| 1. |
- Alsved, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Aerosolization and recovery of viable murine norovirus in an experimental setup
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Noroviruses are the major cause for viral acute gastroenteritis in the world. Despite the existing infection prevention strategies in hospitals, the disease continues to spread and causes extensive and numerous outbreaks. Hence, there is a need to investigate the possibility of airborne transmission of norovirus. In this study, we developed an experimental setup for studies on the infectivity of aerosolized murine norovirus (MNV), a model for the human norovirus. Two aerosol generation principles were evaluated: bubble bursting, a common natural aerosolization mechanism, and nebulization, a common aerosolization technique in laboratory studies. The aerosolization setup was characterized by physical and viral dilution factors, generated aerosol particle size distributions, and the viral infectivity after aerosolization. We found a lower physical dilution factor when using the nebulization generator than with the bubble bursting generator. The viral dilution factor of the system was higher than the physical dilution; however, when comparing the physical and viral dilution factors, bubble bursting generation was more efficient. The infectivity per virus was similar using either generation principle, suggesting that the generation itself had a minor impact on MNV infectivity and that instead, the effect of drying in air could be a major reason for infectivity losses.
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| 2. |
- Balfors, Berit, et al.
(författare)
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Impacts of urban development on biodiversity and ecosystem services
- 2016
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Ingår i: Handbook on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment. - : Edward Elgar Publishing. - 9781783478989 ; , s. 167-194
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global urbanization has increased rapidly and it is expected to continue. Due to the continuing urbanization process, green areas are transformed into areas for housing, industry and infrastructure. As a consequence, ecosystems in urbanizing areas are affected, which results in degradation of habitats, due to fragmentation and disturbances, with significant impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. In cities, green areas are of primary interest to support biodiversity as well as in their role as producers of ecosystem services; that is, services that ecosystems produce to the benefit of humans often without any costs. In addition, publicly accessible urban green areas enhance life quality for urban citizens. To strengthen biodiversity and ecosystem services considerations in the planning process and contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in the long term, a consistent assessment of potential impacts is required. In particular, a landscape approach in urban planning and assessment is needed to address the scales of ecological processes, to strengthen important landscape structures and functions in urban, regional and infrastructure planning. A landscape approach calls for methods for assessing the impacts of human actions on biodiversity at a landscape level, across administrative borders. Such methods should allow an analysis of cumulative impacts of many single planning decisions. Several of the processes involved have a temporal and spatial dimension and are possible to quantify, analyse, and visualize with geographical information systems (GIS) combined with spatial ecological models. This allows for localization and quantification of predicted effects of urbanization on biodiversity components over landscape and regional scales. This chapter addresses impacts of urbanization on biodiversity and urban green areas’ capacity in providing ecosystem services. A brief description of the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services provides a framework for a landscape approach in biodiversity assessments and for the practical examples from the Stockholm region. Related to the assessment, tools for predicting and assessing biodiversity impacts at a landscape level will be discussed as well as planning and management of urban green areas. The chapter concludes with lessons learned and key recommendations for best practice.
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| 3. |
- Ekerstad, Niklas, et al.
(författare)
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Hospitalized frail elderly patients - atrial fibrillation, anticoagulation and 12 months outcomes
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical Interventions in Aging. - : DOVE MEDICAL PRESS LTD. - 1176-9092 .- 1178-1998. ; 13, s. 749-756
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and objective: Multiple chronic conditions and recurring acute illness are frequent among elderly people. One such condition is atrial fibrillation (AF), which increases the risk of stroke up to fivefold. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of AF among hospitalized frail elderly patients, their use of anticoagulation and their 12-month outcomes. Patients and methods: This was a clinical observational study of acutely hospitalized frail patients over the age of 75 years. The CHA2DS2-VASc Score was used to evaluate ischemic stroke risk in patients with AF. Clinically relevant outcomes were the composite of ischemic stroke and/or bleeding within 12 months, which was considered as primary in the analysis, ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), mortality, bleeding and hospital care consumption. Students (test, Fishers exact test, Mann Whitney U test and a Cox proportional hazards model were used for the analyses. Results: The prevalence of AF was 47%, and 63% of them were prescribed an anticoagulant. AF patients without anticoagulation were older, more often females, more often in residential care, and they had worse Mini Nutritional Assessment and activities of daily living scores. Of the patients without anticoagulation, 56% had a documented contraindication. In univariate analysis, there were significantly more events among AF patients without anticoagulation regarding the composite outcome of ischemic stroke and/or bleeding (hazard ratio [1112] 3.65, 95% CI = 1.70-7.86; p amp;lt; 0.001). When adjusting for potential confounders in Cox regression analysis, the difference remained significant (HR 4.54, 95% CI = 1.83-11.25; p = 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of AF in a hospitalized frail elderly population was 47%. Of these, 63% were prescribed anticoagulation therapy. Almost half of the patients without stroke pro-phylaxis had no documented contraindication. At 1 year, there were significantly more events in terms of ischemic stroke and/or bleeding among AF patients without anticoagulation therapy than among those with.
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| 4. |
- Hassan, Amin S, et al.
(författare)
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A Stronger Innate Immune Response During Hyperacute HIV-1 Infection is associated with ACUTE retroviral syndrome
- 2021
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Ingår i: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1537-6591 .- 1058-4838. ; 73:5, s. 832-841
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) is associated with HIV-1 subtype and disease progression, but the underlying immunopathological pathways are poorly understood. We aimed to elucidate associations between innate immune responses during hyperacute HIV-1 infection (hAHI) and ARS.METHODS: Plasma samples obtained from volunteers (≥18.0 years) before and during hAHI, defined as HIV-1 antibody negative and RNA or p24 antigen positive from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Sweden were analysed. Forty soluble innate immune markers were measured using multiplexed assays. Immune responses were differentiated into volunteers with stronger and comparatively weaker responses using principal component analysis. Presence or absence of ARS was defined based on eleven symptoms using latent class analysis. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between immune responses and ARS.RESULTS: Of 55 volunteers, 31 (56%) had ARS. Volunteers with stronger immune responses (n=36 [65%]) had increased odds of ARS which was independent of HIV-1 subtype, age, and risk group (adjusted odds ratio, 7.1 [95% CI: 1.7-28.8], p=0.003). IP-10 was fourteen-fold higher during hAHI, elevated in seven of the eleven symptoms, and independently associated with ARS. IP-10 threshold >466.0 pg/mL differentiated stronger immune responses with a sensitivity of 84.2% (95% CI: 60.4-96.6) and specificity of 100.0% (95% CI: 90.3-100.0).CONCLUSIONS: A stronger innate immune response during hAHI was associated with ARS. Plasma IP-10 may be a candidate biomarker of stronger innate immunity. Our findings provide further insights on innate immune responses in regulating ARS and may inform the design of vaccine candidates harnessing innate immunity.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Emil, et al.
(författare)
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HIV-2 mediated effects on target and bystander cells induce plasma proteome remodeling
- 2024
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Ingår i: iScience. - 2589-0042. ; 27:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite low or undetectable plasma viral load, people living with HIV-2 (PLWH2) typically progress toward AIDS. The driving forces behind HIV-2 disease progression and the role of viremia are still not known, but low-level replication in tissues is believed to play a role. To investigate the impact of viremic and aviremic HIV-2 infection on target and bystander cell pathology, we used data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry to determine plasma signatures of tissue and cell type engagement. Proteins derived from target and bystander cells in multiple tissues, such as the gastrointestinal tract and brain, were detected at elevated levels in plasma of PLWH2, compared with HIV negative controls. Moreover, viremic HIV-2 infection appeared to induce enhanced release of proteins from a broader range of tissues compared to aviremic HIV-2 infection. This study expands the knowledge on the link between plasma proteome remodeling and the pathological cell engagement in tissues during HIV-2 infection.
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| 6. |
- Jones, Douglas, et al.
(författare)
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A multi-isotope approach to evaluate the potential of great cormorant eggs for contaminant monitoring
- 2022
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Ingår i: Ecological Indicators. - : Elsevier BV. - 1470-160X .- 1872-7034. ; 136
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Contaminant monitoring in biota is important for determining environmental status and to detect or prioritize action on hazardous substances. Predators higher up a food chain are often used for monitoring of contaminants that bioaccumulate. However, it is not always possible to find higher predators that are both abundant and have a wide distribution for national or international contaminant monitoring. Great cormorants (Phalocrocorax carbo) are a widespread and increasingly common top predator of fish in fresh, brackish and salt water. We evaluate the suitability of great cormorant eggs as a matrix for contaminant monitoring by using stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Despite the fact that cormorants are migratory, egg isotope values showed a significant separation between five breeding colonies in Sweden (1 fresh water lake, 3 Baltic sites and 1 marine site). This high degree of separation indicates that eggs are primarily produced using local resources (not stored body resources) and that contaminants (mercury concentrations in this study) measured in eggs likely reflect levels in fish prey caught close to the breeding area. Compound specific stable isotope analysis was used to estimate cormorant trophic position (TP) and concentrations of mercury in eggs were positively related to TP. The results show that a multi-isotope approach, combined with good ecological diet knowledge allow for meaningful and comparative interpretation of mercury concentrations in biota and that great cormorant eggs appear a suitable matrix to measure locally derived and maternally transferred contaminants.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Karlson, Agnes M. L., et al.
(författare)
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Polychaete invader enhances resource utilization in a species-poor system
- 2011
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Ingår i: Oecologia. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0029-8549 .- 1432-1939. ; 166:4, s. 1055-1065
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecosystem consequences of biodiversity change are often studied from a species loss perspective, while the effects of invasive species on ecosystem functions are rarely quantified. In this experimental study, we used isotope tracers to measure the incorporation and burial of carbon and nitrogen from a simulated spring phytoplankton bloom by communities of one to four species of deposit-feeding macrofauna found in the species-poor Baltic Sea. The recently invading polychaete Marenzelleria arctia, which has spread throughout the Baltic Sea, grows more rapidly than the native species Monoporeia affinis, Pontoporeia femorata (both amphipods) and Macoma balthica (a bivalve), resulting in higher biomass increase (biomass production) in treatments including the polychaete. Marenzelleria incorporated and buried bloom material at rates similar to the native species. Multi-species treatments generally had higher isotope incorporation, indicative of utilization of bloom material, than expected from monoculture yields of the respective species. The mechanism behind this observed over-yielding was mainly niche complementarity in utilization of the bloom input, and was more evident in communities including the invader. In contrast, multi-species treatments had generally lower biomass increase than expected. This contrasting pattern suggests that there is little overlap in resource use of freshly deposited bloom material between Marenzelleria and the native species but it is likely that interference competition acts to dampen resulting community biomass. In conclusion, an invasive species can enhance incorporation and burial of organic matter from settled phytoplankton blooms, two processes fundamental for marine productivity.
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| 9. |
- Lindeberg, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Exhaustion measured by the SF-36 vitality scale is associated with a flattened diurnal cortisol profile.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3360 .- 0306-4530. ; 33, s. 471-477
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The possible association between stress-related exhaustion and reduced activity in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is increasingly in focus. The aim of the present study was to examine whether exhaustion measured in a non-patient population is associated with alterations in diurnal cortisol profile. The study population included 78 working individuals. The study group was dichotomised into exhausted and non-exhausted groups by means of the SF-36 vitality scale. Salivary cortisol was measured at three times during 1 workday: at awakening, 30min after awakening, and in the evening. The results showed that diurnal cortisol variation was significantly reduced in exhausted individuals. The difference in cortisol variation was mainly due to lowered morning cortisol in the exhausted group. Differences in cortisol levels at each sampling time or in mean diurnal output of cortisol were not statistically significant. The results would support the notion that exhaustion is associated with HPA axis hypoactivity as assessed by salivary cortisol. Furthermore, the SF-36 vitality provides a measure of exhaustion that may be useful in epidemiological studies in order to explore long-term health effects of stress-related exhaustion.
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| 10. |
- Månsson, Christopher
(författare)
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Irreversible electroporation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a severe diagnosis with poor prognosis. Radical surgery is the only treatment that can possibly lead to a cure, and even with surgery, the 5-year survival is only 20%–25%. The majority of patients cannot be resected due to metastases or having a tumour that is too advanced locally (LAPC) with encasement of blood-vessels.Short electrical pulses can change the cell membrane, creating reversible pores in it. With a higher current, the pores become permanent, resulting in irreversible electroporation (IRE). This leads to specific cell death, with the chance to save surrounding scaffold material, such as the walls of blood vessels and bile ducts. This led to the theory that IRE might be suitable for treating LAPC.In Paper I, we found that IRE can be safely performed percutaneously with ultrasound guidance in humans with PC, with promising efficacy, since one of the five patients included was downstaged due to the IRE and could be surgically resected. In Paper II, which is an extension of Paper I, we treated 24 patients with LAPC (3 were also included in Paper I) who had received chemotherapy and, after IRE, stable disease was seen. Median overall survival was 17.9 months. Eleven patients had some form of complication, but we still concluded that IRE is reasonably safe in LAPC patients, with promising efficacy. In Paper III, we chose to treat LAPC with IRE followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. We compared the overall survival of our patients with those with LAPC in the National Quality Registry for Pancreatic and Periampullary Cancer. No significant survival gain could be seen in the group that received IRE compared to the registry group (13.3 months versus 9.9 months, p=0.511). In the IRE group, there were six major complications and we found no support for using IRE in this setting. Paper IV examines the response on the tumour marker CA19-9 in PC treated with IRE. We found 35 patients suitable for this analysis. The hypothesis that IRE would lower the CA19-9 value could not be proven. In fact, the CA19-9 was slightly higher one month after IRE (282 U/ml versus 315 U/ml). However, the 25th percentile of patients with the best CA19-9 response had a better survival (p=0.01) compared to the 25th percentile with the worst response, indicating that CA19-9 can be used as a prognostic marker after IRE in PC.
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