| 1. |
- Gustavsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Cost of disorders of the brain in Europe 2010.
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Neuropsychopharmacology. - Amsterdam : Elsevier BV. - 0924-977X .- 1873-7862. ; 21:10, s. 718-79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The spectrum of disorders of the brain is large, covering hundreds of disorders that are listed in either the mental or neurological disorder chapters of the established international diagnostic classification systems. These disorders have a high prevalence as well as short- and long-term impairments and disabilities. Therefore they are an emotional, financial and social burden to the patients, their families and their social network. In a 2005 landmark study, we estimated for the first time the annual cost of 12 major groups of disorders of the brain in Europe and gave a conservative estimate of €386 billion for the year 2004. This estimate was limited in scope and conservative due to the lack of sufficiently comprehensive epidemiological and/or economic data on several important diagnostic groups. We are now in a position to substantially improve and revise the 2004 estimates. In the present report we cover 19 major groups of disorders, 7 more than previously, of an increased range of age groups and more cost items. We therefore present much improved cost estimates. Our revised estimates also now include the new EU member states, and hence a population of 514 million people.AIMS: To estimate the number of persons with defined disorders of the brain in Europe in 2010, the total cost per person related to each disease in terms of direct and indirect costs, and an estimate of the total cost per disorder and country.METHODS: The best available estimates of the prevalence and cost per person for 19 groups of disorders of the brain (covering well over 100 specific disorders) were identified via a systematic review of the published literature. Together with the twelve disorders included in 2004, the following range of mental and neurologic groups of disorders is covered: addictive disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, brain tumor, childhood and adolescent disorders (developmental disorders), dementia, eating disorders, epilepsy, mental retardation, migraine, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders, Parkinson's disease, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, sleep disorders, somatoform disorders, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Epidemiologic panels were charged to complete the literature review for each disorder in order to estimate the 12-month prevalence, and health economic panels were charged to estimate best cost-estimates. A cost model was developed to combine the epidemiologic and economic data and estimate the total cost of each disorder in each of 30 European countries (EU27+Iceland, Norway and Switzerland). The cost model was populated with national statistics from Eurostat to adjust all costs to 2010 values, converting all local currencies to Euro, imputing costs for countries where no data were available, and aggregating country estimates to purchasing power parity adjusted estimates for the total cost of disorders of the brain in Europe 2010.RESULTS: The total cost of disorders of the brain was estimated at €798 billion in 2010. Direct costs constitute the majority of costs (37% direct healthcare costs and 23% direct non-medical costs) whereas the remaining 40% were indirect costs associated with patients' production losses. On average, the estimated cost per person with a disorder of the brain in Europe ranged between €285 for headache and €30,000 for neuromuscular disorders. The European per capita cost of disorders of the brain was €1550 on average but varied by country. The cost (in billion €PPP 2010) of the disorders of the brain included in this study was as follows: addiction: €65.7; anxiety disorders: €74.4; brain tumor: €5.2; child/adolescent disorders: €21.3; dementia: €105.2; eating disorders: €0.8; epilepsy: €13.8; headache: €43.5; mental retardation: €43.3; mood disorders: €113.4; multiple sclerosis: €14.6; neuromuscular disorders: €7.7; Parkinson's disease: €13.9; personality disorders: €27.3; psychotic disorders: €93.9; sleep disorders: €35.4; somatoform disorder: €21.2; stroke: €64.1; traumatic brain injury: €33.0. It should be noted that the revised estimate of those disorders included in the previous 2004 report constituted €477 billion, by and large confirming our previous study results after considering the inflation and population increase since 2004. Further, our results were consistent with administrative data on the health care expenditure in Europe, and comparable to previous studies on the cost of specific disorders in Europe. Our estimates were lower than comparable estimates from the US.DISCUSSION: This study was based on the best currently available data in Europe and our model enabled extrapolation to countries where no data could be found. Still, the scarcity of data is an important source of uncertainty in our estimates and may imply over- or underestimations in some disorders and countries. Even though this review included many disorders, diagnoses, age groups and cost items that were omitted in 2004, there are still remaining disorders that could not be included due to limitations in the available data. We therefore consider our estimate of the total cost of the disorders of the brain in Europe to be conservative. In terms of the health economic burden outlined in this report, disorders of the brain likely constitute the number one economic challenge for European health care, now and in the future. Data presented in this report should be considered by all stakeholder groups, including policy makers, industry and patient advocacy groups, to reconsider the current science, research and public health agenda and define a coordinated plan of action of various levels to address the associated challenges.RECOMMENDATIONS: Political action is required in light of the present high cost of disorders of the brain. Funding of brain research must be increased; care for patients with brain disorders as well as teaching at medical schools and other health related educations must be quantitatively and qualitatively improved, including psychological treatments. The current move of the pharmaceutical industry away from brain related indications must be halted and reversed. Continued research into the cost of the many disorders not included in the present study is warranted. It is essential that not only the EU but also the national governments forcefully support these initiatives.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Hemmingsson, Helena, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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Eye-Gaze Control Technology as Early Intervention for a Non-Verbal Young Child with High Spinal Cord Injury : A Case Report
- 2018
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Ingår i: Technologies. - : MDPI AG. - 2227-7080. ; 6:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Assistive technology (AT) can be used as early intervention in order to reduce activity limitations in play and communication. This longitudinal case study examines eye-gaze control technology as early intervention for a young child with high spinal cord injury without the ability to make sounds. The young child was followed by repeated measures concerning performance and communication from baseline at 9 months to 26 months, and finalized at 36 months by field observations in the home setting. The results showed eye-gaze performance and frequency of use of eye-gaze control technology increased over time. Goals set at 15 months concerning learning and using the AT; naming objects and interactions with family was successfully completed at 26 months. Communicative functions regarding obtaining objects and social interaction increased from unintentional actions to purposeful choices and interactions. At 36 months, the toddler was partly independent in eye gazing, used all activities provided, and made independent choices. In conclusion, the results show that a 9-month-old child with profound motor disabilities can benefit from eye-gaze control technology in order to gradually perform activities, socially interact with family members, and make choices.
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| 4. |
- Furmark, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Serotonin synthesis rate and the tryptophan hydroxylase-2: G-703T polymorphism in social anxiety disorder
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Psychopharmacology. - London, United Kingdom : SAGE Publications. - 0269-8811 .- 1461-7285. ; 30:10, s. 1028-1035
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is disputed whether anxiety disorders, like social anxiety disorder, are characterized by serotonin over- or underactivity. Here, we evaluated whether our recent finding of elevated neural serotonin synthesis rate in patients with social anxiety disorder could be reproduced in a separate cohort, and whether allelic variation in the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) G-703T polymorphism relates to differences in serotonin synthesis assessed with positron emission tomography. Eighteen social anxiety disorder patients and six healthy controls were scanned during 60 minutes in a resting state using positron emission tomography and 5-hydroxy-L-[ -C-11]tryptophan, [C-11]5-HTP, a substrate of the second enzymatic step in serotonin synthesis. Parametric images were generated, using the reference Patlak method, and analysed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM8). Blood samples for genotyping of the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism were obtained from 16 social anxiety disorder patients (T carriers: n=5, GG carriers: n=11). A significantly elevated [C-11]5-HTP accumulation rate, indicative of enhanced decarboxylase activity and thereby serotonin synthesis capacity, was detected in social anxiety disorder patients compared with controls in the hippocampus and basal ganglia nuclei and, at a more lenient (uncorrected) statistical threshold, in the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex. In patients, the serotonin synthesis rate in the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex was significantly elevated in TPH2 T carriers in comparison with GG homozygotes. Our results support that social anxiety disorder entails an overactive presynaptic serotonergic system that, in turn, seems functionally influenced by the TPH2 G-703T polymorphism in emotionally relevant brain regions.
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| 5. |
- Javeed, Ashir, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Decision Support System for Predicting Mortality in Cardiac Patients Based on Machine Learning
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3417. ; 13:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Researchers have proposed several automated diagnostic systems based on machine learning and data mining techniques to predict heart failure. However, researchers have not paid close attention to predicting cardiac patient mortality. We developed a clinical decision support system for predicting mortality in cardiac patients to address this problem. The dataset collected for the experimental purposes of the proposed model consisted of 55 features with a total of 368 samples. We found that the classes in the dataset were highly imbalanced. To avoid the problem of bias in the machine learning model, we used the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE). After balancing the classes in the dataset, the newly proposed system employed a (Formula presented.) statistical model to rank the features from the dataset. The highest-ranked features were fed into an optimized random forest (RF) model for classification. The hyperparameters of the RF classifier were optimized using a grid search algorithm. The performance of the newly proposed model ((Formula presented.) _RF) was validated using several evaluation measures, including accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. With only 10 features from the dataset, the proposed model (Formula presented.) _RF achieved the highest accuracy of 94.59%. The proposed model (Formula presented.) _RF improved the performance of the standard RF model by 5.5%. Moreover, the proposed model (Formula presented.) _RF was compared with other state-of-the-art machine learning models. The experimental results show that the newly proposed decision support system outperforms the other machine learning systems using the same feature selection module ((Formula presented.)).
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| 6. |
- Vuorinen, Miika, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in vascular factors 28 years from midlife and late-life cortical thickness
- 2013
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Ingår i: Neurobiology of Aging. - : Elsevier BV. - 0197-4580 .- 1558-1497. ; 34:1, s. 100-109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We assessed midlife blood pressure (BP), body mass index, total cholesterol, and their changes over time in relation to cortical thickness on magnetic resonance imaging 28 years later in 63 elderly at risk of dementia. Participants in the population-based Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia study were first examined at midlife. A first follow-up was conducted after 21 years, and a second follow-up after an additional 7 years. Magnetic resonance images from the second follow-up were analyzed using algorithms developed at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Midlife hypertension was related to thinner cortex in several brain areas, including insular, frontal, and temporal cortices. In elderly with thinner insular cortex, there was a continuous decline in systolic BP and an increase in pulse pressure after midlife, while in elderly with thicker insular cortex the decline in systolic BP started at older ages, paralleled by a decline in pulse pressure. No associations were found between body mass index, cholesterol, or apolipoprotein E ε4 allele and cortical thickness in this group of elderly at risk individuals.
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| 7. |
- Olivo, G., et al.
(författare)
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Immediate effects of a single session of physical exercise on cognition and cerebral blood flow: A randomized controlled study of older adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: Neuroimage. - : Elsevier BV. - 1053-8119 .- 1095-9572. ; 225
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Regular physical activity is beneficial for cognitive performance in older age. A single bout of aerobic physical exercise can transiently improve cognitive performance. Researchers have advanced improvements in cerebral circulation as a mediator of long-term effects of aerobic physical exercise on cognition, but the immediate effects of exercise on cognition and cerebral perfusion are not well characterized and the effects in older adults are largely unknown. Methods: Forty-nine older adults were randomized to a 30-min aerobic exercise at moderate intensity or relaxation. Groups were matched on age and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max). Average Grey Matter Blood Flow (GMBF), measured by a pulsed arterial-spin labeling (pASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition, and working memory performance, measured by figurative n-back tasks with increasing loads were assessed before and 7 min after exercising/resting. Results: Accuracy on the n-back task increased from before to after exercising/resting regardless of the type of activity. GMBF decreased after exercise, relative to the control (resting) group. In the exercise group, higher n-back performance after exercise was associated with lower GMBF in the right hippocampus, left medial frontal cortex and right orbitofrontal cortex, and higher cardiovascular fitness was associated with lower GMBF. Conclusion: The decrease of GMBF reported in younger adults shortly after exercise also occurs in older adults and relates to cardiovascular fitness, potentially supporting the link between cardiovascular fitness and cerebrovascular reactivity in older age.
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| 8. |
- Thacher, Jesse D., et al.
(författare)
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Occupational noise exposure and risk of incident stroke: a pooled study of five Scandinavian cohorts
- 2022
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Ingår i: OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE. - : BMJ. - 1351-0711 .- 1470-7926. ; 79:9, s. 594-601
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To investigate the association between occupational noise exposure and stroke incidence in a pooled study of five Scandinavian cohorts (NordSOUND). Methods We pooled and harmonised data from five Scandinavian cohorts resulting in 78 389 participants. We obtained job data from national registries or questionnaires and recoded these to match a job-exposure matrix developed in Sweden, which specified the annual average daily noise exposure in five exposure classes (L-Aeq8h): <70, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, >= 85 dB(A). We identified residential address history and estimated 1-year average road traffic noise at baseline. Using national patient and mortality registers, we identified 7777 stroke cases with a median follow-up of 20.2 years. Analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for individual and area-level potential confounders. Results Exposure to occupational noise at baseline was not associated with overall stroke in the fully adjusted models. For ischaemic stroke, occupational noise was associated with HRs (95% CI) of 1.08 (0.98 to 1.20), 1.09 (0.97 to 1.24) and 1.06 (0.92 to 1.21) in the 75-79, 80-84 and >= 85 dB(A) exposure groups, compared with <70 dB(A), respectively. In subanalyses using time-varying occupational noise exposure, we observed an indication of higher stroke risk among the most exposed (>= 85 dB(A)), particularly when restricting analyses to people exposed to occupational noise within the last year (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.63). Conclusions We found no association between occupational noise and risk of overall stroke after adjustment for confounders. However, the non-significantly increased risk of ischaemic stroke warrants further investigation.
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| 9. |
- Sindi, S., et al.
(författare)
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Sleep disturbances and later cognitive status: a multi-centre study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Sleep Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1389-9457 .- 1878-5506. ; 52:December, s. 26-33
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To investigate the associations between sleep disturbances in mid-life and late-life and late-life cognitive status. Methods: In four population-based studies (three Swedish studies: H70 study, Kungsholmen Project (KP) and The Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (SWEOLD); and one Finnish study: Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE)), participants provided self-reports on insomnia, nightmares and general sleep problems. Late-life cognitive status was measured by the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE). The associations between late-life sleep disturbances and cognition 3-11 years later were investigated across all studies (n = 3210). Mean baseline ages were 70 (CAIDE, H70 and SWEOLD), and 84 years (KP). Additional analyses examined the association between midlife sleep and late-life cognition using CAIDE (21 and 31 years follow-up, n = 1306, mean age 50 years), and SWEOLD (20-24 years follow-up, n = 2068, mean age 58 years). Ordered logistic regressions, adjusted for potential baseline confounders, were used in the analyses. Results: Late-life sleep disturbances were associated with poorer cognition after 3-11 years (fully adjusted beta = -0.12, 95% CI = -0.24 to -0.01). Midlife nightmares and insomnia were also associated with lower MMSE scores (fully adjusted beta = -0.28, 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.07 and beta = -0.20, 95% CI = -0.39 to -0.01), although the latter association was attenuated after adjusting for lifestyle/health-related confounders. Midlife general sleep problems were not associated with late-life MMSE performance. Conclusions: Sleep disturbances and midlife nightmares were associated with lower MMSE scores, which suggests that sleep disturbances in earlier life stages can be associated with worse late-life cognition. (c) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
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| 10. |
- Michelet, Mona, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between unmet needs for daytime activities and company and scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire in people with dementia : a longitudinal study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 26:4, s. 725-734
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES To examine prospectively the association between unmet needs for daytime activities and company and behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.METHODS We included 451 people with mild or moderate dementia, from eight European countries, who were assessed three times over 12 months. Unmet needs were measured with the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly. Three sub-syndromes of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire were regressed, one-by-one, against unmet needs for daytime activities and company, adjusting for demographic and clinical-functional covariates.RESULTS Unmet needs for daytime activities were associated with more affective symptoms at baseline, six and twelve months, mean 0.74 (p < 0.001), 0.76 (p < 0.001) and 0.78 (p = 0.001) points higher score respectively, and with more psychotic symptoms at baseline (mean 0.39 points, p = 0.007) and at six months follow-up (mean 0.31 points, p = 0.006). Unmet needs for company were associated with more affective symptoms at baseline, six and twelve months, mean 0.44 (p = 0.033), 0.67 (p < 0.001) and 0.91 (p < 0.001) points higher score respectively, and with more psychotic symptoms at baseline (mean 0.40 points, p = 0.005) and at six months (mean 0.35 points, p = 0.002) follow-up.CONCLUSION Interventions to reduce unmet needs for daytime activities and company could reduce affective and psychotic symptoms in people with dementia.
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