| 1. |
- Wallensten, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Surveillance of influenza A virus in migratory waterfowl in northern Europe
- 2007
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Ingår i: Emerging Infectious Diseases. - 1080-6040 .- 1080-6059. - 1080-6040 ; 13:3, s. 404-411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We conducted large-scale, systematic sampling of influenza type A virus in migratory waterfowl (mostly mallards [Anas platyrhynchos]) at Ottenby Bird Observatory, southeast Sweden. As with previous studies, we found a higher prevalence in fall than spring, and among juveniles compared with adults. However, in contrast to other studies, we found that prevalence in spring was sometimes high (mean 4.0%, highest 9.5%). This finding raises the possibility that ducks are capable of perpetuating influenza A virus of different subtypes and subtype combinations throughout the year and from 1 year to the next. Isolation of the H5 and H7 subtypes was common, which suggests risk for transmission to sensitive domestic animals such as poultry. We argue that wild bird screening can function as a sentinel system, and we give an example of how it could have been used to forecast a remote and deadly outbreak of influenza A in poultry.
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| 2. |
- Cody, Alison J., et al.
(författare)
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Wild bird-associated Campylobacter jejuni isolates are a consistent source of human disease, in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- 2015
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Ingår i: Environmental Microbiology Reports. - : Wiley. - 1758-2229. ; 7:5, s. 782-788
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The contribution of wild birds as a source of human campylobacteriosis was investigated in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom (UK) over a 10 year period. The probable origin of human Campylobacter jejuni genotypes, as described by multilocus sequence typing, was estimated by comparison with reference populations of isolates from farm animals and five wild bird families, using the STRUCTURE algorithm. Wild bird-attributed isolates accounted for between 476 (2.1%) and 543 (3.5%) cases annually. This proportion did not vary significantly by study year (P=0.934) but varied seasonally, with wild bird-attributed genotypes comprising a greater proportion of isolates during warmer compared with cooler months (P=0.003). The highest proportion of wild bird-attributed illness occurred in August (P<0.001), with a significantly lower proportion in November (P=0.018). Among genotypes attributed to specific groups of wild birds, seasonality was most apparent for Turdidae-attributed isolates, which were absent during cooler, winter months. This study is consistent with some wild bird species representing a persistent source of campylobacteriosis, and contributing a distinctive seasonal pattern to disease burden. If Oxfordshire is representative of the UK as a whole in this respect, these data suggest that the national burden of wild bird-attributed isolates could be in the order of 10000 annually.
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| 3. |
- Karawita, Anjana C., et al.
(författare)
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The swan genome and transcriptome, it is not all black and white
- 2023
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Ingår i: Genome Biology. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1465-6906 .- 1474-760X. ; 24:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThe Australian black swan (Cygnus atratus) is an iconic species with contrasting plumage to that of the closely related northern hemisphere white swans. The relative geographic isolation of the black swan may have resulted in a limited immune repertoire and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, notably infectious diseases from which Australia has been largely shielded. Unlike mallard ducks and the mute swan (Cygnus olor), the black swan is extremely sensitive to highly pathogenic avian influenza. Understanding this susceptibility has been impaired by the absence of any available swan genome and transcriptome information.ResultsHere, we generate the first chromosome-length black and mute swan genomes annotated with transcriptome data, all using long-read based pipelines generated for vertebrate species. We use these genomes and transcriptomes to show that unlike other wild waterfowl, black swans lack an expanded immune gene repertoire, lack a key viral pattern-recognition receptor in endothelial cells and mount a poorly controlled inflammatory response to highly pathogenic avian influenza. We also implicate genetic differences in SLC45A2 gene in the iconic plumage of the black swan.ConclusionTogether, these data suggest that the immune system of the black swan is such that should any avian viral infection become established in its native habitat, the black swan would be in a significant peril.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Berggren, H, et al.
(författare)
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Myocardial Protective Effect of Maintained Beta-Blockade in Aorto-Coronary Bypass Surgery
- 1983
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Cardiovascular Journal. - : Informa Healthcare. - 1401-7431 .- 1651-2006. ; 17:1, s. 29-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Twenty-nine patients were randomly allocated to two groups before undergoing aorto-coronary bypass surgery. In one group the beta-blocking medication was withdrawn three days preoperatively, and in the other group it was maintained. The patients in the latter group were additionally given 100 mg metoprolol per os two hours before surgery. The degree of myocardial injury, as judged from cumulated activity of S-CK B, was less when the beta-blockade was maintained.
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| 6. |
- Boman, J, et al.
(författare)
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High prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with cardiovascular disease and in middle-aged blood donors.
- 1998
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Ingår i: Journal of Infectious Diseases. - 0022-1899 .- 1537-6613. ; 178:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) demonstrated the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae-specific DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC samples were obtained from 103 consecutive patients (62 male, 41 female) aged 22-85 years (mean, 64) admitted for coronary angiography because of suspected coronary heart disease and from 52 blood donors (43 male, 9 female) aged 40-64 years (mean, 49). Of the 101 evaluable patients, 60 (59%) were identified by nPCR assay as C. pneumoniae DNA carriers; C. pneumoniae-specific microimmunofluorescence (MIF) serology confirmed exposure to the bacterium in 57 (95%) of the 60 nPCR-positive patients. Among the 52 blood donors, the nPCR assay identified 24 (46%) C. pneumoniae DNA carriers, all of whom were positive by C. pneumoniae-specific serology. Thirty-two patients (32%) and 23 blood donors (44%) were MIF antibody-positive but repeatedly nPCR-negative; Bartonella henselae- or Bartonella quintana-specific antibodies were not detected among any of these subjects. In this study, C. pneumoniae DNA was common in PBMC of patients with coronary heart disease and in middle-aged blood donors.
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| 7. |
- Busch, K., et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence and comorbidities of chronic hepatitis C: a nationwide population-based register study in Sweden
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 52:1, s. 61-68
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of physician-diagnosed and registered chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and to estimate the reported frequencies of Charlson comorbidities compared with matched comparators from the general population. Materials and methods: Patients were identified according to ICD codes for CHC in the Swedish National Patient Register (1997-2013). Prevalence was estimated according to different patient identification algorithms and for different subgroups. Charlson comorbidities were ascertained from the same register and compared with age/sex/county of residence matched general population comparators. Results: A total of 34,633 individuals with physician-diagnosed CHC were alive in Sweden in 2013 (mean age, 49 years; 64% men), corresponding to a physician-diagnosed prevalence of 0.36%. The prevalence varied by case definition (0.22%-0.36%). The estimate dropped to 0.14% for monitored CHC disease (defined as >= 1 CHC-related visit in 2013). Overall, 41.3% of the CHC patients had >= 1 physician-registered Charlson comorbidity; the most common was liver diseases (22.1%). Compared with matched comparators from the general population (n = 171,338), patients with CHC had more physician-diagnosed and registered diseases such as chronic pulmonary disease (10.2% vs. 4.0%), diabetes (10.6% vs. 5.5%) and liver-related cancer (1.3% vs. 0.2%; all p<.01). No information on behavioural factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption or on-going illicit drug use, was available. Conclusion: The physician-diagnosed prevalence of CHC was slightly lower than previously reported estimates, and varied by case definition. The additional comorbidities observed in the CHC group should be taken into consideration, as these comorbidities add to the disease burden.
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| 8. |
- Caidahl, Kenneth, 1949, et al.
(författare)
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New concept in echocardiography: harmonic imaging of tissue without use of contrast agent.
- 1998
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Ingår i: Lancet (London, England). - : Elsevier BV. - 0140-6736. ; 352:9136, s. 1264-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Endocardial border detection is important for echocardiographic assessment of left-ventricular function. Second harmonic imaging of contrast agents enhances this border detection. We discovered that harmonic imaging improves tissue visualisation even before contrast injection. We therefore sought objectively to demonstrate the degree of enhancement of endocardial and myocardial visualisation.An ATL HDI-3000 scanner with software for contrast harmonic imaging was used to record short-axis images of the left ventricle in 27 patients with possible myocardial disease and 22 controls, in the fundamental mode and with harmonic imaging. A computer program measured the relative grey-scale values within six segments of the endocardium and myocardium. An Acuson Sequoia scanner equipped with software for tissue harmonic imaging was used to investigate the reproducibility of ejection-fraction calculations in 22 patients with ischaemic heart disease.Harmonic imaging produced brighter endocardium within each segment. Relative to the mean grey value of the total imaging sector, the values for harmonic and fundamental imaging were 171.5 vs 85.6% (p<0.0001) in end diastole and 194.1 vs 106.7% (p<0.0001) in end systole. Results for the myocardial segments were also significantly better for harmonic imaging. Structure enhancement of similar magnitude was seen among patients and healthy controls. Use of harmonic imaging reduced the proportion of unacceptable images by 14-46% in different views and improved the reproducibility of biplane ejection-fraction measurements.In comparison with fundamental imaging, the relative endocardial and myocardial brightness is enhanced by harmonic imaging.
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| 9. |
- Greimel, E, et al.
(författare)
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An international field study of the reliability and validity of a disease-specific questionnaire module (the QLQ-OV28) in assessing the quality of life of patients with ovarian cancer.
- 2003
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Ingår i: European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990). - 0959-8049. ; 39:10, s. 1402-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study defines the psychometric properties of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life (QOL) questionnaire designed to measure the QOL of patients with ovarian cancer. The ovarian cancer module (EORTC QLQ-OV28) was developed to supplement the EORTC QLQ-C30. The core questionnaire and the QLQ-OV28 were prospectively administered to 368 ovarian cancer patients after they had been treated with radical or debulking surgery followed by chemotherapy. The QLQ-OV28 module assesses abdominal/gastrointestinal symptoms, peripheral neuropathy, other chemotherapy side-effects, hormonal/menopausal symptoms, body image, attitude to disease/treatment and sexual functioning. Questionnaires were well accepted by patients, baseline compliance rates were 86%, 72% provided a second assessment, less than 3% of the items had missing data. Multi-trait scaling analyses confirmed the hypothesised scales. All hypothesised scales exhibited good psychometric properties. These results support the clinical and psychometric validity of the EORTC QLQ-OV28 module as a supplement to the EORTC QLQ-C30.
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| 10. |
- Herlitz, Johan, et al.
(författare)
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Correlation between enzymatic estimation of infarct size and early mortality rate.
- 1983
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Ingår i: British Heart Journal. - : BMJ Group. - 0007-0769. ; 50:6, s. 520-524
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 585 patients with a first acute myocardial infarction the maximum activity of heat stable lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27) was correlated with mortality at three months. The patients participated in a double blind trial with metoprolol in acute myocardial infarction. In all patients not taking a beta blocker a highly significant correlation was found, but this was not evident in those who were. When patients with anterior or inferior infarctions treated with a placebo were analysed separately the correlation remained, as it did when the patients who were alive on the fourth day after the onset of pain were analysed separately. No correlation was observed between enzyme activity and three month mortality in these subgroups if only patients treated with metoprolol were included. In a subsample of only 171 patients it was found that the maximum activity of creatine kinase (EC 2.7.3.2) and creatine kinase subunit B did not correlate with three month mortality regardless of treatment. Thus it is concluded that when a sufficiently large number of patients are investigated there is a highly significant correlation between the enzymatic estimation of infarct size and early mortality in acute myocardial infarction. This relation did not persist when patients treated with beta blockade were analysed.
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