| 1. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 2. |
- Dahl-Jensen, D., et al.
(författare)
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Eemian interglacial reconstructed from a Greenland folded ice core
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 493:7433, s. 489-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efforts to extract a Greenland ice core with a complete record of the Eemian interglacial (130,000 to 115,000 years ago) have until now been unsuccessful. The response of the Greenland ice sheet to the warmer-than-present climate of the Eemian has thus remained unclear. Here we present the new North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling ('NEEM') ice core and show only a modest ice-sheet response to the strong warming in the early Eemian. We reconstructed the Eemian record from folded ice using globally homogeneous parameters known from dated Greenland and Antarctic ice-core records. On the basis of water stable isotopes, NEEM surface temperatures after the onset of the Eemian (126,000 years ago) peaked at 8 +/- 4 degrees Celsius above the mean of the past millennium, followed by a gradual cooling that was probably driven by the decreasing summer insolation. Between 128,000 and 122,000 years ago, the thickness of the northwest Greenland ice sheet decreased by 400 +/- 250 metres, reaching surface elevations 122,000 years ago of 130 +/- 300 metres lower than the present. Extensive surface melt occurred at the NEEM site during the Eemian, a phenomenon witnessed when melt layers formed again at NEEM during the exceptional heat of July 2012. With additional warming, surface melt might become more common in the future.
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| 3. |
- Eichhorn, S. J., et al.
(författare)
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Review : current international research into cellulose nanofibres and nanocomposites
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0022-2461 .- 1573-4803. ; 45:1, s. 1-33
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper provides an overview of recent progress made in the area of cellulose nanofibre-based nanocomposites. An introduction into the methods used to isolate cellulose nanofibres (nanowhiskers, nanofibrils) is given, with details of their structure. Following this, the article is split into sections dealing with processing and characterisation of cellulose nanocomposites and new developments in the area, with particular emphasis on applications. The types of cellulose nanofibres covered are those extracted from plants by acid hydrolysis (nanowhiskers), mechanical treatment and those that occur naturally (tunicate nanowhiskers) or under culturing conditions (bacterial cellulose nanofibrils). Research highlighted in the article are the use of cellulose nanowhiskers for shape memory nanocomposites, analysis of the interfacial properties of cellulose nanowhisker and nanofibril-based composites using Raman spectroscopy, switchable interfaces that mimic sea cucumbers, polymerisation from the surface of cellulose nanowhiskers by atom transfer radical polymerisation and ring opening polymerisation, and methods to analyse the dispersion of nanowhiskers. The applications and new advances covered in this review are the use of cellulose nanofibres to reinforce adhesives, to make optically transparent paper for electronic displays, to create DNA-hybrid materials, to generate hierarchical composites and for use in foams, aerogels and starch nanocomposites and the use of all-cellulose nanocomposites for enhanced coupling between matrix and fibre. A comprehensive coverage of the literature is given and some suggestions on where the field is likely to advance in the future are discussed.
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| 4. |
- Steen-Larsen, H. C., et al.
(författare)
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Continuous monitoring of summer surface water vapor isotopic composition above the Greenland Ice Sheet
- 2013
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7324. ; 13:9, s. 4815-4828
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present here surface water vapor isotopic measurements conducted from June to August 2010 at the NEEM (North Greenland Eemian Drilling Project) camp, NW Greenland (77.45 degrees N, 51.05 degrees W, 2484 m a.s.l.). Measurements were conducted at 9 different heights from 0.1m to 13.5m above the snow surface using two different types of cavity-enhanced near-infrared absorption spectroscopy analyzers. For each instrument specific protocols were developed for calibration and drift corrections. The inter-comparison of corrected results from different instruments reveals excellent reproducibility, stability, and precision with a standard deviations of similar to 0.23 parts per thousand for delta O-18 and similar to 1.4 parts per thousand for delta D. Diurnal and intraseasonal variations show strong relationships between changes in local surface humidity and water vapor isotopic composition, and with local and synoptic weather conditions. This variability probably results from the interplay between local moisture fluxes, linked with firn-air exchanges, boundary layer dynamics, and large-scale moisture advection. Particularly remarkable are several episodes characterized by high (> 40 parts per thousand) surface water vapor deuterium excess. Air mass back-trajectory calculations from atmospheric analyses and water tagging in the LMDZiso (Laboratory of Meteorology Dynamics Zoom-isotopic) atmospheric model reveal that these events are associated with predominant Arctic air mass origin. The analysis suggests that high deuterium excess levels are a result of strong kinetic fractionation during evaporation at the sea-ice margin.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Simonsen, S. B., et al.
(författare)
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Direct Observations of Oxygen-induced Platinum Nanoparticle Ripening Studied by In Situ TEM
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5126 .- 0002-7863. ; 132:23, s. 7968-7975
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study addresses the sintering mechanism of Pt nanoparticles dispersed on a planar, amorphous Al2O3 support as a model system for a catalyst for automotive exhaust abatement. By means of in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the model catalyst was monitored during the exposure to 10 mbar air at 650 degrees C. Time-resolved image series unequivocally reveal that the sintering of Pt nanoparticles was mediated by an Ostwald ripening process. A statistical analysis of an ensemble of Pt nanoparticles shows that the particle size distributions change shape from an initial Gaussian distribution via a log-normal distribution to a Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner (LSW) distribution. Furthermore, the time-dependency of the ensemble-averaged particle size and particle density is determined. A mean field kinetic description captures the main trends in the observed behavior. However, at the individual nanoparticle level, deviations from the model are observed suggesting in part that the local environment influences the atom exchange process.
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| 10. |
- Simonsen, S. B., et al.
(författare)
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Ostwald ripening in a Pt/SiO2 model catalyst studied by in situ TEM
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Catalysis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9517 .- 1090-2694. ; 281:1, s. 147-155
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sintering of Pt nanoparticles dispersed on a planar SiO(2) support was studied by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A time-lapsed TEM image series of the Pt nanoparticles, acquired during the exposure to 10 mbar synthetic air at 650 degrees C, reveal that the sintering was governed by the Ostwald ripening mechanism. The in situ TEM images also provide information about the temporal evolution of the Pt particle size distribution and of the growth or decay of the individual nanoparticles. The observed Pt nanoparticle changes compare well with predictions made by mean-field kinetic models for ripening, but deviations are revealed for the time-evolution for the individual nanoparticles. A better description of the individual nanoparticle ripening is obtained by kinetic models that include local correlations between neighboring nanoparticles in the atom-exchange process.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Hedegaard, E. R., et al.
(författare)
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K(V)7 channels are involved in hypoxia-induced vasodilatation of porcine coronary arteries
- 2014
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Ingår i: British Journal of Pharmacology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0007-1188 .- 1476-5381. ; 171:1, s. 69-82
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and PurposeHypoxia causes vasodilatation of coronary arteries, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We hypothesized that hypoxia reduces intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+](i)) by opening of K channels and release of H2S. Experimental ApproachPorcine coronary arteries without endothelium were mounted for measurement of isometric tension and [Ca2+](i), and the expression of voltage-gated K channels K(V)7 channels (encoded by KCNQ genes) and large-conductance calcium-activated K channels (K(Ca)1.1) was examined. Voltage clamp assessed the role of K(V)7 channels in hypoxia. Key ResultsGradual reduction of oxygen concentration from 95 to 1% dilated the precontracted coronary arteries and this was associated with reduced [Ca2+](i) in PGF(2) (10M)-contracted arteries whereas no fall in [Ca2+](i) was observed in 30mM K-contracted arteries. Blockers of ATP-sensitive voltage-gated potassium channels and K(Ca)1.1 inhibited hypoxia-induced dilatation in PGF(2)-contracted arteries; this inhibition was more marked in the presence of the K(v)7 channel blockers, XE991 and linopirdine, while a K(V)7.1 blocker, failed to change hypoxic vasodilatation. XE991 also inhibited H2S- and adenosine-induced vasodilatation. PCR revealed the expression of K(V)7.1, K(V)7.4, K(V)7.5 and K(Ca)1.1 channels, and K(Ca)1.1, K(V)7.4 and K(V)7.5 were also identified by immunoblotting. Voltage clamp studies showed the XE991-sensitive current was more marked in hypoxic conditions. ConclusionThe K(V)7.4 and K(V)7.5 channels, which we identified in the coronary arteries, appear to have a major role in hypoxia-induced vasodilatation. The voltage clamp results further support the involvement of K(V)7 channels in this vasodilatation. Activation of these K(V)7 channels may be induced by H2S and adenosine.
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| 16. |
- Holm, A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Lung transplantation for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome after allo-SCT
- 2013
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Ingår i: Bone Marrow Transplantation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5365 .- 0268-3369. ; 48:5, s. 703-707
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) associated bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) is a serious complication after allo-SCT, and lung transplantation (LTx) may be the ultimate treatment option. To evaluate this treatment, data on all patients with LTx after allo-SCT ever performed in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland were recorded and compared with survival data from the Scandiatransplant registry. In total, LTx after allo-SCT had been performed in 13 patients. Allo-SCT was done because of AML (n = 6), CML (n = 3), ALL (n = 2), immunodeficiency (n = 1) and aplastic anemia (n = 1). All developed clinical cGVHD, with median interval from allo-SCT to LTx of 8.2 (0.7-16) years. Median age at LTx was 34 (16-55) years, and the median postoperative observation time was 4.2 (0.1-15) years. Two patients died, one due to septicemia, the other of relapsing leukemia, after 2 and 14 months, respectively. Four developed BOS, one of these was retransplanted. The survival did not significantly differ from the survival in matched LTx controls, being 90% 1 year and 75% 5 years after LTx compared with 85% and 68% in the controls. We therefore suggest that LTx may be considered in carefully selected patients with BOS due to cGVHD after allo-SCT.
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| 17. |
- Järnum, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal MRI study of cortical thickness, perfusion, and metabolite levels in major depressive disorder
- 2011
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Ingår i: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. - : Wiley. - 0001-690X .- 1600-0447. ; 124:6, s. 435-446
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To determine whether patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) display morphologic, functional, and metabolic brain abnormalities in limbic-cortical regions at a baseline magnetic resonance (MR) scan and whether these changes are normalized in MDD patients in remission at a follow-up scan. Method: A longitudinal 3.0-Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study was carried out with cortical thickness measurements with a surface-based approach, perfusion measurements with three-dimensional (3D) pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL), and spectroscopy (1H-MRS) measurements in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) with water as an internal reference adjusted for cerebrospinal fluid content. We examined 23 MDD patients and 26 healthy controls. MDD patients underwent a baseline MRI at inclusion and were invited to a follow-up scan when they were in remission or after a 6-month follow-up period. Results: Major findings were a significantly thinner posterior cingulate cortex in non-remitters than in remitters, a significant decrease in perfusion in the frontal lobes and the ACC in non-remitters compared with healthy controls at baseline and significantly reduced N-acetylaspartate, myo-inositol, and glutamate levels in MDD patients compared with healthy controls at baseline. Conclusion: Using novel MRI techniques, we have found abnormalities in cerebral regions related to cortical-limbic pathways in MDD patients.
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| 18. |
- Koponen, AM, et al.
(författare)
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Job involvement of primary healthcare employees: does a service provision model play a role?
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian journal of public health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; 38:3, s. 266-274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To investigate whether the development of job involvement of primary healthcare (PHC) employees in Southern Municipality (SM), where PHC services were outsourced to an independent non-profit organisation, differed from that in the three comparison municipalities (M1, M2, M3) with municipal service providers. Also, the associations of job involvement with factors describing the psychosocial work environment were investigated. Methods: A panel mail survey 2000—02 in Finland (n=369, response rates 73% and 60%). The data were analysed by descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Despite the favourable development in the psychosocial work environment, job involvement decreased most in SM, which faced the biggest organisational changes. Job involvement decreased also in M3, where the psychosocial work environment deteriorated most. Job involvement in 2002 was best predicted by high baseline level of interactional justice and work control, positive change in interactional justice, and higher age. Also other factors, such as organisational stability, seemed to play a role; after controlling for the effect of the psychosocial work characteristics, job involvement was higher in M3 than in SM. Conclusion: Outsourcing of PHC services may decrease job involvement at least during the first years. A particular service provision model is better than the others only if it is superior in providing a favourable and stable psychosocial work environment.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Laamanen, R, et al.
(författare)
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Does patients' choice of health centre doctor depend on the organization? A comparative study of four municipalities with different forms of service provision in Finland
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian journal of public health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; 38:7, s. 715-723
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: The aim of the study was to examine the use of physician services and the willingness to choose an health centre (HC) doctor rather than an alternative (i.e. private, occupational healthcare, other doctor) by the working age population in four municipalities in Finland. In a Southern municipality primary health care was contracted out to a non-profit organization whereas Eastern, Western and South-Western municipalities mainly provided services themselves. Methods: A mail survey of a random sample of the 15—64-age population was conducted in 2002 (n = 2,000, response rate 62%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as bi- and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Of the respondents, 69% had visited an HC doctor during the past year, and of these, more than 40% had also visited another doctor outside the HC. The willingness to choose an HC doctor varied from 40% to 54% and was highest in the Southern municipality. When significantly associated variables — age, working status, perceived stress in life situation, access to an appointment, perceived interpersonal quality, and visits to doctors — were controlled for, the willingness to choose an HC doctor was, compared with the Southern municipality, less popular only in the Western municipality. Conclusions: The tendency to choose an HC doctor rather than an alternative was quite low, probably reflecting lack of attractiveness of HC to patients. However, contracting out service production did not additionally decrease patients’ willingness to choose an HC doctor. More attention should be paid to improving access, interpersonal quality and continuity of care.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Simonsen, S. B., et al.
(författare)
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Effect of particle morphology on the ripening of supported Pt nanoparticles
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 116:9, s. 5646-5653
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To improve the understanding of sintering in diesel and lean-burn engine exhaust aftertreatment catalysts, we examined oxygen-induced sintering in a model catalyst consisting of Pt nanoparticles supported on a planar, amorphous Al2O3 substrate. After ageing at increasingtemperatures, transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals that highly monodisperse ensembles of nanoparticles transformed into ensembles with bimodal and subsequently Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner particle size distributions. Moreover, scanning transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy analysis suggest that the Pt nanoparticles have size-dependent morphologies after sintering in oxidizing environment. The evolution of the particle sizes is described by a simple kinetic model for ripening and the size-dependent particle morphology is proposed as an explanation for the observed bimodal particle size distribution shapes.
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| 24. |
- van Schijndel, Valby, et al.
(författare)
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Crustal evolution of the Rehoboth Province from Archaean to Mesoproterozoic times: Insights from the Rehoboth Basement Inlier
- 2014
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Ingår i: Precambrian Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-9268 .- 1872-7433. ; 240, s. 22-36
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Rehoboth Province of southern Africa is defined by its smooth magnetic character by contrast to the adjoining mobile belts. It has been slow to yield information about its crustal evolution because most of it is covered by Kalahari sands. A combined microbeam study of U-Pb, Lu-Hf in zircon from metasedimentary and magmatic rocks of the well-exposed Rehoboth Basement Inlier (RBI) provides new constraints on the crustal evolution of the Rehoboth Province. The detrital zircons provide evidence for five U-Pb age groups corresponding to magmatic events within the crust, whereas Lu-Hf zircon data allows estimates of crustal residence age. Zircon oxygen isotope data for the magmatic rocks implies diversity in their genesis. The sparse 3.41-2.45 Ga U-Pb zircon age group I (6 zircons) strengthens the concept of an Archaean foundation to the Rehoboth Province, previously suggested from kimberlite xenoliths and granitic cobbles transported by the Dwyka icesheet from further south in the Rehoboth Province. Detrital age group II from 2.15 to 1.92 Ga has not been identified in outcropping magmatic rocks. However several Dwyka cobbles have 2.05 ages, similar to the Bushveld Complex and thermal event seen in the adjoining Kaapvaal Craton. This suggests that the Rehoboth Province may already have been attached to the Kaapvaal Craton at this time. Age group II has Lu-Hf isotope character requiring mixing between Archaean crustal source rocks and juvenile mantle material. Age group III (1.92-1.83 Ma) corresponds in age to the largely metabasaltic 1870 +/- 6 Ma Elim Formation, now the oldest dated unit in the RBI. The detrital Lu-Hf data again requires an Archaean crustal source mixing with mantle-derived material. However the magmatic Elim Formation zircons originated from a distinctly more juvenile source than the detrital zircons of the same age (group III), and they have a low mantle delta O-18(zrc) value of 4.83 (assuming mantle 5.3 +/- 0.6). This suggests a mantle or lower oceanic crustal affinity for the Elim Formation, whereas the detrital zircons may have come from a more evolved crustal source located in the continental hinterland. Detrital age group IV (1.83-1.61 Ga) corresponds to eight precisely dated volcanic and plutonic rocks which have similar Lu-Hf character and probably provided the detrital zircons. Zircon oxygen isotope values for the magmatic rocks show a considerable range. The sub-mantle values of the 1826 +/- 5 Ma Kalkbrak Gneiss and 1753 +/- 6 Ma Marienhof meta-rhyolites (delta O-18(zrc) 4.30 and 4.31 respectively) are thought to have originated from the same low-delta O-18 crustal source as the Elim Formation. Three other samples in this group show a trend to higher delta O-18 values, culminating in a high value of delta O-18(zrc) 9.35 +/- 0.53 for the 1769 +/- 6 Ma Gaub Valley andesitic, volcanoclastic sample. This trend is thought to reflect addition of low-T altered supracrustal material or high delta O-18 metasomatic fluids to the source rocks in a geochemically documented subduction setting. The broad detrital age group V (1.33-1.09 Ga), found in the one <= 1.1 Ga Langberg Formation metasediment investigated, reflects the entire Namaqua Wilson Cycle including rifting and drifting, arc processes, 1.2 Ga collision and the post-tectonic 1.1 Ga Umkondo plume event. This group shows a large spread of Lu-Hf crustal residence ages from 2.3 to 1.45 Ga, reflecting a mixture of sources from Archaean to juvenile Namaqua crust. A 1221 +/- 6 Ma Gamsberg Granite sample showed 2.2-2.0 Ga crustal residence ages and mantle-like delta O-18(zrc) of 4.99, suggesting that its source was melted Palaeoproterozoic lower crust. Part of the group V detrital zircon population is not known as magmatic rocks in the RBI and was probably derived from the collisional mountain belt in the Namaqua Province to the west of the Rehoboth Province. The Rehoboth Province is thus revealed as an ancient crustal block with possible Archaean foundations, major Palaeoproterozoic events involving mantle additions mixed with reworked Archaean crust, and involving a number of different tectonic settings, culminating with the entire Mesoproterozoic Namaqua Wilson Cycle. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 25. |
- Wiese Simonsen, K, et al.
(författare)
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Fatal poisoning in drug addicts in the Nordic countries in 2007
- 2011
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Ingår i: FORENSIC SCIENCE INTERNATIONAL. - : Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam.. - 0379-0738. ; 207:1-3, s. 170-176
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The frequency of medico-legally examined fatal poisonings in 2007 among drug addicts was investigated in five Nordic countries; Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The number of deaths, age, sex, place of death, main intoxicant, and other drugs present in blood samples were recorded to obtain national and comparable Nordic data, as well as data to compare with earlier studies in 2002, 1997, and 1991. Norway had the highest incidence of drug addict deaths by poisoning followed by Denmark, with 8.24 and 6.92 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. The death rates in Finland (4.02), Iceland (4.56), and Sweden (3.53) were about half that of Norway and Denmark. Compared with earlier studies, the death rates were unchanged in Denmark and Norway, but increased in Finland, Iceland, and Sweden. In all countries, fewer deaths (29-35%) were recorded in the capital area compared with earlier studies. Females accounted for 11-19% of the fatal poisonings. Iceland deviates with a more equal distribution between men and women (40%). Deaths from methadone overdoses increased in all Nordic countries, and methadone was the main intoxicant in Denmark in 2007, accounting for 51% of the poisonings. In Norway and Sweden, heroin/morphine was still the main intoxicant with a frequency of 68% and 48%, respectively. In Iceland, 3 deaths each were due to heroin/morphine and methadone, respectively. Finland differs from other Nordic countries in having a high number of poisonings caused by buprenorphine and very few caused by heroin/morphine. The total number of buprenorphine deaths in Finland doubled from 16 in 2002 to 32 in 2007, where it constituted 25% of deaths. The general toxicological screening program showed widespread multi-drug use in all countries. The median number of drugs per case varied from 3 to 5. The most frequently detected substances were heroin/morphine, methadone, buprenorphine, tramadol, amphetamine, cocaine, tetrahydrocannabinol, benzodiazepines and ethanol. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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