| 1. |
- Maasfeh, Lujain, et al.
(author)
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Impaired Luminal Control of Intestinal Macrophage Maturation in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis During Remission
- 2021
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In: Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-345X. ; 12:4, s. 1415-1432
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND & AIMS: Intestinal macrophages adopt a hyporesponsive phenotype through education by local signals. Lack of proper macrophage maturation in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in remission may initiate gut inflammation. The aim, therefore, was to determine the effects of fecal luminal factors derived from healthy donors and UC patients in remission on macrophage phenotype and function. METHODS: Fecal supernatants (FS) were extracted from fecal samples of healthy subjects and UC patients in remission. Monocytes were matured into macrophages in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor without/with FS, stimulated with lipopolysaccharide, and macrophage phenotype and function were assessed. Fecal metabolomic profiles were analyzed by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. RESULTS: Fecal luminal factors derived from healthy donors were effective in down-regulating Toll-like receptor signaling, cytokine signaling, and antigen presentation in macrophages. Fecal luminal factors derived from UC patients in remission were less potent in inducing lipopolysaccharide hyporesponsiveness and modulating expression of genes involved in macrophage cytokine and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Although phagocytic and bactericidal abilities of macrophages were not affected by FS treatment, healthy FS-treated macrophages showed a greater ability to suppress cluster of differentiation 4(+) T-cell activation and interferon gamma secretion compared with UC remission FS-treated counterparts. Furthermore, metabolomic analysis showed differential fecal metabolite composition for healthy donors and UC patients in remission. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that UC patients in remission lack luminal signals able to condition macrophages toward a hyporesponsive and tolerogenic phenotype, which may contribute to their persistent vulnerability to relapse.
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| 2. |
- Hagstrom, H., et al.
(author)
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Morbidity, risk of cancer and mortality in 3645 HFE mutations carriers
- 2021
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In: Liver International. - : Wiley. - 1478-3223 .- 1478-3231. ; 41:3, s. 545-553
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background & Aims Mutations in the HFE gene can lead to hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) and have been suggested to increase the risk of extra-hepatic diseases, especially breast and colorectal cancer. Here we investigated long-term outcomes of Swedish patients with HFE mutations. Methods We identified 3645 patients with a homozygous p.C282Y (62%) or a compound heterozygous p.C282Y/p.H63D (38%) mutation from eight centres in Sweden between 1997 and 2017. These were matched 1:10 by age, sex and county of residence to reference individuals from the general population. We ascertained incident outcomes until the end of 2017 by linkage to national registers. Studied outcomes were HH, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), breast cancer (in women), colorectal cancer, type 1 and 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism, Parkinson's disease and mortality. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios for these outcomes. Results Median age at diagnosis was 52 years, 44% were females. During a mean follow-up of 7.9 years, we found an increased risk for HCC, HH, cirrhosis, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and death. Excess mortality was only seen in men. No increased risk was seen for colorectal or breast cancer. Liver-related outcomes were rare, with a cumulative incidence of HFE mutation carriers in a university hospital setting had an increased risk for mortality in men, along with increased risks of cirrhosis, HCC, diabetes type 2, and osteoarthritis. In general, the absolute risk for adverse outcomes was low and no increased risk for colon or breast cancer was observed.
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| 3. |
- Van Olden, C. C., et al.
(author)
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A systems biology approach to understand gut microbiota and host metabolism in morbid obesity: design of the BARIA Longitudinal Cohort Study
- 2021
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In: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 0954-6820 .- 1365-2796. ; 289:3, s. 340-354
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction Prevalence of obesity and associated diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), are increasing. Underlying mechanisms, especially in humans, are unclear. Bariatric surgery provides the unique opportunity to obtain biopsies and portal vein blood-samples. Methods The BARIA Study aims to assess how microbiota and their metabolites affect transcription in key tissues and clinical outcome in obese subjects and how baseline anthropometric and metabolic characteristics determine weight loss and glucose homeostasis after bariatric surgery. We phenotype patients undergoing bariatric surgery (predominantly laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass), before weight loss, with biometrics, dietary and psychological questionnaires, mixed meal test (MMT) and collect fecal-samples and intra-operative biopsies from liver, adipose tissues and jejunum. We aim to include 1500 patients. A subset (approximately 25%) will undergo intra-operative portal vein blood-sampling. Fecal-samples are analyzed with shotgun metagenomics and targeted metabolomics, fasted and postprandial plasma-samples are subjected to metabolomics, and RNA is extracted from the tissues for RNAseq-analyses. Data will be integrated using state-of-the-art neuronal networks and metabolic modeling. Patient follow-up will be ten years. Results Preoperative MMT of 170 patients were analysed and clear differences were observed in glucose homeostasis between individuals. Repeated MMT in 10 patients showed satisfactory intra-individual reproducibility, with differences in plasma glucose, insulin and triglycerides within 20% of the mean difference. Conclusion The BARIA study can add more understanding in how gut-microbiota affect metabolism, especially with regard to obesity, glucose metabolism and NAFLD. Identification of key factors may provide diagnostic and therapeutic leads to control the obesity-associated disease epidemic.
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| 4. |
- Ranebo, Mats, 1970-
(author)
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Rotator Cuff Tears : Short- and long-term aspects on treatment outcome
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Rotator cuff tear is a common disorder and there is a lack of knowledge of appropriate treatment and consequences of different treatment modalities. The overall aim of this thesis was to examine short- and long-term results of rotator cuff tear treatment.In Paper I we did a retrospective 21 to 25-year follow-up of a consecutive series of patients with partial and full-thickness rotator cuff tears, treated with acromioplasty without cuff repair. The cuff status had been documented in a specific perioperative protocol in all patients at the index operation. We did x-ray, ultrasonography and clinical scores with Constant score and Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index (WORC) at follow-up. We identified 111 patients with either a partial or a full-thickness tear, but at follow-up 21 were deceased and 11 were too ill from medical conditions unrelated to their shoulder. Out of the remaining 78 eligible patients, 69 were examined (follow-up rate 88 %) and they had a mean age at the index operation of 49 years (range 19-69 years). Forty-five had a partial tear and 24 a full-thickness tear at the index operation. At follow-up, 74% of patients with full-thickness tear had cuff tear arthropathy grade 2 or more according to the arthropathy classification of Hamada (grade 1 to 5) and 87% had developed tear progression (i.e. a larger tear). Corresponding numbers in those with a partial tear was 7 % arthropathy and 42 % tear progression, and the differences between the full-thickness group and the partial tear group was significant for both outcome measures (P<0.001 for both analyses). In those with arthropathy, the mean Constant score was 47 (standard deviation [SD], 23), the mean age and gender-adjusted Constant score 62 (SD, 27) and the mean WORC 58 % (SD, 26). Patients with a partial tear at follow-up had mean Constant score and WORC within the normal range. In multivariable analysis with logistic regression, having a full-thickness tear at the index operation was a risk factor for arthropathy (odds ratio [OR] 37.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.2-175.0) and for tear progression (OR 6.09; 95% CI, 1.41-26.29).In Paper II we examined the contralateral shoulder in the same patients as in paper I and with the same methodology. Sixty-one patients were examined and 38 had had a partial tear at the index operation 21-25 years ago and 23 a full-thickness tear. The overall rate of contralateral full-thickness tears was 50.8 %, which is higher than the 16-35 % rate found in previous studies of newly diagnosed cuff patients. The rate of contralateral full-thickness tear ranged from 13.6 % in patients with a partial tear in the index shoulder at follow-up, to 90 % in patients with a full-thickness tear and arthropathy in the index shoulder. There was a significant correlation regarding conditions between shoulders in the same patient, with a Spearman coefficient of 0.72 for the number of ten-dons with a full-thickness tear, 0.31 for Hamada grade of arthropathy and 0.65 for Constant score. The number of tendons with a full-thickness tear in the index shoulder at follow-up was a risk factor for a contralateral full-thickness tear (OR 3.28; 95% CI, 1.67-6.44) in a multi-variable logistic regression model. We also found that cuff tear arthropathy was significantly more common in patients who had undergone an acromioplasty (P<0.001), a finding which is not confirmatory but may generate a hypothesis.Paper III addressed 17 to 20-year results after operation with a synthetic interposition graft for irreparable cuff tears. We used X-ray, ultrasonography and clinical scores at follow-up. We identified a consecutive series of 13 patients, one of whom was deceased at follow-up. Ten of the remaining 12 participated in a complete follow-up and 2 did only x-ray examination. Nine out of 12 (75 %; 95% CI, 43-95 %) had cuff tear arthropathy Hamada grade 2 or more in the index shoulder at follow-up. The mean Constant score was 46 (SD, 26) and the mean WORC 59 % (SD, 20). Seven out of 12 had contralateral cuff tear arthropathy, and the difference in frequency of arthropathy between shoulders was not statistically significant (P=0.667).In Paper IV we tested whether early repair of small cuff tears, involving mainly supraspinatus, would give a superior clinical result com-pared to physiotherapy without repair in a prospective randomised trial with 12 months follow-up. We used Constant score as the primary out-come, and WORC, EQ-VAS and Numerical Rating Scale for pain (NRS) as secondary outcomes. We also aimed at assessing the rate of tear progression in unrepaired shoulders and the healing rate in repaired shoulders by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) performed at 12 months. With a high grade of follow-up (100 % for 12 months Constant score and 95 % for 12 months MRI), the repair group had a 12 months median Constant score of 83 (Quartile range [QR], 25) and the conservative group 78 (QR, 22). This between-group difference in medians of 4.5 (95% CI,-5 to 9; P=0.68) was not statistically significant and we did not detect any significant differences in the secondary outcomes at 12 months. The retear rate was 6.5 % in repaired patients and 29 % of unrepaired patients had a tear enlargement >5 mm.The results in this thesis indicate that patients with small, traumatic, full-thickness tears of mainly supraspinatus have no clinical benefit of early surgical repair compared to physiotherapy alone, but in the long-term, patients with full-thickness tears have an increased risk of tear progression, cuff tear arthropathy and low clinical scores. These results are especially important in the treatment decision of repair or not in younger patients. Having a full-thickness tear is also a risk factor for having a contralateral cuff tear, a phenomenon that underlines the importance of endogenous factors in the development of rotator cuff tears. If a cuff tear is not repairable to bone, the addition of a synthetic inter-position graft does not seem to prevent cuff tear arthropathy.
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| 5. |
- Axman, Erik, et al.
(author)
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Assessing the Validity and Cover Rate of the National Swedish Hernia Register
- 2021
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In: CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY. - : Dove Press. - 1179-1349. ; 13, s. 1129-1134
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To assess the validity and cover rate of the Swedish hernia register. Material and Methods: Since the start of the Swedish Hernia register an annual review of randomly selected hospitals has been carried out, and since 2013 in a more standardized form to allow a systematic data collection and evaluation. 10% of all clinics were randomly selected each year in a specific region of Sweden, ensuring a systematic validation of all regions from north to south. Data from 2013 to 2018 were analyzed regarding data quality and from 2014 to 2018 regarding cover rate. All operations registered at the validated clinics were compared with the Swedish Hernia Register to assess cover rate. Fifty operations were randomly selected at each clinic and data in the Swedish Hernia register were compared with the medical records to evaluate data quality. Results: Fifty-five clinics was evaluated and a total of 73,764 variables were compared with the medical records. Cover rate between 2014 and 2018 was 97%. The proportion of correct variables was 98% between 2013 and 2018. Most frequent errors were ASA score, date at which the patient was put on the waiting list and postoperative complications. Conclusion: This unique validation of a national hernia register shows a high cover rate and good quality of data. Efforts to maintain and improve national registers are of great importance. Research with data from the Swedish hernia register should be evaluated on the basis of the results presented in this study.
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| 6. |
- Kanberg, Nelly, et al.
(author)
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Neurochemical evidence of astrocytic and neuronal injury commonly found in COVID-19.
- 2020
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In: Neurology. - 1526-632X .- 0028-3878. ; 95:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To test the hypothesis that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has an impact on the CNS by measuring plasma biomarkers of CNS injury.We recruited 47 patients with mild (n = 20), moderate (n = 9), or severe (n = 18) COVID-19 and measured 2 plasma biomarkers of CNS injury by single molecule array, neurofilament light chain protein (NfL; a marker of intra-axonal neuronal injury) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp; a marker of astrocytic activation/injury), in samples collected at presentation and again in a subset after a mean of 11.4 days. Cross-sectional results were compared with results from 33 age-matched controls derived from an independent cohort.The patients with severe COVID-19 had higher plasma concentrations of GFAp (p = 0.001) and NfL (p < 0.001) than controls, while GFAp was also increased in patients with moderate disease (p = 0.03). In patients with severe disease, an early peak in plasma GFAp decreased on follow-up (p < 0.01), while NfL showed a sustained increase from first to last follow-up (p < 0.01), perhaps reflecting a sequence of early astrocytic response and more delayed axonal injury.We show neurochemical evidence of neuronal injury and glial activation in patients with moderate and severe COVID-19. Further studies are needed to clarify the frequency and nature of COVID-19-related CNS damage and its relation to both clinically defined CNS events such as hypoxic and ischemic events and mechanisms more closely linked to systemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and consequent immune activation, as well as to evaluate the clinical utility of monitoring plasma NfL and GFAp in the management of this group of patients.
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| 7. |
- Alevronta, Eleftheria, et al.
(author)
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Dose-response relationships of intestinal organs and excessive mucus discharge after gynaecological radiotherapy
- 2021
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203 .- 1932-6203. ; 16:4 April
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background The study aims to determine possible dose-volume response relationships between the rectum, sigmoid colon and small intestine and the ‘excessive mucus discharge’ syndrome after pelvic radiotherapy for gynaecological cancer. Methods and materials From a larger cohort, 98 gynaecological cancer survivors were included in this study. These survivors, who were followed for 2 to 14 years, received external beam radiation therapy but not brachytherapy and not did not have stoma. Thirteen of the 98 developed excessive mucus discharge syndrome. Three self-assessed symptoms were weighted together to produce a score interpreted as ‘excessive mucus discharge’ syndrome based on the factor loadings from factor analysis. The dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for rectum, sigmoid colon, small intestine for each survivor were exported from the treatment planning systems. The dose-volume response relationships for excessive mucus discharge and each organ at risk were estimated by fitting the data to the Probit, RS, LKB and gEUD models. Results The small intestine was found to have steep dose-response curves, having estimated dose-response parameters: γ : 1.28, 1.23, 1.32, D : 61.6, 63.1, 60.2 for Probit, RS and LKB respectively. The sigmoid colon (AUC: 0.68) and the small intestine (AUC: 0.65) had the highest AUC values. For the small intestine, the DVHs for survivors with and without excessive mucus discharge were well separated for low to intermediate doses; this was not true for the sigmoid colon. Based on all results, we interpret the results for the small intestine to reflect a relevant link. Conclusion An association was found between the mean dose to the small intestine and the occurrence of ‘excessive mucus discharge’. When trying to reduce and even eliminate the incidence of ‘excessive mucus discharge’, it would be useful and important to separately delineate the small intestine and implement the dose-response estimations reported in the study.
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| 8. |
- Papakokkinou, Eleni, et al.
(author)
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Prevalence of Nelson's syndrome after bilateral adrenalectomy in patients with cushing's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2021
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In: Pituitary. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1386-341X .- 1573-7403.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose Bilateral adrenalectomy (BA) still plays an important role in the management of Cushing's disease (CD). Nelson's syndrome (NS) is a severe complication of BA, but conflicting data on its prevalence and predicting factors have been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of NS, and identify factors associated with its development. Data sources Systematic literature search in four databases. Study Selection Observational studies reporting the prevalence of NS after BA in adult patients with CD. Data extraction Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed by three independent investigators. Data synthesis Thirty-six studies, with a total of 1316 CD patients treated with BA, were included for the primary outcome. Pooled prevalence of NS was 26% (95% CI 22-31%), with moderate to high heterogeneity (I-2 67%, P < 0.01). The time from BA to NS varied from 2 months to 39 years. The prevalence of NS in the most recently published studies, where magnet resonance imaging was used, was 38% (95% CI 27-50%). The prevalence of treatment for NS was 21% (95% CI 18-26%). Relative risk for NS was not significantly affected by prior pituitary radiotherapy [0.9 (95% CI 0.5-1.6)] or pituitary surgery [0.6 (95% CI 0.4-1.0)]. Conclusions Every fourth patient with CD treated with BA develops NS, and every fifth patient requires pituitary-specific treatment. The risk of NS may persist for up to four decades after BA. Life-long follow-up is essential for early detection and adequate treatment of NS.
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| 9. |
- Robertson, Josefina, et al.
(author)
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Serum neopterin levels in relation to mild and severe COVID-19
- 2020
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In: BMC Infectious Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2334. ; 20:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, is rapidly spreading worldwide. There is limited information about prognostic markers that could help clinicians to identify COVID-19 patients with a poor prognosis. Serum levels of the immune activation marker neopterin has shown to be of prognostic value in patients with SARS. The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum neopterin is associated with the severity of COVID-19. Methods: We included 34 patients with confirmed COVID-19 between March 3 and March 30, 2020. Fifteen patients had mild disease and did not require hospitalization, whereas 19 patients developed severe COVID-19 requiring intensive care. Concentrations of serum neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine were measured at and repeatedly after inclusion. Results: We found a more than two-fold higher mean concentration of neopterin in severely ill patients (mean value 42.0 nmol/L (SD 18.2)) compared to patients with mild symptoms (16.9 nmol/L (SD 11.0)). All of the severe cases had elevated neopterin concentrations (> 9.1 nmol/L) at the initial sampling with values ranging from 17.2 to 86.7 nmol/L. In comparison, 10 of 15 patients with mild disease had neopterin levels above 9.1 nmol/L, with concentrations in the range from 4.9 to 31.6 nmol/L. Neopterin levels gradually decreased during the course of COVID-19, but severe cases maintained elevated levels for a longer period. Moreover, lower levels of tryptophan and higher levels of kynurenine, indicating an increased tryptophan catabolism, were seen in the group with severe cases. Conclusions: In conclusion, we found that serum neopterin levels are associated with the severity of COVID-19. Our findings suggest that neopterin could be used as a prognostic marker, but further studies are needed to elucidate how it can be used in the clinic.
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| 10. |
- Morgell, Ann, et al.
(author)
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Metabolic Characterization of Plasma and Cyst Fluid from Cystic Precursors to Pancreatic Cancer Patients Reveal Metabolic Signatures of Bacterial Infection
- 2021
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In: Journal of Proteome Research. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1535-3907 .- 1535-3893. ; 20:5, s. 2725-2738
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pancreatic cancer is the seventh leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a 5 year survival rate as low as 9%. One factor complicating the management of pancreatic cancer is the lack of reliable tools for early diagnosis. While up to 50% of the adult population has been shown to develop precancerous pancreatic cysts, limited and insufficient approaches are currently available to determine whether a cyst is going to progress into pancreatic cancer. Recently, we used metabolomics approaches to identify candidate markers of disease progression in patients diagnosed with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) undergoing pancreatic resection. Here, we enrolled an independent cohort to verify the candidate markers from our previous study with orthogonal quantitative methods in plasma and cyst fluid from serous cystic neoplasm and IPMN (either low- or high-grade dysplasia or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma). We thus validated these markers with absolute quantitative methods through the auxilium of stable isotope-labeled internal standards in a new independent cohort. Finally, we identified novel markers of IPMN status and disease progression - including amino acids, carboxylic acids, conjugated bile acids, free and carnitine-conjugated fatty acids, purine oxidation products, and trimethylamine-oxide. We show that the levels of these metabolites of potential bacterial origin correlated with the degree of bacterial enrichment in the cyst, as determined by 16S RNA. Overall, our findings are interesting per se, owing to the validation of previous markers and identification of novel small molecule signatures of IPMN and disease progression. In addition, our findings further fuel the provoking debate as to whether bacterial infections may represent an etiological contributor to the development and severity of the disease in pancreatic cancer, in like fashion to other cancers (e.g., Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer).
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