| 1. |
- Dalgard, Florence J., et al.
(författare)
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Itch and Mental Health in Dermatological Patients across Europe : A Cross-Sectional Study in 13 Countries
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Investigative Dermatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-202X. ; 140:3, s. 568-573
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Itch is a highly prevalent and multidimensional symptom. We aimed to analyze the association between itch and mental health in dermatological patients. This multicenter study is observational and cross-sectional and was conducted in dermatological clinics across 13 European countries. A total of 3,530 patients and 1,094 healthy controls were included. Patients were examined clinically. Outcome measures were itch (presence, chronicity, and intensity), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EQ-5D visual analogue scale, sociodemographics, suicidal ideation, and stress (negative life events and economic difficulties). Ethical approval was obtained. Results showed significant association between the presence of itch in patients and clinical depression (odds ratio, 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.15–2.02), suicidal ideation (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.60), and economic difficulties (odds ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.10–1.50). The mean score of reported generic health status assessed by the EQ-5D visual analogue scale was 65.9 (standard deviation = 20.1) in patients with itch, compared with 74.7 (standard deviation = 18.0) in patients without itch (P < 0.001) and 74.9 (standard deviation = 15.7) in controls with itch compared with 82.9 (standard deviation = 15.6) in controls without itch (P < 0.001). Itch contributes substantially to the psychological disease burden in dermatological patients, and the management of patients should include access to multidisciplinary care.
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| 2. |
- Kvernby, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative comparison of data-driven gating and external hardware gating for 18F-FDG PET-MRI in patients with esophageal tumors
- 2021
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Ingår i: European Journal of Hybrid Imaging. - : Springer Nature. - 2510-3636. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundRespiratory motion during PET imaging reduces image quality. Data-driven gating (DDG) based on principal component analysis (PCA) can be used to identify respiratory signals. The use of DDG, without need for external devices, would greatly increase the feasibility of using respiratory gating in a routine clinical setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate data-driven gating in relation to external hardware gating and regular static image acquisition on PET-MRI data with respect to SUVmax and lesion volumes.MethodsSixteen patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal cancer (Siewert I and II) underwent a 6-min PET scan on a Signa PET-MRI system (GE Healthcare) 1.5-2 h after injection of 4 MBq/kg F-18-FDG. External hardware gating was done using a respiratory bellow device, and DDG was performed using MotionFree (GE Healthcare). The DDG raw data files and the external hardware-gating raw files were created on a Matlab-based toolbox from the whole 6-min scan LIST-file. For comparison, two 3-min static raw files were created for each patient. Images were reconstructed using TF-OSEM with resolution recovery with 2 iterations, 28 subsets, and 3-mm post filter. SUVmax and lesion volume were measured in all visible lesions, and noise level was measured in the liver. Paired t-test, linear regression, Pearson correlation, and Bland-Altman analysis were used to investigate difference, correlation, and agreement between the methods.ResultsA total number of 30 lesions were included in the study. No significant differences between DDG and external hardware-gating SUVmax or lesion volumes were found, but the noise level was significantly reduced in the DDG images. Both DDG and external hardware gating demonstrated significantly higher SUVmax (9.4% for DDG, 10.3% for external hardware gating) and smaller lesion volume (- 5.4% for DDG, - 6.6% for external gating) in comparison with non-gated static images.ConclusionsData-driven gating with MotionFree for PET-MRI performed similar to external device gating for esophageal lesions with respect to SUVmax and lesion volume. Both gating methods significantly increased the SUVmax and reduced the lesion volume in comparison with non-gated static acquisition. DDG resulted in reduced image noise compared to external device gating and static images.
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| 3. |
- Linder, Tomas
(författare)
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Can we feed humanity and save the planet with edible microbes?
- 2021
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Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Edible microbes such as bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi, and microscopic algae are emerging as a potentially more sustainable and resilient option for food and food production for a warmer and more crowded planet. In this buildup, conventional agriculture not only underperforms; it also aggravates the problem.
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| 4. |
- Linder, Tomas
(författare)
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Nitrogen source-dependent inhibition of yeast growth by glycine and its N-methylated derivatives
- 2020
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Ingår i: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0003-6072 .- 1572-9699. ; 113, s. 437-445
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effect of nitrogen source on the inhibitory properties of glycine and its N-methylated derivatives N-methylglycine (sarcosine), N,N-dimethylglycine, N,N,N-trimethylglycine (glycine betaine) on yeast growth was investigated. On solid minimal medium, all four glycine species completely or partially inhibited growth of Kluyveromyces lactis, Komagataella pastoris, Ogataea arabinofermentans, Spathaspora passalidarum and Yamadazyma tenuis at concentrations 5-10 mM when 10 mM NH4Cl was the sole source of nitrogen. If NH4Cl was substituted by sodium L-glutamate as the sole source of nitrogen, obvious growth inhibition by glycine and its N-methylated derivatives was generally not observed in any of these species. No obvious growth inhibition by any of the glycine species at a concentration of 10 mM was observed in Cyberlindnera jadinii, Lipomyces starkeyi, Lodderomyces elongisporus, Scheffersomyces stipitis or Yarrowia lipolytica on solid minimal medium irrespective of whether the nitrogen source was NH4Cl or sodium L-glutamate. Growth inhibition assays of K. pastoris in liquid minimal medium supplemented with increasing concentrations of N,N-dimethylglycine demonstrated inhibitory effects for nine tested nitrogen sources. In most cases, N,N-dimethylglycine supplementation caused a decrease in growth efficiency that appeared to be proportional to the concentration of N,N-dimethylglycine. The biological relevance of these results is discussed.
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| 5. |
- Linder, Tomas
(författare)
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Projected environmental benefits of replacing beef with microbial protein
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 605, s. 90-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ruminant meat provides valuable protein to humans, but livestock production has many negative environmental impacts, especially in terms of deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and eutrophication(1). In addition to a dietary shift towards plant-based diets(2), imitation products, including plant-based meat, cultured meat and fermentation-derived microbial protein (MP), have been proposed as means to reduce the externalities of livestock production(3-7). Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have estimated substantial environmental benefits of MP, produced in bioreactors using sugar as feedstock, especially compared to ruminant meat(3,7). Here we present an analysis of MP as substitute for ruminant meat in forward-looking global land-use scenarios towards 2050. Our study complements LCA studies by estimating the environmental benefits of MP within a future socio-economic pathway. Our model projections show that substituting 20% of per-capita ruminant meat consumption with MP globally by 2050 (on a protein basis) offsets future increases in global pasture area, cutting annual deforestation and related CO2 emissions roughly in half, while also lowering methane emissions. However, further upscaling of MP, under the assumption of given consumer acceptance, results in a non-linear saturation effect on reduced deforestation and related CO2 emissions-an effect that cannot be captured with the method of static LCA.
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| 6. |
- Löfmark, Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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HEART-score can be simplified without loss of discriminatory power in patients with chest pain : Introducing the HET-score
- 2023
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Ingår i: American Journal of Emergency Medicine. - : Elsevier. - 0735-6757 .- 1532-8171. ; 74, s. 104-111
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe History, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Age, Risk factors and Troponin, (HEART) score is useful for early risk stratification in chest pain patients. The aim was to validate previous findings that a simplified score using history, ECG and troponin (HET-score) has similar ability to stratify risk.MethodsPatients presenting with chest pain with duration of ≥10 min and an onset of last episode ≤12 h but without ST-segment elevation on ECG at 6 emergency departments were eligible for inclusion. The HEART-score and the simplified HET-score were calculated. The endpoint was a composite of myocardial infarction (MI) as index diagnosis, readmission due to new MI or death within 30 days.ResultsHEART-score identified 32% as low risk (0-2p), 47% as intermediate risk (3-5p), and 20% as high risk (6-10p) patients. The endpoint occurred in 0.5%, 7.3% and 35.7%, respectively. HET-score identified 39%, 42% and 19% as low- (0p), intermediate- (1-2p) and high-risk (3-6p) patients, with the endpoint occurring in 0.6%, 6.2% and 43.2%, respectively.When all variables included in the HEART-score were included in a multivariable logistic regression analysis, only History (OR, CI [95%]): 2.97(2.16–4.09), ECG (1.61[1.14–2.28]) and troponin level (5.21[3.91–6.95]) were significantly associated with cardiovascular events. When HEART- and HET-score were compared in a ROC-analysis, HET-score had a significantly larger AUC (0.887 vs 0.853, p < 0.001).ConclusionsCompared with HEART-score, HET-score is simpler and appears to have similar ability to discriminate between chest pain patients with and without cardiovascular event.
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| 7. |
- Marshall, John, et al.
(författare)
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A carbon-budget approach shows that reduced decomposition causes the nitrogen-induced increase in soil carbon in a boreal forest
- 2021
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 502
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nitrogen (N) addition causes rapid accumulation of carbon (C) in the soils of boreal forests. The C accumulation has been attributed to an increase in C supply to the soil, to a decrease in mineralization of organic C to CO2, or some combination of the two. We sought to quantify the proportional causes in a case study in a boreal Scots pine forest with or without annual N addition (at 50-100 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)). We continuously measured soil-surface CO2 exchange with large chambers (20-m(2)surface area) over three growing seasons and derived flux rates from snowpack CO2 profiles during the winter. Models were used to disaggregate the CO2-exchange data into auto-trophic and heterotrophic components. We also measured litterfall and inferred total belowground carbon flux (TBCF). We observed annual soil C accumulation to be higher by 104 g C m(-2) yr(-1) at the fertilized (F) plot compared to the unfertilized reference (R) stand. Total annual C supply to soil (Aboveground litterfall + TBCF) was not increased by the N addition despite a substantial increase in litterfall (+64 g C m(-2) yr(-1)). Instead the sum decreased slightly, by 52 g C m(-2) yr(-1), because of a larger reduction in TBCF. This reduction in soil C supply led us to conclude that the soil C accumulation was entirely due to inhibited substrate mineralization. We speculate that the nitrogen increased soil C by inhibiting heterotrophy, specifically that portion of heterotrophy that is primed by autotrophic carbon.
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| 8. |
- Marshall, John, et al.
(författare)
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Components explain, but do eddy fluxes constrain? Carbon budget of a nitrogen-fertilized boreal Scots pine forest
- 2023
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Ingår i: New Phytologist. - 0028-646X .- 1469-8137. ; 389:6, s. 2166-79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nitrogen (N) fertilization increases biomass and soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in boreal pine forests, but the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. At two Scots pine sites, one undergoing annual N fertilization and the other a reference, we sought to explain these responses.We measured component fluxes, including biomass production, SOC accumulation, and respiration, and summed them into carbon budgets. We compared the resulting summations to ecosystem fluxes measured by eddy covariance.N fertilization increased most component fluxes (P < 0.05), especially SOC accumulation (20x). Only fine-root, mycorrhiza, and exudate production decreased, by 237 (SD = 28) g C m(-2) yr(-1). Stemwood production increases were ascribed to this partitioning shift, gross primary production (GPP), and carbon-use efficiency, in that order. The methods agreed in their estimates of GPP in both stands (P > 0.05), but the components detected an increase in net ecosystem production (NEP) (190 (54) g C m(-2) yr(-1); P < 0.01) that eddy covariance did not (19 (62) g C m(-2) yr(-1); ns).The pairing of plots, the simplicity of the sites, and the strength of response provide a compelling description of N effects on the C budget. However, the disagreement between methods calls for further paired tests of N fertilization effects in simple forest ecosystems.
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| 9. |
- van Loon, Patricia, et al.
(författare)
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Linking circularity metrics at product and society level (LinCS) : Final report
- 2021
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The LinCS research project aimed to generate knowledge and understanding on the environmental and financial implications of circular products and circular economy at micro and macro level. It also sought to consider and review potential rebound effects. While circular economy is promoted as a promising solution that will decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, empirical evidence and academic research on the sustainability of circular economy and circular business models is in an embryonic form. Hence, the following research questions were posed: What factors/variables impact the environmental performance of circular products/circular business models? Under what circumstances/conditions are circular products/circular business models environmentally and economically preferred compared to linear ones? How can circular business models be improved in order to be sustainable? What are suitable indicators to monitor the environmental effects of CE at the micro and macro level? Which policies need to be introduced/altered that prevent/reduce the proliferation of unsustainable CE and support sustainable CE products? The research started with an extensive systematic literature review that mapped current knowledge and knowledge gaps on the environmental impact of circular products and circular business models. Despite the large interest of researchers on circular economy, the review only identified 54 papers that quantified the environmental impact of a circular versus linear product or system. Many of these papers focused on the environmental impact of the reuse or remanufacturing process but did not include key aspects of circular economy such as product design specific to the circular economy, or circular business models. Hence, there is a clear need for more research on the environmental impact. Based on the review, several product characteristics can be distilled that have a strong role in determining whether a product is suitable for the circular economy. In other words, these characteristics help to determine whether the increased circularity of a product is likely to lead to reduced environmental impact compared to the production of new products. These characteristics include 1) the extension of the product life, 2) the contribution of the manufacturing stage to the total life cycle environmental impact compared to other stages, 3) innovation frequency, 4) deterioration impacts during the life cycle including wear, 5) usage intensity, and 6) obsolescence. In particular, white goods were highlighted in the literature as being less suitable, due to their large share of environmental impacts in the use phase and because there has historically been a high degree of energy-efficiency innovation. For other groups of products, such as consumer electronics, the results are more ambiguous as it depends on the usage intensity and speed of innovation. Given the clear lack of studies assessing the environmental impact of circular products including the key aspects of circular product design and circular business models, ten case studies were conducted as part of the LinCS project in which the environmental, economic, and circularity performance of a product in a linear and circular business model were quantified. The majority of the case studies included circular product design and circular business models. The case studies show that the circular offer reduced the greenhouse gas impacts significantly in all but one case (where the rental business model led to increased emissions from transport for the customer and was highly dependent on rental location). Most cases resulted in a 50 to 60 % reduction. Based on the results we conclude that the recovery process or business model that enables life extension is usually less material- and energy-intensive. We further argue that with the expected transition towards renewable energy sources, the focus will likely shift away from greenhouse gas emissions to other environmental impacts. Material intensity will become more central, with the associated impacts of extraction and mining processes, as well as impacts on biodiversity. As a consequence, it is likely that the superior performance of circular products will become even more apparent in the future. The case studies further showed that profitability is an issue for some, but not all, manufacturers. In many cases, the costs of the circular model were estimated to be lower than in the linear case, mainly because less items need to be manufactured to fulfil the same level of demand, reducing manufacturing costs significantly. However, the revenue that can be generated in the circular model compared to the linear model is also lower, meaning that in some cases the profitability became lower. In many cases, the price customers pay for the circular product was set significantly lower than the linear product. More knowledge is needed to help companies set the correct price that can make their circular offer profitable and economical attractive. Macro-economic modelling was then performed to assess potential secondary effects and explore the benefit for Sweden when transitioning towards a circular economy. Multi-Regional Input Output (MRIO) modelling was used to understand the link between product level changes and macro level impacts. To model potential rebound effects, three alternative spending scenarios were modelled for the estimated financial savings from using more circular products. None of these resulted in higher impacts than the current situation, however, the impact of the scenarios was highly variable and almost as high in one case. This highlights a potential rebound effect depending on how savings are spent and the importance of considering (e.g. in policy and research) future levels of disposable income of consumers. The results also suggest that there is a limit to what can be achieved with circularity and that more traditional reductions in energy and improvements in resource efficiency are still required. For policy makers we note that, in order to accelerate the transition to circular economy, one aspect can be to utilise a societal functions framework to track, monitor and develop targeted policy instruments. We utilized and developed a societal functions framework consisting of: housing and infrastructure; nutrition, mobility, consumables, services, healthcare, and communication. Indicators can be developed to track each societal function and each system level (from product level, to product group and the societal function it provides) so that the impact to deliver each societal function within a country can be tracked and mitigation measures applied. Monitoring of this would allow increased knowledge and remediation action on the possible emergence of rebound effects, such as where a product has increased macro impacts (e.g. through increased consumption) despite product level efficiency improvements (or where one functions impact decreases but leads to an increase in another, e.g. increasing impact of online videos). Similarly, knowledge on the use phase, including statistics on the use and associated impact of repair facilities, spare parts, and second-hand reuse, can be improved. For researchers we note that more research is needed on how innovation is affected in the circular economy and what its role can be for sustainable circular products. We further note that knowledge is lacking on consumer behaviour in the circular economy, both in terms of how people behave and react towards circular product design (e.g. modularity and upgradability) and circular business models as well as the impact of circular products and business models on consumption levels. Many of these challenges align with similar issues highlighted in research on product service systems for which there are many parallels, but where further research is also required. Finally, many of the challenges and potential pitfalls of circular products are because they currently need to operate within a linear market and a system that is currently based on cheap fossil fuels, where the cost and impact of raw material extraction is undervalued and underestimated. As we have noted above, the overwhelming evidence is that circular products have enormous potential to reduce impacts, but their fostering requires careful management and monitoring to avoid potential rebound effects.
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| 10. |
- Zhao, Peng, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term nitrogen addition raises the annual carbon sink of a boreal forest to a new steady-state
- 2022
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Ingår i: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1923 .- 1873-2240. ; 324
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The boreal forest is an important global carbon (C) sink. Since low soil nitrogen (N) availability is commonly a key constraint on forest productivity, the prevalent view is that increased N input enhances its C sink-strength. This understanding however relies primarily on observations of increased aboveground tree biomass and soil C stock following N fertilization, whereas empirical data evaluating the effects on the whole ecosystem-scale C balance are lacking. Here we use a unique long-term experiment consisting of paired forest stands with eddy covariance measurements to explore the effect of ecosystem-scale N fertilization on the C balance of a managed boreal pine forest. We find that the annual C uptake (i.e. net ecosystem production, NEP) at the fertilized stand was 16 +/- 2% greater relative to the control stand by the end of the first decade of N addition. Subsequently, the ratio of NEP between the fertilized and control stand remained at a stable level during the following five years with an average NEP to N response of 7 & PLUSMN; 1 g C per g N. Our study reveals that this non-linear response of NEP to long-term N fertilization was the result of a cross-seasonal feedback between the N-induced increases in both growing-season C uptake and subsequent winter C emission. We further find that one decade of N addition altered the sensitivity of ecosystem C fluxes to key environmental drivers resulting in divergent responses to weather patterns. Thus, our study highlights the need to account for ecosystem-scale responses to perturbations to improve our understanding of nitrogen-carbon-climate feedbacks in boreal forests.
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