions as compared to behavioural results.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Vision Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1878-5646 .- 0042-6989. ; 49, s. 1939-1947
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Colour vision models require measurement of receptor noise and the absorbance of visual pigments, oil droplets, and ocular media. We have studied how variation in these parameters influences colour matching, spectral sensitivity, and colour discrimination predictions in four bird species. While colour match predictions are sensitive to variation in visual pigment and oil droplet absorbance data, discrimination predictions are mostly sensitive to variation in receptor noise. Ocular media transmittance influences only modelled spectral sensitivities at short wavelengths. A comparison between predicted and measured spectral sensitivities in domestic fowl and duck revealed large discrepancies, likely because of influences from achromatic mechanisms.
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| 4. |
- Lind, Olle, et al.
(författare)
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Multifocal optical systems and pupil dynamics in birds.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Biology. - : The Company of Biologists. - 1477-9145 .- 0022-0949. ; 211:Pt 17, s. 2752-2758
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In animal eyes of the camera type longitudinal chromatic aberration causes defocus that is particularly severe in species with short depth of focus. In a variety of vertebrates, multifocal optical systems compensate for longitudinal chromatic aberration by concentric zones of different refractive powers. Since a constricting circular pupil blocks peripheral zones, eyes with multifocal optical systems often have slit pupils that allow light to pass through all zones, irrespective of the state of pupil constriction. Birds have circular pupils and were therefore assumed to have monofocal optical systems. We examined the eyes of 45 species (12 orders) of bird using videorefractometry, and the results are surprising: 29 species (10 orders) have multifocal systems, and only five species (five orders) have monofocal systems. The results from 11 species (four orders) are inconclusive. We propose that pupils ;switching' between being fully opened (multifocal principle) to maximally closed (pinhole principle) can make multifocal optical systems useful for animals with circular pupils. Previous results indicate that mice have both multifocal optical systems and switching pupils. Our results suggest that parrots may use a similar mechanism. By contrast, owl pupils responded weakly to changes in illumination and stayed remarkably wide even in full daylight. Moreover, the parrots opened their pupils at higher light levels than owls, which correlates with the differences in sensitivity between diurnal and nocturnal eyes.
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| 5. |
- Lind, Olle, et al.
(författare)
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The intensity threshold of colour vision in two species of parrot
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Experimental Biology. - : The Company of Biologists. - 1477-9145 .- 0022-0949. ; 212:22, s. 3693-3699
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have used behavioural tests to determine the intensity thresholds of colour vision in Bourke's parrots (Neopsephotus bourkii) and budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). We have also examined the relationship between these thresholds and the optical sensitivities of single photoreceptors using morphological methods. Bourke's parrots lose colour vision in brighter light (0.4 cd m(-2)) than budgerigars (0.1 cd m(-2)) and both birds lose colour vision in brighter light ('end of civil twilight') than humans (0.02 cd m(-2),. moonlight'). The optical sensitivities of single cones are similar in both birds (budgerigar 0.27 mu m(2) sr, Bourke's parrot 0.25 mu m(2)sr) but Bourke's parrots have more (cone to rod ratio, 1.2:1.0), thinner (2.8 mu m) and longer rods (18.5 mu m) than budgerigars (2.1:1.0, 3.4 mu m, 13.3 mu m). Bourke's parrots thus have an eye type that, with a flexible pooling mechanism, allows for high resolution or high absolute sensitivity depending on the light conditions. The results nicely agree with the activity patterns of the birds, Bourke's parrots being active during the day and in twilight while budgerigars are not normally active before sunrise and after sunset. However, Bourke's parrots have fewer cones than budgerigars, which implies that a smaller number of cones are pooled within each retinal integration area. That could explain why Bourke's parrots have a higher intensity threshold of colour vision than budgerigars. Furthermore, the study emphasises the need to expand the sensitivity measure so that photoreceptor integration units are used rather than single receptors.
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| 6. |
- Öhlund, Inger, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Diet intake and caries prevalence in four-year-old children living in a low-prevalence country.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Caries Research. - Basel : S. Karger AG. - 0008-6568 .- 1421-976X. ; 41:1, s. 26-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Preventive measures have dramatically decreased the prevalence of dental caries in children. However, risk factors for the disease in children living in low-prevalence areas remain elusive. In the present study we evaluated associations between dental caries, saliva levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, and diet with special emphasis on the intake of fermentable carbohydrates and dairy products in 4-year-old children living in an area where the overall caries prevalence was low. Dietary intake was recorded in 234 infants as part of the Study of Infant Nutrition in Umea, Sweden (SINUS). Of these the parents of 124 children gave consent to participate in a follow-up at 4 years of age. Dietary intake, height and weight, dental caries, oral hygiene, including tooth brushing habits, presence of plaque and gingival inflammation, fluoride habits and numbers of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli in saliva were recorded. Using multivariate stepwise logistic regression, caries experience was negatively associated with intake frequency of cheese (OR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.44-0.98) and positively associated with the salivary level of mutans streptococci (OR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.21-2.03). Caries experience was not correlated with intake frequency or amounts of carbohydrate-containing foods, with any other particular food, or with daily intake of energy, carbohydrate or any other macro- or micronutrient. We conclude that cheese intake may have a caries-protective effect in childhood populations where the overall caries prevalence and caries experience are low and the children are regularly exposed to fluoride from toothpaste.
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| 7. |
- Öhlund, Inger, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Dietary fat in infancy should be more focused on quality than on quantity
- 2008
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - : Macmillan Publischers Limited. - 0954-3007 .- 1476-5640. ; 62:9, s. 1058-1064
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The primary aim was to assess, the association of the quantity and quality of dietary fat intake from 6 to 12 months of age and serum lipids at 12 months. Subjects/Methods: Three hundred healthy term Swedish infants were recruited in a longitudinal prospective study at the age of 6 months; 276 remained in the study at 12 months. Food records and anthropometric data were collected monthly from 6 to 12 months; serum lipids were analysed at 6 and 12 months. Results: Swedish infants had a total fat intake within the Nordic recommendations, but intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was low (5.6 percent of total energy (E%)) and intake of saturated fatty acids (SAFA) was high (15.1 E%). Higher PUFA intake was associated with lower total serum cholesterol (TC, B=−0.13, P=0.003), lower low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, B=−0.12, P=0.004) and apolipoprotein B (B=−0.03) (P=0.034) in girls but not in boys. When data from the present study were compared to data from similar studies in Finland and Iceland, it appears that the quality of the dietary fat has greater impact on serum lipid levels than the quantity of fat in the diet. Conclusions: Higher PUFA and lower SAFA intakes may reduce TC and LDL-C early in life, particularly in girls. Further, with respect to lowering serum lipid concentrations in early childhood it seems appropriate to set focus on fat quality rather than the quantity.
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| 8. |
- Öhlund, Inger, 1954-
(författare)
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Health implications of dietary intake in infancy and early childhood
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Introduction: Swedish children are the healthiest in Europe. Through regular visits to well-baby clinics, infants and young children are checked and parents given information and advice on diet and other relevant matters for their child. For a long time, adequate nutrition during infancy and childhood has been focused on encouraging proper nutrition, preventing malnutrition and deficiency states, and obtaining optimal growth. Today, malnutrition and deficiency states in infants and children are rare. But other public health problems have arisen. Nutrition early in life is now thought to influence health and diseases even in adulthood. Thus promotion of a healthy diet in early life is important for preventing public health diseases such as iron deficiency, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and dental caries. Aims: This study investigates health implications of dietary intake in infancy and early childhood. More specific focus was on the associations between dietary fat intake and serum lipid levels in infants, early dietary intake, iron status, dental caries, and Body Mass Index (BMI) at 4 years of age. In addition, hereditary factors and changes over time were evaluated. Methods: Before 6 month of age, 300 healthy infants were recruited from well-baby clinics in Umeå. This thesis is based on secondary analysis of a prospective study in these infants run from 6-18 months and a follow-up of 127 of the children at 4 years. Between 6-18 months and at 4 years, dietary intakes were assessed, anthropometric measures performed, and venous blood samples taken. At 4 years, a dental examination was also performed and anthropometric data and blood samples were collected from parents and included in the study. Results: All but two infants were ever breastfed and at 6 months 73% were still breastfed. The quality of dietary fat was not within national recommendations. At 4 years, intake of vitamin D and selenium were below and intake of sugar and sweet products above the recommendations. In girls, but not boys, higher polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was associated with lower levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels. Iron status of the children was generally good and no child had iron deficiency anaemia (IDA). Children’s haemoglobin (Hb) levels tracked from infancy to 4 years and correlated with their mother’s Hb. Fortified infant products and meat were important sources of iron at both 12 months and 4 years. Children with frequent intake of cheese had less caries in this population with low caries prevalence. We found higher protein intake over time to be associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) at 4 years and high BMI at 4 years was associated with high BMI at 6 mo. There was also an association between the BMI of the child and that of its parents. Conclusions: BMI of the child and parents (especially the father), and iron status at 6 months were predictors of these variables at 4 years of age. The quality rather than the quantity of dietary fat in infancy affected serum lipid values. Even in a healthy and well-nourished group of Swedish infants and young children, quality of food and intake of nutrients are important for current and later health of the child.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Öhlund, Inger, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors of iron status in well-nourished 4-y-old children.
- 2008
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Ingår i: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - 0002-9165 .- 1938-3207. ; 87:4, s. 839-845
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Iron status in childhood is influenced by diet. Other factors affecting iron status at that age are unclear. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to evaluate iron status in 4-y-old children, to track that status from infancy to childhood, and to examine the associations of iron status with dietary factors, growth, and heredity. DESIGN: This study consisted of a longitudinal follow-up at age 4 y of children (n = 127) from the cohort of a study that began at age 6 mo. Blood samples and anthropometry were assessed in both children and their parents; food records were collected from children only. RESULTS: Dietary intake was not significantly correlated with hemoglobin concentrations, whereas the consumption of meat products had a positive effect on serum ferritin concentrations and mean corpuscular volume in boys (P = 0.015 and 0.04, respectively). The prevalences of anemia and iron deficiency were low, affecting 2 (1.8%) and 3 (2.8%) children, respectively; no child had iron deficiency anemia. There was significant within-subject tracking of hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume from age 6 mo to 4 y. The mother's but not the father's hemoglobin correlated with the child's hemoglobin over time. CONCLUSIONS: Food choices had little effect on iron status. Hemoglobin concentrations and mean corpuscular volume were tracked from infancy to childhood. In healthy, well-nourished children with a low prevalence of iron deficiency, the mother's hemoglobin was significantly associated with that of her child, but the underlying mechanism is unclear.
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