| 1. |
- Warkentin, Siegbert, et al.
(författare)
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rCBF pathology in Alzheimer's disease is associated with slow processing speed
- 2008
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Ingår i: Neuropsychologia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3514 .- 0028-3932. ; 46:5, s. 1193-1200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Decreased information processing speed (mental slowing) is a known sequelae of many brain disorders, and can be assessed by continuous naming tasks. Functional imaging studies have shown that pause and articulation times in continuous speech are normally associated with different brain regions, but knowledge about such association in dementia is lacking. We therefore tested the hypothesis that perfusion deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not only associated with slower processing, but also with these speech measures. Using regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) measurements during the performance of a continuous colour and form-naming task, we found that naming speed was substantially slower in AD patients than in controls. This slower naming was exclusively determined by an increase in mean pause time, and only to a limited extent by articulation time. The increased pause time was uniquely associated with temporo-parietal rCBF reductions of the patients, while articulation was not. By contrast, the rCBF of healthy elderly control subjects was consistently accompanied by substantially shorter articulation and pause times, although the naming measures were not statistically associated with rCBF. These findings suggest that pause time (in contrast to articulation time) may serve as a sensitive measure in the assessment of information processing speed deficits in dementia, by virtue of its close association with brain pathology. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
- Eriksson, Catharina, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Abnormal expression of chemokine receptors on T-cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
- 2003
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Ingår i: Lupus. - : SAGE Publications. - 0961-2033 .- 1477-0962. ; 12:10, s. 766-774
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The expression of chemokine receptors on T-cells and chemokine levels in the blood was studied in 23 patients with SLE (ACR criteria), seven patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 15 healthy controls using flow cytometry, RT-PCR and ELISA. The cell surface expression of the chemokine receptors CXCR5 and CCR6 was decreased in SLE patients compared with controls (P = 0.051 and P = 0.002, respectively). The decrease of CXCR5 was confined to SLE patients with inactive disease (SLEDAI < 6) compared with active disease (SLEDAI &GE; 6) and controls. CXCR2 and CCR1 were increased in patients with active SLE compared with patients with inactive disease (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively) and with controls ( P = 0.02 and P = 0.053, respectively). The levels of the chemokines MIP-1β MCP-1, SDF-1α, IP-10 and RANTES were significantly elevated in SLE patients compared with controls. Patients with renal involvement had increased surface expression of CXCR3 and CCR3 (P = 0.04 in both) and a lower level of soluble IP-10 compared with patients without renal disease (P = 0.025) and compared with controls (P = 0.001). The ratio between CCR5 and CCR3 was significantly increased in RA patients compared with SLE patients and controls supporting a Th1 overweight in RA. In conclusion, patients with SLE showed abnormal T-cell expression of several chemokine receptors and levels of soluble chemokines in their plasma/ serum.
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| 3. |
- Eriksson, Catharina, 1955-, et al.
(författare)
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Autoantibody formation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-TNF alpha
- 2005
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 64:3, s. 403-407
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Research on autoantibody formation in patients treated with TNFα inhibitors has produced contradictory results. Objective: To study the prevalence of autoantibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with the TNFα inhibitor infliximab. Methods: 53 patients (48 female, 11 male) treated with infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis were followed for autoantibody production before treatment and after 14, 30, and 54 weeks. Six patients treated with etanercept were studied for comparison. The analyses included antibodies against nuclear antigens (ANA), extractable nuclear antigens, double stranded (ds)DNA (by ELISA, IIF on Crithidia luciliae for IgM and IgG, and Farr assay), nucleosomes, cardiolipin, smooth muscle, mitochondria, proteinase 3, and myeloperoxidase antigens. Results: The number of patients treated with infliximab who developed antibodies against dsDNA of both IgG and IgM class (tested by IIF) increased significantly. The prevalence of patients positive for IgG class increased to 66% at 30 weeks and 45% at 54 weeks, and of IgM class to 85% and 70%, respectively. The titre and number of patients expressing antibodies against nucleosomes and ANA also increased significantly. The number of rheumatoid factor or anticardiolipin positive patients was stable and there was no increase in antibodies against the other antigens. A lupus-like syndrome was seen in one patient. No patient treated with etanercept developed any of these autoantibodies. Conclusions: Patients treated with infliximab may develop anti-dsDNA antibodies of both IgM and IgG class, anti-nucleosome antibodies, and ANA, with a gradual increase until 30 weeks.
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| 4. |
- Carli, C., et al.
(författare)
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Trends in disease modifying antirheumatic drug prescription in early rheumatoid arthritis are influenced more by hospital setting than patient or disease characteristics
- 2006
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - London : BMJ Publ. Group. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 65:8, s. 1102-1105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To characterise temporal trends and factors associated with the prescription of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at the initial consultation in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: Data from 2584 patients with early RA at 19 hospitals were extracted from the Swedish Rheumatoid Arthritis Register for the period 1997–2001. Disease characteristics and DMARD prescription at first consultation with the rheumatologist were investigated using cross tabulation and logistic regression.Results: DMARD prescriptions, particularly for methotrexate, increased from 1997 to 2001 independently of patient characteristics. Stratification by hospital type showed that patients in district hospitals were less likely to be prescribed DMARDs than those in university hospitals (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.53 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40 to 0.69), p<0.001), independently of confounding factors. Association of the DAS28 with the likelihood of DMARD prescription was greater among patients attending district hospitals (OR = 1.65 (1.34 to 2.02), p<0.001) than those at university hospitals (OR = 1.23 (1.07 to 1.41), p = 0.003) and county hospitals (OR = 1.34 (1.01 to 1.63), p = 0.003). Interaction testing indicated that the difference was significant (p = 0.007).Conclusions: Temporal trends in DMARD prescription indicate an increasingly aggressive approach to disease management among Swedish rheumatologists. However, the association of hospital type with DMARD prescription suggests that the adoption of research findings in clinical care varies considerably.
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| 5. |
- Askling, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Cancer risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha therapies : does the risk change with the time since start of treatment?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Arthritis and Rheumatism. - : Wiley. - 0004-3591 .- 1529-0131. ; 60:11, s. 3180-3189
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE:To determine the short-term and medium-term risks of cancer in patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFalpha) therapies that have proven effective in the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.METHODS:By linking together data from the Swedish Biologics Register, Swedish registers of RA, and the Swedish Cancer Register, we identified and analyzed for cancer occurrence a national cohort of 6,366 patients with RA who first started anti-TNF therapy between January 1999 and July 2006. As comparators, we used a national biologics-naive RA cohort (n = 61,160), a cohort of RA patients newly starting methotrexate (n = 5,989), a cohort of RA patients newly starting disease-modifying antirheumatic drug combination therapy (n = 1,838), and the general population of Sweden. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using Cox regression analyses, examining overall RR as well as RR by time since the first start of anti-TNF therapy, by the duration of active anti-TNF therapy, and by the anti-TNF agent received.RESULTS:During 25,693 person-years of followup in 6,366 patients newly starting anti-TNF, 240 first cancers occurred, yielding an RR of 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.86-1.15) versus the biologics-naive RA cohort, and similar RRs versus the other 2 RA comparators. RRs did not increase with increasing time since the start of anti-TNF therapy, nor with the cumulative duration of active anti-TNF therapy. During the first year following the first treatment start, but not thereafter, dissimilar cancer risks for adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab were observed.CONCLUSION:During the first 6 years after the start of anti-TNF therapy in routine care, no overall elevation of cancer risk and no increase with followup time were observed.
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| 6. |
- Rajani, Rupesh, et al.
(författare)
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Budd-Chiari syndrome in Sweden : epidemiology, clinical characteristics and survival - an 18-year experience
- 2009
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Ingår i: Liver international (Print). - Oxford : Blackwell Munksgaard. - 1478-3223 .- 1478-3231. ; 29:2, s. 253-259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The exact incidence and prevalence of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is unknown in the general population. Published reports differ in terms of the clinical characteristics, effects of therapy and survival. AIMS: To investigate the epidemiology, clinical presentation and survival in patients with BCS. METHODS: Retrospective multicentre study in Sweden reviewing the medical records of all patients with BCS 1986-2003, identified from the computerised diagnosis database of 11 hospitals, including all university hospitals and liver transplantation centres. RESULTS: Forty-three patients with BCS were identified, of whom nine (21%) had concomitant portal vein thrombosis. The mean age-standardised incidence and prevalence rates in 1990-2001 were calculated to be 0.8 per million per year and 1.4 per million inhabitants respectively. Myeloproliferative disorders (38%), thrombophilic factors (31%) and oral contraceptives (30%) were common aetiological factors. Two or more risk factors were present in 44%. In 23%, no risk factor was evident. The median follow-up time was 2.7 years. Seventy-two percent were on anticoagulant therapy during follow-up. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting, surgical shunting procedures and liver transplantation were performed in 4, 6 and 18 patients respectively. Nineteen patients died. The overall transplantation-free survival at 1, 5 and 10 years was 47, 28 and 17% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Budd-Chiari syndrome is a rare disorder; the mean age-standardised incidence and prevalence rates in Sweden in 1990-2001 were calculated to be 0.8 per million per year and 1.4 per million inhabitants respectively. The presence of a myeloproliferative disorder was a common aetiological factor in our cohort and about half of the patients had a multifactorial aetiology. The transplantation-free survival was poor.
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| 7. |
- Subramaniyam, Devipriya, et al.
(författare)
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TNF-alpha-induced self expression in human lung endothelial cells is inhibited by native and oxidized alpha 1-antitrypsin
- 2008
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Ingår i: International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1878-5875 .- 1357-2725. ; 40:2, s. 258-271
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Endothelial cells are among the main physiological targets of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). In endothelial cells TNF-alpha elicits a broad spectrum of biological effects including differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. alpha 1-antitrypsin (AAT), an endogenous inhibitor of serine proteases plays a vital role in protecting host tissue from proteolytic injury at sites of inflammation. Recently, it has been shown that AAT can be internalized by pulmonary endothelial cells, raising speculation that it may modulate endothelial cell function in addition to suppressing protease activity. Using Affymetrix microarray technology, real time PCR and ELISA methods we have investigated the effects of AAT on un-stimulated and TNF-alpha stimulated human primary lung microvascular endothelial cell gene expression and protein secretion. We find that AAT and TNF-alpha generally induced expression of distinct gene families with AAT exhibiting little activity in terms of inflammatory gene expression. Approximately 25% of genes up regulated by TNF-alpha were inhibited by co-administration of AAT including TNF-alpha-induced self expression. Surprisingly, the effects of AAT on TNF-alpha-induced self expression was inhibited equally well by oxidized AAT, a modified form of AAT, which lacks serine protease inhibitor activity. Overall, the pattern of gene expression regulated by native and oxidized AAT was similar with neither inducing pro-inflammatory gene expression. These findings suggest that inhibitory effects of native and oxidized forms of AAT on TNF-alpha stimulated gene expression may play an important role in limiting the uncontrolled endothelial cell activation and vascular injury in inflammatory disease.
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| 8. |
- Möller, Karin, 1962, et al.
(författare)
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Avanta versus Swanson silicone implants in the MCP joint--a prospective, randomized comparison of 30 patients followed for 2 years
- 2005
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Ingår i: J Hand Surg [Br]. - : SAGE Publications. - 0266-7681. ; 30:1, s. 8-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The results of Swanson and Avanta metacarpophalangeal joint arthroplasties in rheumatoid patients were compared in a prospective, randomized study of 30 patients (120 implants). At 2-year follow-up, grip strength was measured, hand function was assessed with the Sollerman test and the subjective outcome was determined with visual analogue scores. With both implants ulnar deviation and flexion deformities decreased, and there was no difference between the groups. The increase in range of motion was 7 degrees greater with Avanta implants than with Swanson implants. Grip strength and hand function were unaltered but the visual analogue scales showed decreased pain levels and subjective improvements in hand function, grip strength and cosmesis. Twenty-four of 30 patients were satisfied. Fracture of the silicone spacer occurred with 12 Avanta (20%) and eight Swanson implants (13%), with a higher fracture frequency in men.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Mäkelä, Olli, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of radiosynovectomy with holmium-166 ferric hydroxide macroaggregate on adult equine cartilage.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Journal of Rheumatology. - 0315-162X .- 1499-2752. ; 31:2, s. 321-328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of radiosynovectomy with holmium-166 ferric hydroxide macroaggregate (166Ho-FHMA) on articular cartilage in 6 adult horses.METHODS: Arthritic changes and mechanical properties of articular cartilage were evaluated with arthroscopy and postmortem microscopic analyses. Glycosaminoglycan content was measured by safranin-O staining combined with digital densitometry, uronic acid analyses, and dimethylene blue binding assay. 35S-sulfate labeling and autoradiography were used to localize proteoglycan synthesis and to characterize proteoglycan structures using SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis. Northern hybridizations were performed to measure the mRNA levels for aggrecan and pro-a1(II) collagen in cartilage samples.RESULTS: Histological signs of degeneration were present in the articular cartilage of both control and radiosynovectomized equine joints. Radiosynovectomy did not aggravate degenerative changes or significantly alter the matrix glycosaminoglycan content. A slightly decreased size of proteoglycan monomers was observed 2 months after 166Ho-FHMA radiosynovectomy. Tissue analysis of extracted proteoglycans revealed lower 35S incorporation after radiosynovectomy, but corresponding changes could not be observed in aggrecan mRNA levels. Transient downregulation of pro-a1(II) collagen mRNA transcription was observed 5 days after 166Ho-FHMA radiosynovectomy.CONCLUSION: 166Ho-FHMA treatment did not markedly affect the composition or morphology of adult articular cartilage showing mild degeneration. However, minor degradation of proteoglycan monomers and transient downregulation of pro-a1(II) collagen mRNA were observed.
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