1. |
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2. |
- Grubb, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Generation of a new cystatin C-based estimating equation for glomerular filtration rate by use of 7 assays standardized to the international calibrator
- 2014
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In: Clinical Chemistry. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0009-9147 .- 1530-8561. ; 60:7, s. 974-986
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND:Many different cystatin C-based equations exist for estimating glomerular filtration rate. Major reasons for this are the previous lack of an international cystatin C calibrator and the nonequivalence of results from different cystatin C assays.METHODS:Use of the recently introduced certified reference material, ERM-DA471/IFCC, and further work to achieve high agreement and equivalence of 7 commercially available cystatin C assays allowed a substantial decrease of the CV of the assays, as defined by their performance in an external quality assessment for clinical laboratory investigations. By use of 2 of these assays and a population of 4690 subjects, with large subpopulations of children and Asian and Caucasian adults, with their GFR determined by either renal or plasma inulin clearance or plasma iohexol clearance, we attempted to produce a virtually assay-independent simple cystatin C-based equation for estimation of GFR.RESULTS:We developed a simple cystatin C-based equation for estimation of GFR comprising only 2 variables, cystatin C concentration and age. No terms for race and sex are required for optimal diagnostic performance. The equation, [Formula: see text] is also biologically oriented, with 1 term for the theoretical renal clearance of small molecules and 1 constant for extrarenal clearance of cystatin C.CONCLUSIONS:A virtually assay-independent simple cystatin C-based and biologically oriented equation for estimation of GFR, without terms for sex and race, was produced.
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4. |
- Hansson, Lars-Anders, et al.
(author)
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Consumption patterns, complexity and enrichment in aquatic food chains
- 1998
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In: Royal Society of London. Proceedings B. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 1471-2954. ; 265:1399, s. 901-906
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The interactions between consumers and prey, and their impact on biomass distribution among trophic levels, are central issues in both empirical and theoretical ecology. In a long-term experiment, where all organisms, including the top predator, were allowed to respond to environmental conditions by reproduction, we tested predictions from `prey-dependent' and `ratio-dependent' models. Prey-dependent models made correct predictions only in the presence of strong interactors in simple food chains, but failed to predict patterns in more complex situations. Processes such as omnivory, consumer excretion, and unsuitable prey-size windows (invulnerable prey) increased the complexity and created patterns resembling ratio-dependent consumption. However, whereas the prey-dependent patterns were created by the mechanisms predicted by the model, ratio-dependent patterns were not, suggesting that they may be right for the wrong reason'. We show here that despite the enormous complexity of ecosystems, it is possible to identify and disentangle mechanisms responsible for observed patterns in community structure, as well as in biomass development of organisms ranging in size from bacteria to fish.
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5. |
- Persson, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Effects of enrichment on simple aquatic food webs
- 2001
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In: American Naturalist. - : University of Chicago Press. - 0003-0147 .- 1537-5323. ; 157:6, s. 654-669
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple models, based on Lotka-Volterra types of interactions between predator and prey, predict that enrichment will have a destabilizing effect on populations and that equilibrium population densities will change at the top trophic level and every second level below. We experimentally tested these predictions in three aquatic food web configurations subjected to either high or low nutrient additions. The results were structured by viewing the systems as either food chains or webs and showed that trophic level biomass increased with enrichment, which contradicts food chain theory. However, within each trophic level, food web configuration affected the extent to which different functional groups responded to enrichment. By dividing trophic levels into functional groups, based on vulnerability to consumption, we were able to identify significant effects that were obscured when systems were viewed as food chains. The results support the prediction that invulnerable prey may stabilize trophic-level dynamics by replacing other, more vulnerable prey. Furthermore, the vulnerable prey, such as Daphnia and edible algae, responded as predicted by the paradox of enrichment hypothesis; that is, variability in population density increased with enrichment. Hence, by describing ecosystems as a matrix of food web interactions, and by recognizing the interplay between interspecific competition and predation, a more complete description of the ecosystem function was obtained compared to when species were placed into distinct trophic levels.
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6. |
- Persson, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Effects of enrichment on simple aquatic food webs
- 2001
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In: The American Naturalist. ; 157:6, s. 654-669
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Simple models, based on Lotka-Volterra types of interactions between predator and prey, predict that enrichment will have a destabilizing effect on
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7. |
- Aronsson, Per, et al.
(author)
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An operational decision support tool for stump harvest
- 2011
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A multi-criteria decision support tool was developed to optimise stump harvesting for energy in Sweden. The decision tool takes account of multiple, sometimes conflicting, criteria relating to stump harvest; energy and climate, economics, biodiversity, and soil and water. Data on harvested stems are used as primary input data in the tool. Such data are routinely collected in harvester computers. The tool effectively deals with mixed sets of data; quantitative harvest data are re-calculated to metric (e.g. stump biomass), and qualitative data (e.g. biodiversity implications) are incorporated. A digital terrain map derived from air-borne laser scanning provides basic data for estimating soil wetness, while digital maps of water courses, key habitats and protected areas, or other sensitive habitats, are used to identify potentially and practically harvestable stumps.In four sub-models, an index from 0 to 10 is calculated for each stump, with 0 representing ‘Not at all suitable’ and 10 ‘Highly suitable for extraction’. Through this, a stump of high value for wood-living species is assigned a low index in the biodiversity sub-model and a large, easily accessible stump is assigned a high index in the economic sub-model. When calculating the net index, the sub-indices can be weighted according to the preferences of the end-user.An energy and climate sub-model incorporates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from forest operations and the effect of advancing GHG emissions when stump biomass is incinerated instead of being left to decompose. In the economic sub-model the potential monetary return from each stump is calculated based on estimated revenue from harvested stump biomass and the costs of stump harvesting and forwarding operations (based on cost functions and GIS calculations of transport distances).The biodiversity sub-model considers four types of wood-dependent organisms (lichens, mosses, insects and fungi) in terms of their habitat requirements, vulnerability, sun exposure preferences, locality, etc. A panel of external experts has drawn up a grading scale of stump values for the different taxonomic groups. The proximity to key habitats and exposure to sunlight are derived from a spatial model.Soil and water issues are handled within a sub-model estimating the consequences for long-term soil fertility (nutrient cycling and soil compaction) and water (leaching of plant nutrients and mercury, and particle transport due to soil damage by heavy machinery).The tool offers the end-user possibilities to prioritise and plan for cost-effective stump harvesting, while minimising negative environmental impacts.
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8. |
- Folkersen, Lasse, et al.
(author)
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Association of genetic risk variants with expression of proximal genes identifies novel susceptibility genes for cardiovascular disease
- 2010
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In: Circulation. - 1942-325X .- 1942-3268. ; 3:4, s. 365-373
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Population-based genome-wide association studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cardiovascular disease or its risk factors. Genes in close proximity to these risk-SNPs are often thought to be pathogenetically important based on their location alone. However, the actual connections between SNPs and disease mechanisms remain largely unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: To identify novel susceptibility genes, we investigated how 166 SNPs previously found to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk and/or predisposing metabolic traits relate to the expression of nearby genes. Gene expression in 577 samples of aorta, liver, mammary artery, and carotid atherosclerotic plaque was measured using expression arrays. For 47 SNPs, the expression levels of proximal genes (located within 200 kb) were affected (P<0.005). More than 20 of these genes had not previously been identified as candidate genes for cardiovascular or related metabolic traits. SNP-associated gene effects were tissue-specific and the tissue specificity was phenotype-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates several instances of association between risk-SNPs and genes immediately adjacent to them. It also demonstrates instances in which the associated gene is not the immediately proximal and obvious candidate gene for disease. This shows the necessity of careful studies of genetic marker data as a first step toward application of genome-wide association studies findings in a clinical setting.
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9. |
- Gertow, Karl, et al.
(author)
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Identification of the BCAR1-CFDP1-TMEM170A Locus as a Determinant of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Coronary Artery Disease Risk
- 2012
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In: Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. - 1942-325X .- 1942-3268. ; 5:6, s. 656-665
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background-Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) is a widely accepted marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. To date, large-scale investigations of genetic determinants of cIMT are sparse. Methods and Results-To identify cIMT-associated genes and genetic variants, a discovery analysis using the Illumina 200K CardioMetabochip was conducted in 3430 subjects with detailed ultrasonographic determinations of cIMT from the IMPROVE (Carotid Intima Media Thickness [IMT] and IMT-Progression as Predictors of Vascular Events in a High Risk European Population) study. Segment-specific IMT measurements of common carotid, bifurcation, and internal carotid arteries, and composite IMT variables considering the whole carotid tree (IMTmean, IMTmax, and IMTmean-max), were analyzed. A replication stage investigating 42 single-nucleotide polymorphisms for association with common carotid IMT was undertaken in 5 independent European cohorts (total n=11 590). A locus on chromosome 16 (lead single-nucleotide polymorphism rs4888378, intronic in CFDP1) was associated with cIMT at significance levels passing multiple testing correction at both stages (array-wide significant discovery P=6.75x10(-7) for IMTmax; replication P=7.24x10(-6) for common cIMT; adjustments for sex, age, and population substructure where applicable; minor allele frequency 0.43 and 0.41, respectively). The protective minor allele was associated with lower carotid plaque score in a replication cohort (P=0.04, n=2120) and lower coronary artery disease risk in 2 case-control studies of subjects with European ancestry (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 0.83 [0.77-0.90], P=6.53x10(-6), n=13 591; and 0.95 [0.92-0.98], P=1.83x10(-4), n= 82 297, respectively). Queries of human biobank data sets revealed associations of rs4888378 with nearby gene expression in vascular tissues (n=126-138). Conclusions-This study identified rs4888378 in the BCAR1-CFDP1-TMEM170A locus as a novel genetic determinant of cIMT and coronary artery disease risk in individuals of European descent. (Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2012;5:656-665.)
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10. |
- Hansson, Lars-Anders, et al.
(author)
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Food-chain length alters community responses to global change in aquatic systems
- 2013
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In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 3, s. 228-233
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Synergies between large-scale environmental changes, such as climate change1 and increased humic content (brownification)2, will have a considerable impact on future aquatic ecosystems. On the basis of modelling, monitoring and experimental data, we demonstrate that community responses to global change are determined by food-chain length and that the top trophic level, and every second level below, will benefit from climate change, whereas the levels in between will suffer. Hence, phytoplankton, and thereby algal blooms, will benefit from climate change in three-, but not in two-trophic-level systems. Moreover, we show that both phytoplankton (resource) and zooplankton (consumer) advance their spring peak abundances similarly in response to a 3 °C temperature increase; that is, there is no support for a consumer/resource mismatch in a future climate scenario. However, in contrast to other taxa, cyanobacteria—known as toxin-producing nuisance phytoplankton3—benefit from a higher temperature and humic content irrespective of the food-chain composition. Our results are mirrored in natural ecosystems. By mechanistically merging present food-chain theory with large-scale environmental and climate changes, we provide a powerful framework for predicting and understanding future aquatic ecosystems and their provision of ecosystem services and water resources.
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11. |
- Hansson, Lars-Anders, et al.
(author)
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Food-chain length alters community responses to global change in aquatic systems
- 2013
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In: Nature Climate Change. - 1758-6798. ; 3:3, s. 228-233
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Synergies between large-scale environmental changes, such as climate change(1) and increased humic content (brownification)(2), will have a considerable impact on future aquatic ecosystems. On the basis of modelling, monitoring and experimental data, we demonstrate that community responses to global change are determined by food-chain length and that the top trophic level, and every second level below, will benefit from climate change, whereas the levels in between will suffer. Hence, phytoplankton, and thereby algal blooms, will benefit from climate change in three-, but not in two-trophic-level systems. Moreover, we show that both phytoplankton (resource) and zooplankton (consumer) advance their spring peak abundances similarly in response to a 3 degrees C temperature increase; that is, there is no support for a consumer/resource mismatch in a future climate scenario. However, in contrast to other taxa, cyanobacteria-known as toxin-producing nuisance phytoplankton(3)-benefit from a higher temperature and humic content irrespective of the food-chain composition. Our results are mirrored in natural ecosystems. By mechanistically merging present food-chain theory with large-scale environmental and climate changes, we provide a powerful framework for predicting and understanding future aquatic ecosystems and their provision of ecosystem services and water resources.
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12. |
- Henryson, Kajsa, et al.
(author)
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Environmental performance of crop cultivation at different sites and nitrogen rates in Sweden
- 2019
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In: Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. - : SPRINGER. - 1385-1314 .- 1573-0867. ; 114:2, s. 139-155
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nitrogen (N) fertilisation has positive and negative effects on the environmental impact of crop cultivation. The mechanisms governing these effects are highly site-dependent, a factor often ignored in assessments of the environmental impact of crop cultivation. By assessing outputs of crop rotations using a life cycle approach, this study explored how greenhouse gas emissions and marine eutrophication caused by crop cultivation (including upstream processes such as production of farm inputs) depend on fertiliser rate and the site at which the cultivation occurs. Cereal unit (CU) was used as the functional unit. The calculations were based on data from multi-site long-term field experiments in Sweden and site-dependent data and models for non-measured processes. Cultivation at three N levels was evaluated, where the highest N rate was close to current average practices and the lowest level corresponded to one-third of that. Site characteristics had a stronger influence on both greenhouse gas emissions and marine eutrophication (variations of up to 330% and 490%, respectively, within N levels) than N level (variations of up to 74% and 59%, respectively, within sites). Main sources of variation in greenhouse gas emissions were soil nitrous oxide emissions (58-810g CO2eqCU-1) and soil organic carbon changes (14-720g CO2eqCU-1), while variations in marine eutrophication were mainly explained by field-level waterborne N losses (0.9-8.2g NeqCU-1). The large variation between sites highlights the importance of considering site characteristics when assessing the environmental impact of crop cultivation and evaluating the environmental consequences of crop management practices.
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13. |
- Sandin, Per, et al.
(author)
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Precautionary defaults - A new strategy for chemical risk management
- 2004
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In: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1080-7039 .- 1549-7860. ; 10, s. 1-18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In order to give adequate support to risk managers, new risk assessment methods should be developed that are (1) scientifically sound, (2) simplified, and (3) suited for precautionary risk management. In this Perspective we propose that the notion of a precautionary default can be a useful tool in the development of such methods. A precautionary default is a cautious or pessimistic assumption that is used in the absence of adequate information and that should be replaced when such information is obtained. Furthermore, we point out some promising research areas for the development of such indicators, viz. connections between chemical characteristics such as persistence and effect parameters, monitoring of contaminants in polar regions, monitoring of contaminants in breast milk, application of results from (human) toxicology in ecotoxicology and vice versa, (eco) toxicological test systems that are sensitive to effects on reproduction, and the application of bioinformatic methods to complex data, both in genomic research and in ecotoxicology. We conclude that precautionary decision-making does not require less science, but to the contrary it requires more science and improved communication between scientists and risk managers.
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14. |
- Sundström, Johan, Professor, 1971-, et al.
(author)
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Risk factors for subarachnoid haemorrhage : a nationwide cohort of 950 000 adults
- 2019
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In: International Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0300-5771 .- 1464-3685. ; 48:6, s. 2018-2025
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating disease, with high mortality rate and substantial disability among survivors. Its causes are poorly understood. We aimed to investigate risk factors for SAH using a novel nationwide cohort consortium.METHODS: We obtained individual participant data of 949 683 persons (330 334 women) between 25 and 90 years old, with no history of SAH at baseline, from 21 population-based cohorts. Outcomes were obtained from the Swedish Patient and Causes of Death Registries.RESULTS: During 13 704 959 person-years of follow-up, 2659 cases of first-ever fatal or non-fatal SAH occurred, with an age-standardized incidence rate of 9.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) (7.4-10.6)/100 000 person-years] in men and 13.8 [(11.4-16.2)/100 000 person-years] in women. The incidence rate increased exponentially with higher age. In multivariable-adjusted Poisson models, marked sex interactions for current smoking and body mass index (BMI) were observed. Current smoking conferred a rate ratio (RR) of 2.24 (95% CI 1.95-2.57) in women and 1.62 (1.47-1.79) in men. One standard deviation higher BMI was associated with an RR of 0.86 (0.81-0.92) in women and 1.02 (0.96-1.08) in men. Higher blood pressure and lower education level were also associated with higher risk of SAH.CONCLUSIONS: The risk of SAH is 45% higher in women than in men, with substantial sex differences in risk factor strengths. In particular, a markedly stronger adverse effect of smoking in women may motivate targeted public health initiatives.
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15. |
- Barrett, Jennifer H., et al.
(author)
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Fine mapping of genetic susceptibility loci for melanoma reveals a mixture of single variant and multiple variant regions
- 2015
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In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 136:6, s. 1351-1360
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- At least 17 genomic regions are established as harboring melanoma susceptibility variants, in most instances with genome-wide levels of significance and replication in independent samples. Based on genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data augmented by imputation to the 1,000 Genomes reference panel, we have fine mapped these regions in over 5,000 individuals with melanoma (mainly from the GenoMEL consortium) and over 7,000 ethnically matched controls. A penalized regression approach was used to discover those SNP markers that most parsimoniously explain the observed association in each genomic region. For the majority of the regions, the signal is best explained by a single SNP, which sometimes, as in the tyrosinase region, is a known functional variant. However in five regions the explanation is more complex. At the CDKN2A locus, for example, there is strong evidence that not only multiple SNPs but also multiple genes are involved. Our results illustrate the variability in the biology underlying genome-wide susceptibility loci and make steps toward accounting for some of the missing heritability. What's new? In genome-wide association studies, researchers identify genetic variants that frequently associate with a particular disease, though the variants identified may not contribute to the molecular cause of the disease. This study took a closer look at 17 regions associated with melanoma, fine mapping the regions both in people with melanoma and in healthy controls. Though single SNPs account for the association in some regions, they found that in a few regions, several SNPs - and possibly multiple genes - contributed to the association signal. These findings illustrate the importance of not overlooking the interaction between multiple genetic markers when conducting such studies.
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16. |
- Bergman, Peter, et al.
(author)
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Safety and efficacy of the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in five groups of immunocompromised patients and healthy controls in a prospective open-label clinical trial
- 2021
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In: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 74
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Patients with immunocompromised disorders have mainly been excluded from clinical trials of vaccination against COVID-19. Thus, the aim of this prospective clinical trial was to investigate safety and efficacy of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination in five selected groups of immunocompromised patients and healthy controls.Methods: 539 study subjects (449 patients and 90 controls) were included. The patients had either primary (n=90), or secondary immunodeficiency disorders due to human immunodeficiency virus infection (n=90), allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation/CAR T cell therapy (n=90), solid organ transplantation (SOT) (n=89), or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (n=90). The primary endpoint was seroconversion rate two weeks after the second dose. The secondary endpoints were safety and documented SARS-CoV-2 infection.Findings: Adverse events were generally mild, but one case of fatal suspected unexpected serious adverse reaction occurred. 72.2% of the immunocompromised patients seroconverted compared to 100% of the controls (p=0.004). Lowest seroconversion rates were found in the SOT (43.4%) and CLL (63.3%) patient groups with observed negative impact of treatment with mycophenolate mofetil and ibrutinib, respectively.Interpretation: The results showed that the mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine was safe in immunocompromised patients. Rate of seroconversion was substantially lower than in healthy controls, with a wide range of rates and antibody titres among predefined patient groups and subgroups. This clinical trial highlights the need for additional vaccine doses in certain immunocompromised patient groups to improve immunity.
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17. |
- Bergquist, Filip, et al.
(author)
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Pharmacokinetics of Intravenously (DIZ101), Subcutaneously (DIZ102), and Intestinally (LCIG) Infused Levodopa in Advanced Parkinson Disease
- 2022
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In: Neurology. - : Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. - 0028-3878 .- 1526-632X. ; 99:10, s. E965-E976
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and Objectives Intestinal levodopa/carbidopa gel infusion (LCIG) is superior to oral treatment in advanced Parkinson disease. The primary objective of this trial was to investigate whether continuous subcutaneous or intravenous infusion with a continuously buffered acidic levodopa/carbidopa solution yields steady-state plasma concentrations of levodopa that are equivalent in magnitude, and noninferior in variability, to those obtained with LCIG in patients with advanced Parkinson disease. Methods A concentrated acidic levodopa/carbidopa (8:1) solution buffered continuously and administered intravenously (DIZ101) or subcutaneously (DIZ102) was compared with an approved LCIG in a randomized, 3-period crossover, open-label, multicenter trial. Formulations were infused for 16 hours to patients with Parkinson disease who were using LCIG as their regular treatment. Patients were recruited from several university neurology clinics but came to the same phase I unit for treatment. Pharmacokinetic variables and safety including dermal tolerance are reported. The primary outcomes were bioequivalence and noninferior variability of DIZ101 and DIZ102 vs LCIG with respect to levodopa plasma concentrations. Results With dosing adjusted to estimated bioavailability, DIZ101 and DIZ102 produced levodopa plasma levels within standard bioequivalence limits compared with LCIG in the 18 participants who received all treatments. Although the levodopa bioavailability for DIZ102 was complete, it was 80% for LCIG. Therapeutic concentrations of levodopa were reached as quickly with subcutaneous administration of DIZ102 as with LCIG and remained stable throughout the infusions. Owing to poor uptake of LCIG, carbidopa levels in plasma were higher with DIZ101 and DIZ102 than with the former. All individuals receiving any of the treatments (n = 20) were included in the evaluation of safety and tolerability. Reactions at the infusion sites were mild and transient. Discussion It is feasible to rapidly achieve high and stable levodopa concentrations by means of continuous buffering of a subcutaneously administered acidic levodopa/carbidopa-containing solution.
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18. |
- Björnerås, Caroline, et al.
(author)
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Inland blue holes of The Bahamas - chemistry and biology in a unique aquatic environment
- 2020
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In: Fundamental and Applied Limnology. - : Schweizerbart science publishers. - 1863-9135. ; 194:2, s. 95-106
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While lake systems in temperate regions have been extensively studied, tropical and subtropical systems have received less attention. Here, we describe the water chemistry and biota of ten inland blue holes on Andros Island, The Bahamas, representative of the morphological, abiotic, and biotic variation among Androsian inland blue holes. The majority of the studied blue holes were vertically stratified with oxic freshwater overlying anoxic saline groundwater of marine origin. Water chemistry (e.g. total phosphorus and nitrogen) in shallow waters was similar among blue holes, while turbidity and water color varied. Presence of hydrogen sulfide and reduced iron in and below the halocline indicate reducing conditions in all stratified blue holes. The biota above the halocline was also similar among blue holes with a few taxa dominating the phytoplankton community, and the zooplankton community consisting of copepods and rotifers. The Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) was present in all investigated blue holes, often accompanied by other small planktivorous fish, while the piscivorous bigmouth sleeper (Gobiomorus donnitor) was only present in some of the blue holes. Our field study reinforces that inland blue holes are highly interesting for biogeochemical research, and provide naturally replicated systems for evolutionary studies.
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20. |
- Delanaye, Pierre, et al.
(author)
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Performance of creatinine-based equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate in White and Black populations in Europe, Brazil, and Africa
- 2022
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In: Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation. - : Oxford University Press. - 0931-0509 .- 1460-2385. ; 38:1, s. 106-118
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: A new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology equation without race variable has been recently proposed (CKD-EPIAS). This equation has neither been validated outside USA nor compared to the new European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) and Lund-Malmö Revised (LMREV) equations, developed in European cohorts.METHODS: Standardized creatinine and measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from the European EKFC cohorts (n = 13 856 including 6031 individuals in the external validation cohort), from France, (n = 4429, including 964 Black Europeans), from Brazil (n = 100), and from Africa (n = 508) were used to test the performances of the equations. A matched analysis between White Europeans and Black Africans or Black Europeans was performed.RESULTS: In White Europeans (n = 9496), both the EKFC and LMREV equations outperformed CKD-EPIAS (bias of -0.6 and -3.2, respectively versus 5.0 mL/min/1.73m², and accuracy within 30% of 86.9 and 87.4, respectively versus 80.9%). In Black Europeans and Black Africans, the best performance was observed with the EKFC equation using a specific Q-value ( = concentration of serum creatinine in healthy males and females). These results were confirmed in matched analyses, which showed that serum creatinine concentrations were different in White Europeans, Black Europeans, and Black Africans for the same measured GFR, age, sex and body mass index. Creatinine differences were more relevant in males.CONCLUSION: In a European and African cohort, the performances of CKD-EPIAS remain suboptimal. The EKFC equation, using usual or dedicated, population-specific Q-values presents the best performance in the whole age range in the European and African populations included in this study.
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21. |
- Delanaye, Pierre, et al.
(author)
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Performance of creatinine-based equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate with a methodology adapted to the context of drug dosage adjustment
- 2022
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In: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 0306-5251 .- 1365-2125. ; 88:5, s. 2118-2127
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AIM: The Cockcroft-Gault (CG) creatinine-based equation is still used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for drug dosage adjustment. Incorrect eGFR may lead to hazardous over- or underdosing METHODS: In a cross-sectional analysis, CG was validated against measured GFR (mGFR) in 14,804 participants and compared with the Modification-of-Diet-in-Renal-Diseases (MDRD), Chronic-Kidney-Disease-Epidemiology (CKD-EPI), Lund-Malmö-Revised (LMR), and European-Kidney-Function-Consortium (EKFC) equations. Validation focused on bias, imprecision, and accuracy (percentage of estimates within ±30% of mGFR, P30), overall and stratified for mGFR, age, and body mass index at mGFR <60 mL/min, as well as classification in mGFR stages.RESULTS: The CG equation performed worse than the other equations, overall and in mGFR, age and BMI subgroups in terms of bias (systematic overestimation), imprecision and accuracy except for patients ≥65 years where bias and P30 were similar to MDRD and CKD-EPI, but worse than LMR and EKFC. In subjects with mGFR<60 mL/min and at BMI [18.5-25[kg/m2 , all equations performed similarly and for BMI<18.5kg/m2 CG and LMR had the best results though all equations had poor P30-accuracy. At BMI≥25kg/m2 the bias of the CG increased with increasing BMI (+17.2mL/min at BMI≥40kg/m2 ). The four more recent equations also classified mGFR stages better than CG.CONCLUSIONS: The CG equation showed poor ability to estimate GFR overall and in analyses stratified for GFR, age, and BMI. CG was inferior to correctly classify the patients in the mGFR staging compared to more recent creatinine-based equations.
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22. |
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23. |
- Eriksson, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Effects of Supply Chain Strategy on Stump Fuel Cost: A Simulation Approach
- 2014
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In: International Journal of Forestry Research. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1687-9368 .- 1687-9376. ; 2014
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Sweden, stump fuel extraction for energy purposes is not a well-established practice and this major resource is currently leftin the forest. The stump fuel supply chain is both challenging and complex, due to distance between resource and end user,material bulkiness, and the number of subprocesses involved. This study examined the impact of different aspects such as sitecharacteristics, fuel quality, biomass losses, andmachine performance on fuel cost. Two systems, including transport of comminutedand uncomminuted fuel, were studied. Discrete-event simulation was used to model systems and to analyse the dynamics ofthe supply chain and its various components. For a distance of 10 km, transportation of uncomminuted fuel gave the lowestcosts. For distances from 30 to 70 km, site size (odt) determined whether to comminute or not before transport. For longerdistances, comminution before transport proved to be necessary. Well-planned stump storage was shown to reduce the deliverycosts significantly, while highmoisture content (>45%) had detrimental effects on system costs per unit energy delivered. However,the most influential parameters were productivity level and site characteristics (distance and site size).
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24. |
- Eriksson, Anders, et al.
(author)
-
Evaluation of delivery strategies for forest fuels applying a model for Weather-driven Analysis of Forest Fuel Systems (WAFFS)
- 2017
-
In: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 188, s. 420-430
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Earlier studies have highlighted the importance of quality and quantity in forest fuel supply chains, since these parameters affect product value and handling properties, but both are constantly changing over time. Great monetary losses can be incurred if forest fuel material has to be delivered to end-users in non-optimal condition, e.g. to meet seasonal fuel demand with its large short-term variations. Thus earlier studies have also highlighted the importance of more information on the forest fuel supply chain. This paper describes development of a model for Weather-driven Analysis of Forest Fuel Systems (WAFFS) that can be used when analysing forest fuel supply chains and that accounts for both active machine activities and passive activities such as quality changes during storage. The aim was to develop a methodology that can be used to evaluate forest fuel supply chain scenarios and analyse various delivery strategies under different conditions. Application of WAFFS to evaluate delivery strategies for forest fuels showed that system improvements were possible when the right biomass was delivered at the right time. The WAFFS model gives an overview of biomass actually stored at different geographical locations and places (heaps or windrows) in terms of both quality and quantity. Delivery strategies actively prioritising biomass storage proved capable of delivering more energy when most needed, thereby improving yearly machine utilisation for contractors in the supply chain. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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25. |
- Glimelius, Bengt, et al.
(author)
-
U-CAN : a prospective longitudinal collection of biomaterials and clinical information from adult cancer patients in Sweden.
- 2018
-
In: Acta Oncologica. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 57:2, s. 187-194
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Progress in cancer biomarker discovery is dependent on access to high-quality biological materials and high-resolution clinical data from the same cases. To overcome current limitations, a systematic prospective longitudinal sampling of multidisciplinary clinical data, blood and tissue from cancer patients was therefore initiated in 2010 by Uppsala and Umeå Universities and involving their corresponding University Hospitals, which are referral centers for one third of the Swedish population.Material and Methods: Patients with cancer of selected types who are treated at one of the participating hospitals are eligible for inclusion. The healthcare-integrated sampling scheme encompasses clinical data, questionnaires, blood, fresh frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue specimens, diagnostic slides and radiology bioimaging data.Results: In this ongoing effort, 12,265 patients with brain tumors, breast cancers, colorectal cancers, gynecological cancers, hematological malignancies, lung cancers, neuroendocrine tumors or prostate cancers have been included until the end of 2016. From the 6914 patients included during the first five years, 98% were sampled for blood at diagnosis, 83% had paraffin-embedded and 58% had fresh frozen tissues collected. For Uppsala County, 55% of all cancer patients were included in the cohort.Conclusions: Close collaboration between participating hospitals and universities enabled prospective, longitudinal biobanking of blood and tissues and collection of multidisciplinary clinical data from cancer patients in the U-CAN cohort. Here, we summarize the first five years of operations, present U-CAN as a highly valuable cohort that will contribute to enhanced cancer research and describe the procedures to access samples and data.
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26. |
- Hallgren, Per, et al.
(author)
-
Synthetic estrogen directly affects fish biomass and may indirectly disrupt aquatic food webs
- 2014
-
In: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268. ; 33:4, s. 930-936
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are known to alter the fitness of individual organisms via changes in growth, behavior, and reproduction. It is largely unknown, however, whether these effects cascade through the food web and indirectly affect other, less sensitive organisms. The authors present results from a mesocosm experiment whereby the effects of the synthetic estrogen 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) were quantified in pelagic communities. Treatment with EE2 at a concentration of 28 ng/L had no large effects on the pelagic communities composed only of phytoplankton and zooplankton. In communities where planktivorous roach (Rutilus rutilus) were also present, however, EE2 caused a significant reduction in fish biomass. Moreover, zooplankton biomass was higher in the EE2 treatments, suggesting that zooplankton may have been released from fish predation. Hence, the direct effect of EE2 on roach may have cascaded down the food web to produce positive indirect effects on zooplankton. This result was supported in complementary foraging experiments with roach, showing reduced foraging performance after exposure to EE2. Despite the observed negative effect of EE2 on roach and the positive indirect effect on zooplankton, these effects did not cascade to phytoplankton, possibly because only copepods, but not cladocerans—the major grazers in these systems—were released from fish predation. The authors conclude that the known reproductive impairment in fish by EE2 in combination with the disturbed foraging performance observed in the present study may be a disadvantage to fish that may result in increasing abundance or biomass of prey such as zooplankton. Hence, EE2 may have consequences for both the structure and function of freshwater communities.
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27. |
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28. |
- Hansen, Joan H., et al.
(author)
-
Ecological consequences of animal migration : Prey partial migration affects predator ecology and prey communities
- 2020
-
In: Ecosystems. - : Springer Nature. - 1432-9840 .- 1435-0629. ; 23:2, s. 292-306
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Patterns of animal migration and the ecological forces that shape them have been studied for centuries. Yet ecological impacts caused by the migration, such as altered predator–prey interactions and effects on community structure, remain poorly understood. This is to a large extent due to the scarcity of naturally replicated migration systems with negative controls, that is, ecosystems without migration. In this study, we tested whether partial migration of certain species within the overall prey community affects foraging ecology of top predators and thereby alters energy pathways in food webs. We carried out the study in independent replicated freshwater lake systems, four with and four without opportunity for prey migration. Specifically, we compared predator foraging mode in lakes where cyprinid prey fish perform seasonal partial migrations into connected streams with lakes lacking migratory opportunities for prey fish. We found clear seasonal bottom-up effects of prey migration on predators, including changes in size structure and total biomass of ingested prey, size-specific changes in littoral versus pelagic origin of diet, and a higher degree of feast-and-famine for predators in systems with migratory prey. Our analyses further showed that partially migratory prey species constitute a larger part of the prey community in systems that allow migration. Hence, prey migrations have important implications for predator foraging ecology and may cause seasonal shifts in the importance of their supporting energy pathways. We suggest that such bottom-up effects of partial migration may be a widespread phenomenon both in aquatic and in terrestrial ecosystems. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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29. |
- Hansson, Helena, et al.
(author)
-
En tryggare och godare värld
- 2023
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- En livsmedelsstrategi är ett viktigt verktyg för att skapa en vision och gemensam riktning för en tryggare och godare framtid. Sverige har sedan länge setts som ett föredöme när det gäller hållbarhet. Att fortsätta på den vägen säkrar framtidens konkurrenskraft i en värld som ställer om till hållbar utveckling och där framtidens entreprenörer sätter hållbara affärsmodeller i fokus och uppnår lönsamhet utan att tära på naturkapitalet. För att stödja utvecklingen krävs en ambitiös och visionär agenda för framtidens livsmedelssystem som inkluderar både produktion och konsumtion och som på allvar beaktar miljömässig och social hållbarhet samtidigt som konkurrenskraften stärks. I en orolig värld behöver både nationell beredskap, internationell handel och samarbete stärkas.
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30. |
- Hansson, Helena, et al.
(author)
-
Mat är mycket mer än näring
- 2023
-
In: Land Lantbruk. - 2002-5599 .- 2002-5580.
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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31. |
- Hansson, Per
(creator_code:cre_t)
-
BLOOD TREATMENT APPARATUS WITH FLOW DIVIDER FOR LIMITING AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT
- 2015
-
Patent (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A blood treatment apparatus (2) comprising: a blood treatment unit (10); a blood line (20) configured to extract blood from a blood source (21), pass the blood through the blood treatment unit (10) and deliver treated blood to a target vessel (22); and a fluid line (30) configured pass treatment fluid through the blood treatment unit (10) and deliver used treatment fluid to a fluid sink (32). A flow divider (40) is arranged in the fluid line (30) separates treatment fluid into to a first fluid section (51) and a second fluid section (53), thereby electrically isolating the fluid sections (51, 53) such that electrical current flowing in the fluid line (30) between the fluid sections (51, 53) is limited. Related manufacturing and verification methods are also described.
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32. |
- Hergens, Maria-Pia, et al.
(author)
-
Use of Scandinavian Moist Smokeless Tobacco (Snus) and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation
- 2014
-
In: Epidemiology. - 1044-3983 .- 1531-5487. ; 25:6, s. 872-876
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Snus is a smokeless tobacco product, widely used among Swedish men and increasingly so elsewhere. There is debate as to whether snus is an acceptable "harm-reduction" tobacco product. Since snus use delivers a dose of nicotine equivalent to cigarettes, and has been implicated in cardiac arrhythmia because of associations with sudden cardiovascular death, a relation with atrial fibrillation is plausible and important to investigate.METHODS:: To assess the relation between use of snus and risk of atrial fibrillation, we carried out a pooled analysis of 7 prospective Swedish cohort studies. In total, 274,882 men, recruited between 1978 and 2004, were followed via the National Patient Register for atrial fibrillation. Primary analyses were restricted to 127,907 never-smokers. Relative risks were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression.RESULTS:: The prevalence of snus use was 25% among never-smokers. During follow-up, 3,069 cases of atrial fibrillation were identified. The pooled relative risk of atrial fibrillation was 1.07 (95% confidence interval = 0.97-1.19) in current snus users, compared with nonusers.CONCLUSION:: Findings from this large national pooling project indicate that snus use is unlikely to confer any important increase in risk of atrial fibrillation.
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33. |
- Hulthén, Kaj, et al.
(author)
-
A predation cost to bold fish in the wild
- 2017
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studies of predator-mediated selection on behaviour are critical for our understanding of the evolution and maintenance of behavioural diversity in natural populations. Consistent individual differences in prey behaviour, especially in the propensity to take risks (“boldness”), are widespread in the animal kingdom. Theory predicts that individual behavioural types differ in a cost-benefit trade-off where bolder individuals benefit from greater access to resources while paying higher predation-risk costs. However, explicitly linking predation events to individual behaviour under natural conditions is challenging and there is currently little data from the wild. We assayed individual behaviour and electronically tagged hundreds of fish (roach, Rutilus rutilus) before releasing them into their lake of origin, thereby exposing them to predation risk from avian apex predators (cormorants, Phalacrocorax carbo). Scanning for regurgitated tags at the cormorant roosting site provided data on individual predation events. We found that fish with higher boldness have a greater susceptibility to cormorant predation compared to relatively shy, risk-averse individuals. Our findings hereby provide unique and direct evidence of behavioural type-dependent predation vulnerability in the wild, i.e. that there is a predation cost to boldness, which is critical for our understanding of the evolution and maintenance of behavioural diversity in natural populations.
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34. |
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35. |
- Hylander, Samuel, et al.
(author)
-
Climate-induced input of turbid glacial meltwater affects vertical distribution and community composition of phyto- and zooplankton
- 2011
-
In: Journal of Plankton Research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0142-7873 .- 1464-3774. ; 33:8, s. 1239-1248
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Receding glaciers are among the most obvious changes caused by global warming, and glacial meltwater entering lakes generally forms plumes of particles. By taking vertical samples along a horizontal gradient from such a particle source, we found that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) attenuated 20-25% faster close to the inflow of suspended particles compared with the more transparent part of the gradient. All sampled stations had a deep chlorophyll a (Chl a) maximum at 15-20 m which was more distinct in the transparent part of the horizontal gradient. Picocyanobacteria increased in abundance in more transparent water and their numbers were tightly correlated with the intensity of the deep Chl a maxima. Motile species of phytoplankton had a deeper depth distribution in transparent versus less transparent water. Yet other species, like Chrysochromulina parva, that can withstand high PAR intensities and low nutrient concentrations, increased in abundance as the water became more transparent. Also copepods increased in abundance, indicating that they are more successful in transparent water. We conclude that sediment input into lakes creates horizontal gradients in PAR and UVR attenuation which strongly affect both distribution and behavior of phyto-and zooplankton. The input of glacial flour creates a sub-habitat that can function as a refuge for species that are sensitive to high PAR and UVR exposure. When the glacier has vanished, this habitat may disappear. During the melting period, with heavy sediment input, we predict that competitive species in transparent waters, like Chrysocromulina, picocyanobacteria and copepods, will become less common. The deep Chl a maxima is also likely to become less developed. Hence, glacier melting will probably have profound effects on both species composition and behavior of several planktonic taxa with potential effects on the food web.
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36. |
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37. |
- Kritzberg, Emma, et al.
(author)
-
Warming and browning of lakes: consequences for pelagic carbon metabolism and sediment delivery
- 2014
-
In: Freshwater Biology. - : Wiley. - 0046-5070. ; 59:2, s. 325-336
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 1. Thousands of lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing a continuous increase in water temperature and colour. While increasing temperature is an effect of climate change, several factors are suggested to drive the increasing water colour, including climate change, altered land use and reversed acidification. 2. In this mesocosm study, we study the effects on pelagic production and sedimentation of organic carbon from a 3 degrees C increase in temperature, a doubling of water colour and a combination of increased temperature and water colour. These manipulations correspond to the predicted development in water colour and temperature in northern temperate systems within the life time of the next generation. 3. The water and plankton communities in the mesocosms were taken from an oligohumic and mesotrophic lake, and the increase in water colour was achieved by the additions of water from a humic lake. The experiment ran from early March to late October. 4. In accordance with our predictions and previous cross-system analyses, net carbon production (NCP) and organic carbon sedimentation decreased in response to increasing water colour. 5. At odds with current theory, NCP and sedimentation increased in heated treatments, as not only respiration but also gross production increased in response to temperature. There were no synergistic effects between warming and browning. 6. These results imply that warming may enhance pelagic delivery of organic carbon to sediments. This could potentially offset a reduction in burial efficiency of organic carbon, which has been projected based on a positive relationship between carbon mineralisation in sediments and temperature.
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38. |
- Lagnelöv, Oscar, et al.
(author)
-
Cost analysis of autonomous battery electric field tractors in agriculture
- 2021
-
In: Biosystems Engineering. - : Elsevier. - 1537-5110 .- 1537-5129. ; 204, s. 358-376
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Interest in the electrification of agricultural vehicles is increasing along with growing interest in autonomous vehicles. Individual technologies have been well-explored, but not their combined use and the effects on agricultural fieldwork. In this study, cost analysis was conducted based on a simulated vehicle system with 50 kW self-driving battery electric drive (BED) tractors. The analysis included battery degradation due to cycling and the cost of inadequate machine capacity, as these factors are suspected to be problems for electric tractors. A dynamic discrete-event vehicle system model, a linear timeliness model and a one-dimensional battery cell ageing model were assumed. Costs obtained were compared with those of contemporary manned diesel-based systems. BED systems had equal or lower annual costs compared to conventional manned diesel-based systems; this was due to lower costs for fuel and maintenance, while providing adequate capacity and lower energy usage. Sensitivity analysis showed that operating costs were of greater significance than investment costs. The generally more expensive investment costs of BED systems were outweighed by the reduced operating costs for several different BED system systems. Battery degradation costs and timeliness were influential, but not sufficient to make the system uncompetitive. The synergistic effect of vehicular autonomy and BED outweighed several of the drawbacks of BED systems, such as frequent recharging, increased transport and reduced consecutive work time.
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39. |
- Lagnelöv, Oscar, et al.
(author)
-
El-traktorers potential att minska Sveriges klimatpåverkan : en studie av maskinsystem i lantbruket
- 2022
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- I denna studie undersöktes potentialen för att minska klimatpåverkan i Svenskt lantbruk genom en övergång till lättare, elektriska och självkörande traktorer som drivs av el från batterier eller vätgas. Målen var att utveckla följande:1. En tidslinje över teknikstegen i utvecklingen mot självkörande eltraktorer, där teknisk mognad och tid till marknad uppskattas. 2. En LCA med fokus på el-traktorers klimatpåverkan, jämfört med konventionella system. 3. En beräkning av potentialen till minskad klimatpåverkan på en nationell nivå.Tidslinjen visade att det fanns flera steg innan de elektriska systemen är redo för marknad, även om dess komponenter är baserad på känd teknik. De är i just nu i demonstrationsfas och det bedömdes att de har 12-13 år tills teknisk marknadsmognad.LCA visade på en klimatpåverkan från maskinanvändning på fält på 80 kg CO2eq./ha och år för det batterielektriska systemet och 117 kg CO2eq./ha och år för vätgassystemet, jämfört med 246 kg CO2eq./ha och år för det konventionella dieselfallet. Dessa värden simulerades för en spannmålsbaserad växtföljd på lerjord. Minskningen kom främst från två källor, dels att el och vätgas i sig har lägre påverkan än diesel och dels att den ökade verkningsgraden hos elektriska drivlinor gör att mindre energi (50-65%) behövs.Den nationella klimatpåverkan uppskattades genom att lägga till fler grödor och jordarter. Uppskattningen täckte alla 2,6 miljoner hektar åkermark i Sverige. Det resulterade i en klimatpåverkan på 536 miljoner kg CO2eq./år för ett konventionellt dieselfall. Att övergå till batteritraktorer kunde minska detta med 65-81 % och en övergång till vätgas med 53-92 %. I båda fallen berodde intervallen på val av bränsleursprung. Förnybara källor ledde till den största minskningen. Elektrifieringen av lantbruksmaskiner skulle kunna leda till en sänkning av utsläppen från Svensk transportsektor med 2-3 %.
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40. |
- Lagnelöv, Oscar, et al.
(author)
-
Electric tractors – Sustainable and Profitable? Economic and environmental impact of autonomy and electric drivelines in agriculture
- 2022
-
In: VDI reports. - : VDI Verlag. ; , s. 189-196
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vehicle electrification can be an effective emission-mitigating technology in heavy vehicles, including in agriculture. Simulation was used to assess the effect of switching conventional diesel tractors to multiple lighter autonomous battery-electric tractors on a Swedish grain farm. An autonomous diesel tractor was also considered. An LCA was made to assess environmental impacts, and the annual cost was calculated. The electric scenario had a 65% lower climate impact than its diesel counterpart and had a reduced the annual cost by lowering operator, fuel and maintenance cost. In total, the cost was lowered by 31% from the conventional scenario. In both the environmental impact and cost, fuel played an important role.
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41. |
- Lagnelöv, Oscar, et al.
(author)
-
Impact of lowered vehicle weight of electric autonomous tractors in a systems perspective
- 2023
-
In: Smart agricultural technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2772-3755. ; 4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Modern agriculture rely on heavy machinery that has increased risk of detrimental soil compaction of arable fields. This can lead to negative effects such as reduced yields, reduced field trafficability and increased fuel use. Electric, autonomous tractors makes it possible to replace one heavy machine with several lighter without increased labour costs. In this study, the economic and environmental effects of reduced soil compaction for smaller autonomous tractors were assessed and compared to a scenario with conventional tractors. A discrete event simulation of a Swedish 200 ha grain farm with clay soil was used for the calculations. The electric, autonomous system had lower soil compaction impacts as well as other benefits, and reduced cost in total from 385 to 258 euro ha-1 and the climate impact from 270 to 77 kg CO2eq ha-1 compared to the conventional scenario. Soil compaction constituted 20% of the cost and 26% of the climate impact for the conventional scenario. It was concluded that soil compaction was impactful in machinery studies, especially on heavier soil like clay, and should not be omitted. Soil compaction avoidance alone was not impactful enough to warrant a change to electric, autonomous tractors but it reinforced already existing trends and further improved the cost and environmental benefits.
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42. |
- Lagnelöv, Oscar, et al.
(author)
-
Life Cycle Assessment of Autonomous Electric Field Tractors in Swedish Agriculture
- 2021
-
In: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 13
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is an increased interest for battery electric vehicles in multiple sectors, including agriculture. The potential for lowered environmental impact is one of the key factors, but there exists a knowledge gap between the environmental impact of on-road vehicles and agricultural work machinery. In this study, a life cycle assessment was performed on two smaller, self-driving battery electric tractors, and the results were compared to those of a conventional tractor for eleven midpoint characterisation factors, three damage categories and one weighted single score. The results showed that compared to the conventional tractor, the battery electric tractor had a higher impact in all categories during the production phase, with battery production being a majority contributor. However, over the entire life cycle, it had a lower impact in the weighted single score (-72%) and all three damage categories; human health (-74%), ecosystem impact (-47%) and resource scarcity (-67%). The global warming potential over the life cycle of the battery electric tractor was 102 kg CO(2)eq.ha(-1) y(-1) compared to 293 kg CO(2)eq.ha(-1) y(-1) for the conventional system. For the global warming potential category, the use phase was the most influential and the fuel used was the single most important factor.
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43. |
- Lagnelöv, Oscar, et al.
(author)
-
Performance comparison of charging systems for autonomous electric field tractors using dynamic simulation
- 2020
-
In: Biosystems Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1537-5110 .- 1537-5129. ; 194, s. 121-137
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A model simulating an autonomous battery electric vehicle system for agricultural field use was created, assuming a 200-ha conventional cereal farm in Swedish conditions. The different subsystems were verified against sources in the literature, field experiments and general common practice. The model was used to compare two different charging systems (conductive charging and battery exchange) for battery electric tractors to each other. A comparative simulation was made with conventional diesel systems (fully autonomous or manned for 10 h d(-1)). The simulation results indicated that battery exchange was generally a faster system than conductive charging. The results also showed that both electric systems were able to achieve similar active time during spring field operations as a corresponding system of a simulated manned diesel tractor for battery sizes from 50 kWh and charge powers from 50 kW. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IAgrE.
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44. |
- LarsOlle, Anders, et al.
(author)
-
A multi-criteria decision support model for optimal stump harvesting
- 2012
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A multi-criteria decision support model for optimal stump harvesting Sweden was developed. The model quantifies the effect of harvesting each individual stump over a harvesting object in four criteria's: - Biodiversity (Biodiversity value index) - Economy (SEK) - Greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) - Soil and water (Soil and water preservation index) The four criteria's are sometimes in conflict to each other, and uses values that are not directly comparable. The intended use for this model is to contribute with the objective evaluation of all four criteria's in the decision in what stumps to harvest and what stumps to leave in the harvesting object. The model uses individual stump data (e.g. position, tree species and stump biomass) and harvesting object GIS data (roads, elevation map, soil map, terrain map). Primary data on individual stumps comes from the logging system in the stem harvesters: GPS and operator classification. Such data are routinely collected in harvesters. Official map data for the harvesting object are available from the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority (Lantmäteriet). This includes the topographic map and elevation maps data in 2 m resolution. Also, GIS data are collected in the inspections before harvesting the stems. The biodiversity sub-model considers different types of wood-dependent organisms (lichens, mosses, insects and fungi) in terms of their habitat requirements, vulnerability, sun exposure preferences, locality, etc. A panel of external experts has drawn up a grading scale of stump values for the different taxonomic groups. The proximity to key habitats and exposure to sunlight are derived from a spatial model. In the economic sub-model the potential net return from each stump is calculated based on estimated revenue from harvested stump biomass and the costs of stump harvesting and transport (based on cost functions and GIS calculations of transport distances). An energy and climate sub-model incorporates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from forest operations and the effect of advancing GHG emissions when stump biomass is incinerated instead of being left to decompose. Soil and water issues are handled within a sub-model estimating the consequences for long-term soil fertility (nutrient cycling and soil compaction) and water (leaching of plant nutrients and mercury, and particle transport due to soil damage by heavy machinery). Each criteria is evaluated in totally four sub-models. To be able to compare the resulting value from each of the criteria, a harvesting index from 0 to 1 is calculated for each stump. The value 0 represents ‘Not at all suitable for harvest’ and 1 ‘Highly suitable for harvest’. Through this, a stump of high biodiversity value is assigned a low harvesting index in the biodiversity sub-model and a large, easily accessible stump is assigned a high harvesting index in the economic sub-model. When calculating the total net index, the harvesting index from each criteria has to be weighed together using one coefficient for each criteria. The weighing coefficient for each criteria is chosen according to the preferences of the decision maker. The tool offers the end-user possibilities to prioritise and plan for cost-effective stump harvesting, while minimising negative environmental impacts.
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45. |
- Lee, Marcus, et al.
(author)
-
Low-latitude zooplankton pigmentation plasticity in response to multiple threats
- 2019
-
In: Royal Society Open Science. - : Royal Society Open Science. - 2054-5703. ; 6:7, s. 1-10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Crustacean copepods in high-latitude lakes frequently alter their pigmentation facultatively to defend themselves against prevailing threats, such as solar ultraviolet radiation ( UVR) and visually oriented predators. Strong seasonality in those environments promotes phenotypic plasticity. To date, no one has investigated whether low-latitude copepods, experiencing continuous stress from UVR and predation threats, exhibit similar inducible defences. We here investigated the pigmentation levels of Bahamian 'blue hole' copepods, addressing this deficit. Examining several populations varying in predation risk, we found the lowest levels of pigmentation in the population experiencing the highest predation pressure. In a laboratory experiment, we found that, in contrast with our predictions, copepods from these relatively constant environments did show some changes in pigmentation subsequent to the removal of UVR; however, exposure to water from different predation regimes induced minor and idiosyncratic pigmentation change. Our findings suggest that low-latitude zooplankton in inland environments may exhibit reduced, but non-zero, levels of phenotypic plasticity compared with their high-latitude counterparts.
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46. |
- Nicolle, Alice, et al.
(author)
-
Predicted warming and browning affect timing and magnitude of plankton phenological events in lakes: a mesocosm study
- 2012
-
In: Freshwater Biology. - : Wiley. - 0046-5070. ; 57:4, s. 684-695
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- 1. Aquatic ecosystems in Northern Europe are expected to face increases in temperature and water colour (TB) in future. While effects of these factors have been studied separately, it is unknown whether and how a combination of them might affect phenological events and trophic interactions. 2. In a mesocosm study, we combined both factors to create conditions expected to arise during the coming century. We focused on quantifying effects on timing and magnitude of plankton spring phenological events and identifying possible mismatches between resources (phytoplankton) and consumers (zooplankton). 3. We found that the increases in TB had important effects on timing and abundance of different plankton groups. While increased temperature led to an earlier peak in phytoplankton and zooplankton and a change in the relative timing of different zooplankton groups, increased water colour reduced chlorophyll-a concentrations. 4. Increased TB together benefitted cladocerans and calanoid copepods and led to stronger top-down control of algae by zooplankton. There was no sign of a mismatch between primary producers and grazers as reported from other studies. 5. Our results point towards an earlier onset of plankton spring growth in shallow lakes in future with a stronger top-down control of phytoplankton by zooplankton grazers.
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47. |
- Nilsson, Daniel, et al.
(author)
-
Dynamic modelling of cut-and-store systems for year-round deliveries of short rotation coppice willow
- 2017
-
In: Biosystems Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1537-5110 .- 1537-5129. ; 159, s. 70-88
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Short rotation coppice willow (SRCW) is a high-yielding energy crop that can be used to produce solid, liquid or gaseous biofuels. The crop is harvested during the winter, when the leaves have dropped. For economic reasons, however, most fuel processing plants require continuous year-round delivery of raw material. Thus, SRCW should be harvested as stems or in larger pieces in order to be storable, and not chipped directly at harvest for immediate use in large-scale heating plants, which is common practice at present. The aim of the project within which this study was conducted is to find cost-effective whole-stem harvesting and handling systems for year-round deliveries of natural-dried SRCW. A discrete event simulation model for such systems was developed in this study, taking weather, soil trafficability, geographical conditions, natural drying of the material and storage losses into account. The model was applied to a fictitious processing plant in Uppsala, Sweden. Machine performance and costs for a system with one stem harvester and up to three infield shuttles, together with one chipper truck for chipping and transport, were investigated. The simulations showed that field trafficability had a crucial impact on total quantity harvested. The total cost was 40 t(-1) dry matter. Yield of SRCW and harvest productivity were important factors regarding costs. The model can be used to design cost-effective harvesting and handling systems for year-round deliveries of SRCW. (C) 2017 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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48. |
- Nilsson, Per Anders, 1968-, et al.
(author)
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Species integrity enhanced by a predation cost to hybrids in the wild
- 2017
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In: Biology Letters. - : The Royal Society. - 1744-9561 .- 1744-957X. ; 13:7, s. 1-4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Species integrity can be challenged, and even eroded, if closely related species can hybridize and produce fertile offspring of comparable fitness to that of par- ental species. The maintenance of newly diverged or closely related species therefore hinges on the establishment and effectiveness of pre- and/or post- zygotic reproductive barriers. Ecological selection, including predation, is often presumed to contribute to reduced hybrid fitness, but field evidence for a predation cost to hybridization remains elusive. Here we provide proof-of- concept for predation on hybrids being a postzygotic barrier to gene flow in the wild. Cyprinid fishes commonly produce fertile, viable hybrid offspring and therefore make excellent study organisms to investigate ecological costs to hybrids. We electronically tagged two freshwater cyprinid fish species (roach Rutilus rutilus and bream Abramis brama) and their hybrids in 2005. Tagged fish were returned to their lake of origin, exposing them to natural predation risk from apex avian predators (great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo). Scanning for regurgitated tags under cormorant roosts 3–4 years later ident- ified cormorant-killed individual fish and allowed us to directly test for a predation cost to hybrids in the wild. Hybrid individuals were found significantly more susceptible to cormorant predation than individuals from either parental species. Such ecological selection against hybrids contributes to species integrity, and can enhance species diversification.
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49. |
- Pottel, Hans, et al.
(author)
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Cystatin C–Based Equation to Estimate GFR without the Inclusion of Race and Sex
- 2023
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In: The New England journal of medicine. - : Massachusetts Medical Society. - 0028-4793 .- 1533-4406. ; 388:4, s. 333-343
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUNDThe accuracy of estimation of kidney function with the use of routine metabolic tests, such as measurement of the serum creatinine level, has been controversial. The European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) developed a creatinine-based equation (EKFC eGFRcr) to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with a rescaled serum creatinine level (i.e., the serum creatinine level is divided by the median serum creatinine level among healthy persons to control for variation related to differences in age, sex, or race). Whether a cystatin C–based EKFC equation would increase the accuracy of estimated GFR is unknown.METHODSWe used data from patients in Sweden to estimate the rescaling factor for the cystatin C level in adults. We then replaced rescaled serum creatinine in the EKFC eGFRcr equation with rescaled cystatin C, and we validated the resulting EKFC eGFRcys equation in cohorts of White patients and Black patients in Europe, the United States, and Africa, according to measured GFR, levels of serum creatinine and cystatin C, age, and sex.RESULTSOn the basis of data from 227,643 patients in Sweden, the rescaling factor for cystatin C was estimated at 0.83 for men and women younger than 50 years of age and 0.83+0.005×(age–50) for those 50 years of age or older. The EKFC eGFRcys equation was unbiased, had accuracy that was similar to that of the EKFC eGFRcr equation in both White patients and Black patients (11,231 patients from Europe, 1093 from the United States, and 508 from Africa), and was more accurate than the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration eGFRcys equation recommended by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes. The arithmetic mean of EKFC eGFRcr and EKFC eGFRcys further improved the accuracy of estimated GFR over estimates from either biomarker equation alone.CONCLUSIONSThe EKFC eGFRcys equation had the same mathematical form as the EKFC eGFRcr equation, but it had a scaling factor for cystatin C that did not differ according to race or sex. In cohorts from Europe, the United States, and Africa, this equation improved the accuracy of GFR assessment over that of commonly used equations.
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50. |
- Pottel, Hans, et al.
(author)
-
Cystatin C–Based Equation to Estimate GFR without the Inclusion of Race and Sex
- 2023
-
In: New England Journal of Medicine. - : Massachusetts Medical Society. - 0028-4793 .- 1533-4406. ; 388:4, s. 333-343
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundThe accuracy of estimation of kidney function with the use of routine metabolic tests, such as measurement of the serum creatinine level, has been controversial. The European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) developed a creatinine-based equation (EKFC eGFRcr) to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) with a rescaled serum creatinine level (i.e., the serum creatinine level is divided by the median serum creatinine level among healthy persons to control for variation related to differences in age, sex, or race). Whether a cystatin C–based EKFC equation would increase the accuracy of estimated GFR is unknown.MethodsWe used data from patients in Sweden to estimate the rescaling factor for the cystatin C level in adults. We then replaced rescaled serum creatinine in the EKFC eGFRcr equation with rescaled cystatin C, and we validated the resulting EKFC eGFRcys equation in cohorts of White patients and Black patients in Europe, the United States, and Africa, according to measured GFR, levels of serum creatinine and cystatin C, age, and sex.ResultsOn the basis of data from 227,643 patients in Sweden, the rescaling factor for cystatin C was estimated at 0.83 for men and women younger than 50 years of age and 0.83+0.005×(age–50) for those 50 years of age or older. The EKFC eGFRcys equation was unbiased, had accuracy that was similar to that of the EKFC eGFRcr equation in both White patients and Black patients (11,231 patients from Europe, 1093 from the United States, and 508 from Africa), and was more accurate than the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration eGFRcys equation recommended by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes. The arithmetic mean of EKFC eGFRcr and EKFC eGFRcys further improved the accuracy of estimated GFR over estimates from either biomarker equation alone.ConclusionsThe EKFC eGFRcys equation had the same mathematical form as the EKFC eGFRcr equation, but it had a scaling factor for cystatin C that did not differ according to race or sex. In cohorts from Europe, the United States, and Africa, this equation improved the accuracy of GFR assessment over that of commonly used equations. (Funded by the Swedish Research Council.)
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