| 1. |
- Karlsson, Fredrik, Docent, 1975-, et al.
(author)
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Assessment of speech impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease from acoustic quantifications of oral diadochokinetic sequences
- 2020
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In: Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. - : Acoustical Society of America (ASA). - 0001-4966 .- 1520-8524. ; 147:2, s. 839-851
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This investigation aimed at determining whether an acoustic quantification of the oral diadochokinetic (DDK) task may be used to predict the perceived level of speech impairment when speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD) are reading a standard passage. DDK sequences with repeated [pa], [ta], and [ka] syllables were collected from 108 recordings (68 unique speakers with PD), along with recordings of the speakers reading a standardized text. The passage readings were assessed in five dimensions individually by four speech-language pathologists in a blinded and randomized procedure. The 46 acoustic DDK measures were merged with the perceptual ratings of read speech in the same recording session. Ordinal regression models were trained repeatedly on 80% of ratings and acoustic DDK predictors per dimension in 10-folds, and evaluated in testing data. The models developed from [ka] sequences achieved the best performance overall in predicting the clinicians' ratings of passage readings. The developed [pa] and [ta] models showed a much lower performance across all dimensions. The addition of samples with severe impairments and further automation of the procedure is required for the models to be used for screening purposes by non-expert clinical staff.
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| 2. |
- Mirkoska, Vesna, et al.
(author)
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Detection of subclinical motor speech deficits after presumed low-grade glioma surgery
- 2023
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In: Brain Sciences. - : MDPI. - 2076-3425 .- 2076-3425. ; 13:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Motor speech performance was compared before and after surgical resection of presumed low-grade gliomas. This pre- and post-surgery study was conducted on 15 patients (mean age = 41) with low-grade glioma classified based on anatomic features. Repetitions of /pa/, /ta/, /ka/, and /pataka/ recorded before and 3 months after surgery were analyzed regarding rate and regularity. A significant reduction (6 to 5.6 syllables/s) pre- vs. post-surgery was found in the rate for /ka/, which is comparable to the approximate average decline over 10–15 years of natural aging reported previously. For all other syllable types, rates were within normal age-adjusted ranges in both preoperative and postoperative sessions. The decline in /ka/ rate might reflect a subtle reduction in motor speech production, but the effects were not severe. All but one patient continued to perform within normal ranges post-surgery; one performed two standard deviations below age-appropriate norms pre- and post-surgery in all syllable tasks. The patient experienced motor speech difficulties, which may be related to the tumor’s location in an area important for speech. Low-grade glioma may reduce maximum speech-motor performance in individual patients, but larger samples are needed to elucidate how often the effect occurs.
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| 5. |
- Religa, D., et al.
(author)
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SveDem, the Swedish Dementia Registry - A tool for improving the quality of diagnostics, treatment and care of dementia patients in clinical practice
- 2015
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) was developed with the aim to improve the quality of diagnostic work-up, treatment and care of patients with dementia disorders in Sweden. Methods: SveDem is an internet based quality registry where several indicators can be followed over time. It includes information about the diagnostic work-up, medical treatment and community support (www.svedem.se). The patients are diagnosed and followed-up yearly in specialist units, primary care centres or in nursing homes. Results: The database was initiated in May 2007 and covers almost all of Sweden. There were 28 722 patients registered with a mean age of 79.3 years during 2007-2012. Each participating unit obtains continuous online statistics from its own registrations and they can be compared with regional and national data. A report from SveDem is published yearly to inform medical and care professionals as well as political and administrative decision-makers about the current quality of diagnostics, treatment and care of patients with dementia disorders in Sweden. Conclusion: SveDem provides knowledge about current dementia care in Sweden and serves as a framework for ensuring the quality of diagnostics, treatment and care across the country. It also reflects changes in quality dementia care over time. Data from SveDem can be used to further develop the national guidelines for dementia and to generate new research hypotheses.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Gerhard, et al.
(author)
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A 3.5-year follow-up of Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for major depression
- 2013
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In: Journal of Mental Health. - London, UK : Informa Healthcare. - 0963-8237 .- 1360-0567. ; 22:2, s. 155-164
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundInternet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) for major depression has been tested in several trials, but only with follow-ups up to 1.5 years.AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of ICBT 3.5 years after treatment completion.MethodsA total of 88 people with major depression were randomized to either guided self-help or e-mail therapy in the original trial. One-third was initially on a waiting-list. Treatment was provided for eight weeks and in this report long-term follow-up data were collected. Also included were data from post-treatment and six-month follow-up. A total of 58% (51/88) completed the 3.5-year follow-up. Analyses were performed using a random effects repeated measures piecewise growth model to estimate trajectory shape over time and account for missing data.ResultsResults showed continued lowered scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). No differences were found between the treatment conditions. A large proportion of participants (55%) had sought and received additional treatments in the follow-up period. A majority (56.9%) of participants had a BDI score lower than 10 at the 3.5-year follow-up.ConclusionsPeople with mild to moderate major depression may benefit from ICBT 3.5-years after treatment completion.
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| 7. |
- Benedek, Hunor, et al.
(author)
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Strategies for quality assurance of intensity modulated radiation therapy
- 2015
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In: 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 3D RADIATION DOSIMETRY (IC3DDOSE). - : Institute of Physics (IOP). ; 573, s. 012015-012015
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In late 2011 The Swedish Society of Radiation Physics formed a working group to concentrate on the Quality Assurance of modern radiation therapy techniques. The given task was to identify and summarise the different QA strategies in Sweden and also the international recommendations. This was used to formulate recommendations for practical guidelines within Sweden. In this paper a brief summery of the group's work is presented. All the Swedish radiation therapy centres do a pre treatment verification measurement as QA for every new IMRT and VMAT plan. Physicists do it and they believe it to be time consuming. A general standpoint from all the centres was that new guidelines and legislation is needed to allow QA that does not require a measurement. Based on various international publications and recommendations the working group has presented two strategies, one where all new plans are checked through measurement and one where no measurement is needed. The measurement-based strategy is basically the same as the one used today with an extended machine QA part. The other presented strategy is process oriented where all the different parts of the treatment chain are checked separately. The final report can be found in Swedish on http://www.radiofysik.org.
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| 8. |
- Berginström, Nils, 1984-
(author)
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Fatigue after traumatic brain injury : exploring novel methods for diagnosis and treatment
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common causes of disability and mortality. While some patients recover quickly, especially at the mild side of the injury severity continuum, many will experience symptoms for years to come. In this chronic phase, patients report a wide array of symptoms, where fatigue is one the most common. This fatigue makes huge impact in several areas of these patients’ lives. Despite the prevalence of fatigue after TBI, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Further, there are no standardized way for assessment and diagnosis, and there are no treatments with satisfying empirical support. The aim of this thesis was to examine the effects of the novel compound OSU6162 on fatigue in patients with TBI, and to explore functional and structural brain imaging correlates of fatigue after TBI.Methods: Studies I and III were based on a placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial examining the effects of the monoaminergic stabilizer OSU6162 on fatigue in patients in the chronic phase of traumatic brain injury. In study I, self-assessment scales of fatigue and neuropsychological tests were used as outcomes, while functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal was the primary outcome in study III. Studies II and IV used cross-sectional designs, comparing patients with TBI with age- and gender matched healthy controls. Study II examined whether fMRI BOLD signal could be used to detect and diagnose fatigue in patients with TBI, and study IV whether white matter hyperintensities (WMH) contribute to lower cognitive functioning and presence of fatigue after TBI.Results: Study I revealed no effects of OSU6162 during 28 days of treatment at maximum doses of 15 mg twice daily on measures of fatigue or any other outcome. The results from study II indicated that fatigue after TBI is linked to alterations in striato-thalamic-cortical loops, and suggested that fMRI could be a promising technique to use in the diagnosis of fatigue after TBI. In study III the results revealed effects of treatment in the right occipitotemporal and orbitofrontal cortex. In these areas, the BOLD response was normalized in the OSU6162 group as compared to healthy controls, while the placebo group showed a steady low activity in these areas. The regional effects were located outside the network shown to be linked to fatigue in study II, which might explain why there were no effects on fatigue after treatment with OSU6162 in study I. Study IV showed that WMH lesions increased with increased TBI severity, but the presence and extent of lesions did not explain lower neuropsychological functioning or fatigue in subjects with previous TBI.Conclusions: In summary, although no effects on fatigue after treatment with OSU6162 were seen, the results provide support to the theory that fatigue after TBI is linked to alterations in striato-thalamic-cortical loops, and on how fatigue after TBI could be assessed or diagnosed using fMRI. Structural damage within white matter was however not related to fatigue.
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| 9. |
- Björnstig, Ulf
(author)
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Snowmobile, motorcycle and moose-car accidents : aspects on injury control
- 1985
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Injuries related to snowmobiles, motorcycles and moose-car collisions have increased. The aim of the present thesis was to analyse mechanisms and consequences in fatal and non-fatal accidents of these types, and to penetrate possible preventive measures.SnowmobilesThe median age of the injured was 30 and of the killed 32, males predominating. A majority of the accidents occurred during weekends, and especially the fatal accidents occurred after dark. The extremities were the most commonly injured parts of the body, however, drowning, crushed chest and cranial injuries caused most of the fatalities. Among the fatalities, four out of five were under the influence of alcohol. The present Swedish laws regarding snowmobiles seem well motivated. "Built-in" safety measures in the construction of the snowmobiles, properly designed snowmobile tracks and functional search and rescue systems could reduce the injuries.MotorcyclesThe median age was 19 years for both the traffic injured and the killed. Half of the traffic accidents were collisions with other motor vehicles. In the fatally injured group, also collisions with fixed roadside objects were common. Of the fatally injured, more than every fifth person died in an accident where alcohol was an influential factor. In the injured group, lower extremity injuries (especially in off-road riding) were common and among the fatalities most riders died from injuries to the head or chest. Out of one thousand motorcycle riders interviewed, 45% reported wobbling experiences (8% reported severe wobbling). Possible injury reducing measures include increasing the licensing age, more discriminating driving test, "built-in" restriction of the motorcycle's top speed, elimination of motorcycles prone to wobbling, and a more intensive traffic supervision (speeding, alcohol).Moose-car collisitionsThe median age of the drivers was 38 years. Most collisions happened at dusk or when dark (3/4). The median collision speed was 70 km/h. The damage to the car was typical, the roof and the windshield pillars were deformed downwards and backwards. The broken windshield was often pressed into the passenger compartment. Most of the injured car occupants suffered cuts predominantly to the head and upper extremities. Nearly all the fatally injured died of head and neck injuries. The injuries may be reduced by strengthening the roof and the windshield pillars, and by introducing anti 1 acerati ve windshields.
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| 10. |
- Blomqvist, Sven, et al.
(author)
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Adolescents with intellectual disability have reduced postural balance and muscle performance in trunk and lower limbs compared to peers without intellectual disability
- 2013
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In: Research in Developmental Disabilities. - : Elsevier BV. - 0891-4222 .- 1873-3379. ; 34:1, s. 198-206
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For adolescent people with ID, falls are more common compared to peers without ID. However, postural balance among this group is not thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to compare balance and muscle performance among adolescents aged between 16 and 20 years with a mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID) to age-matched adolescents without ID. A secondary purpose was to investigate the influence of vision, strength, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) on balance. A group of 100 adolescents with ID and a control group of 155 adolescents without ID were investigated with five balance tests and three strength tests: timed up and go test, one leg stance, dynamic one leg stance, modified functional reach test, force platform test, counter movement jump, sit-ups, and Biering-Sorensen trunk extensor endurance test. The results showed that adolescents with an ID in general had significantly lower scores in the balance and muscle performance tests. The group with ID did not have a more visually dominated postural control compared to the group without ID. Height, BMI or muscle performance had no strong correlations with balance performance. It appears as if measures to improve balance and strength are required already at a young age for people with an ID.
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