| 1. |
- Lindgren, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Soft-tissue evidence for homeothermy and crypsis in a Jurassic ichthyosaur
- 2018
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 564:7736
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ichthyosaurs are extinct marine reptiles that display a notable external similarity to modern toothed whales. Here we show that this resemblance is more than skin deep. We apply a multidisciplinary experimental approach to characterize the cellular and molecular composition of integumental tissues in an exceptionally preserved specimen of the Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Stenopterygius. Our analyses recovered still-flexible remnants of the original scaleless skin, which comprises morphologically distinct epidermal and dermal layers. These are underlain by insulating blubber that would have augmented streamlining, buoyancy and homeothermy. Additionally, we identify endogenous proteinaceous and lipid constituents, together with keratinocytes and branched melanophores that contain eumelanin pigment. Distributional variation of melanophores across the body suggests countershading, possibly enhanced by physiological adjustments of colour to enable photoprotection, concealment and/or thermoregulation. Convergence of ichthyosaurs with extant marine amniotes thus extends to the ultrastructural and molecular levels, reflecting the omnipresent constraints of their shared adaptation to pelagic life.
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| 2. |
- Berglund, Björn, et al.
(author)
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Efficient removal of antibiotics in surface-flow constructed wetlands, with no observed impact on antibiotic resistance genes
- 2014
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 476-477, s. 29-37
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, there have been growing concerns about pharmaceuticals including antibiotics as environmental contaminants. Antibiotics of concentrations commonly encountered in wastewater have been suggested to affect bacterial population dynamics and to promote dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Conventional wastewater treatment processes do not always adequately remove pharmaceuticals causing environmental dissemination of low levels of these compounds. Using constructed wetlands as an additional treatment step after sewage treatment plants have been proposed as a cheap alternative to increase reduction of wastewater contaminants, however this means that the natural microbial community of the wetlands becomes exposed to elevated levels of antibiotics. In this study, experimental surface-flow wetlands in Sweden were continuously exposed to antibiotics of concentrations commonly encountered in wastewater. The aim was to assess the antibiotic removal efficiency of constructed wetlands and to evaluate the impact of low levels of antibiotics on bacterial diversity, resistance development and expression in the wetland bacterial community. Antibiotic concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and the effect on the bacterial diversity was assessed with 16S rRNA-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Real-time PCR was used to detect and quantify antibiotic resistance genes and integrons in the wetlands, during and after the exposure period. The results indicated that the antibiotic removal efficiency of constructed wetlands was comparable to conventional wastewater treatment schemes. Furthermore, short-term treatment of the constructed wetlands with environmentally relevant concentrations (i.e. 100-2000 ng x 1(-1)) of antibiotics did not significantly affect resistance gene concentrations, suggesting that surface-flow constructed wetlands are well-suited for wastewater treatment purposes. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Börjesson, Stefan, et al.
(author)
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Quantification of genes encoding resistance to aminoglycosides, beta-lactams and tetracyclines in wastewater environments by real-time PCR
- 2009
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In: International Journal of Environmental Health Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0960-3123 .- 1369-1619. ; 19:3, s. 219-30
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study real-time PCR assays, based on the LUX-technique, were developed for quantification of genes mediating resistance to aminoglycosides [aac(6 ')-Ie + aph(2 ' ')], beta-lactams (mecA), and tetracyclines (tetA and tetB), for use in wastewater environments. The developed assays were applied on DNA extracted from three wastewater-associated environments: soil from an overland flow area treating landfill leachates, biofilm from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, and sludge from a hospital wastewater pipeline. The highest concentration of all genes was observed in the hospital pipeline and the lowest in the overland flow system. TetA and aac(6 ')-Ie + aph(2 ' ') could be detected in all environments. The tetB gene was detected in the overland flow area and the hospital wastewater pipeline and mecA was detected in the wastewater treatment plant and the hospital pipeline. The developed LUX real-time PCR assays were shown to be fast and reproducible tools for detection and quantification of the four genes encoding antibiotic resistance in wastewater.
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| 5. |
- Börjesson, Stefan, 1979-, et al.
(author)
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Quantification of genes encoding resistance to aminoglycosides, β-lactams and tetracyclines in wastewater environments by real-time PCR
- 2009
-
In: International Journal of Environmental Health Research. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0960-3123 .- 1369-1619. ; 19:3, s. 219-230
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study real-time PCR assays, based on the LUX™-technique, were developed for quantification of genes mediating resistance to aminoglycosides [aac(6´′)-Ie + aph(2´′´′)], β-lactams (mecA), and tetracyclines (tetA and tetB), for use in wastewater environments. The developed assays were applied on DNA extracted from three wastewater-associated environments: soil from an overland flow area treating landfill leachates, biofilm from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, and sludge from a hospital wastewater pipeline. The highest concentration of all genes was observed in the hospital pipeline and the lowest in the overland flow system. TetA and aac(6´′)-Ie + aph(2´′´′) could be detected in all environments. The tetB gene was detected in the overland flow area and the hospital wastewater pipeline and mecA was detected in the wastewater treatment plant and the hospital pipeline. The developed LUX™ real-time PCR assays were shown to be fast and reproducible tools for detection and quantification of the four genes encoding antibiotic resistance in wastewater.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Lindgren, Anders, 1981, et al.
(author)
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Using Personas and Scenarios as an Interface Design Tool for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
- 2007
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In: Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Ambient Interaction. ; 4555/2007:Part II, s. 460-469
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- When looking at the traditional way of conducting human factors research within the active safety area, focus often tends to be on drivers’ cognitive capacities like; situation awareness, workload and behavioural adaptation. This research is of course invaluable but other important issues that tend to be forgotten are: What are the drivers’ needs and how should an interface be designed to satisfy those needs? This paper describes the process ofdefining requirements for a dynamic graphical interface for ADAS using a rather new method, Personas, as a starting point in the design process. Based on the Personas different scenarios and narratives were created and used in a workshop to specify user needs and requirements in the interface design for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
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| 9. |
- Lindgren, Johan, et al.
(author)
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Fossil insect eyes shed light on trilobite optics and the arthropod pigment screen
- 2019
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In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 573:7772, s. 122-125
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fossilized eyes permit inferences of the visual capacity of extinct arthropods1–3. However, structural and/or chemical modifications as a result of taphonomic and diagenetic processes can alter the original features, thereby necessitating comparisons with modern species. Here we report the detailed molecular composition and microanatomy of the eyes of 54-million-year-old crane-flies, which together provide a proxy for the interpretation of optical systems in some other ancient arthropods. These well-preserved visual organs comprise calcified corneal lenses that are separated by intervening spaces containing eumelanin pigment. We also show that eumelanin is present in the facet walls of living crane-flies, in which it forms the outermost ommatidial pigment shield in compound eyes incorporating a chitinous cornea. To our knowledge, this is the first record of melanic screening pigments in arthropods, and reveals a fossilization mode in insect eyes that involves a decay-resistant biochrome coupled with early diagenetic mineralization of the ommatidial lenses. The demonstrable secondary calcification of lens cuticle that was initially chitinous has implications for the proposed calcitic corneas of trilobites, which we posit are artefacts of preservation rather than a product of in vivo biomineralization4–7. Although trilobite eyes might have been partly mineralized for mechanical strength, a (more likely) organic composition would have enhanced function via gradient-index optics and increased control of lens shape.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Locke, Adam E, et al.
(author)
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Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology.
- 2015
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 518:7538, s. 197-401
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obesity is heritable and predisposes to many diseases. To understand the genetic basis of obesity better, here we conduct a genome-wide association study and Metabochip meta-analysis of body mass index (BMI), a measure commonly used to define obesity and assess adiposity, in up to 339,224 individuals. This analysis identifies 97 BMI-associated loci (P < 5 × 10(-8)), 56 of which are novel. Five loci demonstrate clear evidence of several independent association signals, and many loci have significant effects on other metabolic phenotypes. The 97 loci account for ∼2.7% of BMI variation, and genome-wide estimates suggest that common variation accounts for >20% of BMI variation. Pathway analyses provide strong support for a role of the central nervous system in obesity susceptibility and implicate new genes and pathways, including those related to synaptic function, glutamate signalling, insulin secretion/action, energy metabolism, lipid biology and adipogenesis.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Örtegren, Jonas, et al.
(author)
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Time-dependent nonlinear optical properties of pyroelectric liquid crystalline polymers
- 1999
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In: Macromolecular Symposia. - : Wiley. - 1022-1360 .- 1521-3900. ; 148, s. 179-195
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Highly oriented pyroelectric liquid-crystalline polymers were prepared by photopolymerization under the influence of a static electric field from binary mixtures of two acrylate monomers exhibiting chiral smectic C mesomorphism. Both monomers contained nitro groups to yield second order nonlinear optical properties (second harmonic generation) and one of the monomers had two functional groups to yield a crosslinked polymer. The room temperature second order nonlinear susceptibility of the polymers showed during the first two hours a 10 % decrease after which it remained constant during the next 48 days. At elevated temperatures there was a significant difference in the nonlinear optical properties over time between crosslinked and uncrosslinked polymers. The uncrosslinked polymer showed a pronounced loss of second order nonlinear optical activity with time at ≥38°C. The crosslinked polymer showed a much smaller and basically a temperature independent decrease rate in the second order nonlinear optical properties at all the ageing temperatures (23-130°C). Both the loss in mesogen order parameter, very evident for the uncrosslinked polymer, and conformational changes occurring within the mesogens (β mechanism), may account for the observations made.
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| 14. |
- Aase, Audun, et al.
(author)
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Validate or falsify: Lessons learned from a microscopy method claimed to be useful for detecting Borrelia and Babesia organisms in human blood
- 2016
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In: INFECTIOUS DISEASES. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD. - 2374-4235 .- 2374-4243. ; 48:6, s. 411-419
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background A modified microscopy protocol (the LM-method) was used to demonstrate what was interpreted as Borrelia spirochetes and later also Babesia sp., in peripheral blood from patients. The method gained much publicity, but was not validated prior to publication, which became the purpose of this study using appropriate scientific methodology, including a control group. Methods Blood from 21 patients previously interpreted as positive for Borrelia and/or Babesia infection by the LM-method and 41 healthy controls without known history of tick bite were collected, blinded and analysed for these pathogens by microscopy in two laboratories by the LM-method and conventional method, respectively, by PCR methods in five laboratories and by serology in one laboratory. Results Microscopy by the LM-method identified structures claimed to be Borrelia- and/or Babesia in 66% of the blood samples of the patient group and in 85% in the healthy control group. Microscopy by the conventional method for Babesia only did not identify Babesia in any samples. PCR analysis detected Borrelia DNA in one sample of the patient group and in eight samples of the control group; whereas Babesia DNA was not detected in any of the blood samples using molecular methods. Conclusions The structures interpreted as Borrelia and Babesia by the LM-method could not be verified by PCR. The method was, thus, falsified. This study underlines the importance of doing proper test validation before new or modified assays are introduced.
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| 15. |
- Abdsaleh, Shahin, 1957-
(author)
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Core Biopsy of Breast and Axillary Lesions : Technical and Clinical Aspects
- 2006
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aims of this work were to image and analyze the needle behavior at automated core biopsy, to investigate the clinical utility of an alternative core biopsy technique using a semiautomated gun in breast and axillary lesions, and also to compare core biopsy with surgical specimens in malignant breast lesions regarding histologic features and hormone receptor expression.In two experimental studies, using butter and silicon phantoms, respectively, the needle pass was imaged and its dynamic behavior studied. It was shown that the needle took a curved course in phantoms. It deviated to the same side as where the tip lay, and the degree of the curvature increased with increasing hardness of the phantoms. Our experimental methods can be applied for imaging of needle behavior and thereby improvement of needle configuration.In two clinical studies, a semiautomated gun was used for large needle core biopsy of breast and axillary lesions in two series of 145 and 21 patients, respectively. The sensitivity of the method for diagnosis of malignancy was 87% (108/124), and in 37% (31/83) of cases the full length of the needle notch was filled with specimen. No injury to the neurovascular structures of the axillary area was observed. It was concluded that the semiautomated gun can be used as an alternative to the automated gun when the size and location of the lesion render use of the automatic device uncertain or dangerous, e.g., in small breast lesions or lesions located in the axilla.In a series of 129 cases of breast cancer, comparison of core biopsy and surgical specimens showed that core biopsy provided enough information on the histologic type and grade of the lesions. Also, there was moderate to high concordance between the two methods for assessment of progesterone receptors and estrogen receptors (Spearman`s kappa 0.67 and 0.89, respectively).
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| 16. |
- Adams, Yvonne, et al.
(author)
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3D blood-brain barrier-organoids as a model for Lyme neuroborreliosis highlighting genospecies dependent organotropism
- 2023
-
In: ISCIENCE. - : CELL PRESS. - 2589-0042. ; 26:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), a tick-borne infection caused by spirochetes within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.L.) complex, is among the most prevalent bacterial central nervous system (CNS) infections in Europe and the US. Here we have screened a panel of low- passage B. burgdorferi s.l. isolates using a novel, human-derived 3D blood-brain barrier (BBB)-organoid model. We show that human-derived BBB-organoids support the entry of Borrelia spirochetes, leading to swelling of the organoids and a loss of their structural integrity. The use of the BBB-organoid model highlights the organotropism between B. burgdorferi s.l. genospecies and their ability to cross the BBB contributing to CNS infection.
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| 17. |
- Adler, Jan-Olof, et al.
(author)
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The upgraded photon tagging facility at the MAX IV Laboratory
- 2013
-
In: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5087 .- 0168-9002. ; 715, s. 1-10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A description is given of the upgraded photon tagging facility at the MAX IV Laboratory. Two magnetic spectrometers are used to momentum analyze post-bremsstrahlung electrons. The tagged photon range extends from 10 to 180 MeV with an energy resolution of about 300 keV. The system has been operated at rates up to 4 x 10(6) photons s(-1) MeV (-1). Different diagnostic tools are described as well as the experimental program.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Ahlberg, Per, et al.
(author)
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Minnesord Sven Stridsberg
- 2020
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In: Geologiskt forum. - 1104-4721 .- 1104-4721. ; :105
-
Other publication (pop. science, debate, etc.)
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Ahlgren, Bengt, et al.
(author)
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SPION: Secure Protocols in OSI Networks
- 1989. - 1
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- SPION: Secure Protocols in OSI Networks This report describes how security services can be realized in a computer network using the protocols of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model for communication. The report starts with defining security requirements for a "typical" local area network in a company, university or similar organization. It is assumed that the organization does not use the network for transfer of extremely sensitive information, such as military secrets. A set of security services, as specified in the OSI security architecture, are selected in order to satisfy the requirements. The selected services are then placed in suitable layers of the OSI model according to the criteria in the security architecture, and to the taste of the authors. The report concentrates on the transport layer. An extension of the OSI transport protocol, class 4, including security services is described in detail. The protocol is a fully compatible extension of the standard transport protocol. Key management is another topic which is included in the report. A key management system for handling public keys and digital signatures based on an article by Dorothy E. Denning is described. The system includes functions for distributing and validating public keys, and registering and later verifying digital signatures. A key management protocol supporting these functions is defined for communication between ordinary open systems and special key server systems.
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| 23. |
- Ahlgren, Bengt, et al.
(author)
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State of the art in network security
- 1990. - 1
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This report is an effort to describe the state-of-the-art in computer network security focusing on the OSI Security architecture. Other sources of information include the NCSC "Trusted Network Interpretation of the TCSEC". The report describes the security threats imposed on networks and the countermeasures available. It gives a detailed description of the security services defined in the OSI Security architecture and the mechanisms proposed for realizing these services. An overview of security management with emphasis on key management is also included. The report contains numerous references to books and articles in the field of network security.
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| 24. |
- Aili, Carola, 1963-, et al.
(author)
-
Research on teachers' professional lives : time to build a research network. Paper presented at NERA's 31st Congress, 6-9 March, Copenhagen
- 2003
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Teachers’ work has during the last ten years gone through great changes. The effects of postmodern society has made the work more and morecomplex and difficult to handle and understand for those involved as well as outsiders. Researchers are trying to keep up with things. The developmentof knowledge of teachers’ work takes place on different levels, in separate disciplines, from various starting-points and with different foci.To be able to describe, understand and explain the »new« work of teachers in a vigorous way there is need of getting these research initiativestogether. Arenas should be established where interchanges and coordination between researchers could take place. In order to make this happen wehave the intention of building a Swedish (our aim is to expand the network to the Nordic countries after the establishment in Sweden) network ofresearch on teachers’ professional lives.Besides presenting the intention and design of our network we also bring along some examples of research projects in line with the network ideas.
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| 25. |
- Aili, Carola, et al.
(author)
-
Research on teachers' professional lives : time to build a research network. Paper presented at NERA's 31st Congress, 6-9 March, Copenhagen
- 2003
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Teachers’ work has during the last ten years gone through great changes. The effects of postmodern society has made the work more and morecomplex and difficult to handle and understand for those involved as well as outsiders. Researchers are trying to keep up with things. The developmentof knowledge of teachers’ work takes place on different levels, in separate disciplines, from various starting-points and with different foci.To be able to describe, understand and explain the »new« work of teachers in a vigorous way there is need of getting these research initiativestogether. Arenas should be established where interchanges and coordination between researchers could take place. In order to make this happen wehave the intention of building a Swedish (our aim is to expand the network to the Nordic countries after the establishment in Sweden) network ofresearch on teachers’ professional lives.Besides presenting the intention and design of our network we also bring along some examples of research projects in line with the network ideas.
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| 26. |
- Aittamaa, Simon, et al.
(author)
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Uniform scheduling of internal and external events under SRP-EDF
- 2010
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In: Annual International Conference on Real-Time and Embedded Systems ( RTES 2010).
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the growing complexity of modern embedded real-time systems, scheduling and managing of resources has become a daunting task. While scheduling and resource management for internal events can be simplified by adopting a commonplace real-time operating system (RTOS), scheduling and resource management for external events are left in the hands of the programmer, not to mention managing resources across the boundaries of external and internal events. In this paper we propose a unified system view incorporating earliest deadline first (EDF) for scheduling and stack resource policy (SRP) for resource management. From an embedded real-time system view, EDF+SRP is attractive not only because stack usage can be minimized, but also because the cost of a pre-emption becomes almost as cheap as a regular function call, and the number of preemptions is kept to a minimum. SRP+EDF also lifts the burden of manual resource management from the programmer and incorporates it into the scheduler. Furthermore, we show the efficiency of the SRP+EDF scheme, the intuitiveness of the programming model (in terms of reactive programming), and the simplicity of the implementation.
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| 27. |
- Albert, Malin, et al.
(author)
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Hospitalized patients’ attitudes towards participating in a randomized control trial in case of a cardiac arrest
- 2024
-
In: Resuscitation Plus. - 2666-5204. ; 18
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundNo previous study has evaluated patients attitudes towards inclusion in an ongoing cardiac arrest clinical trial. The aim of this study was to assess patientś willingness and motives to participate in the ongoing randomized controlled drug trial “Vasopressin and Steroids in addition to Adrenaline in cardiac arrest” (VAST-A trial) in case of an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA).ObjectivesHospitalized patients, men ≥ 18 and women ≥ 50 years, were asked for informed consent for inclusion in the VAST-A trial in case of an IHCA, the reason for approving or declining inclusion in the trial and baseline characteristics.MethodsPatients admitted to hospital were asked to give informed consent of inclusion in VAST-A in case of an IHCA during their hospital stay. Patients were also asked why they approved or declined inclusion as well as baseline characteristics questions.Results1,064 patients were asked about willingness to participate in the VAST-A trial, of these 902 (84.8%) patients approved inclusion. A subgroup of 411 patients were, except willingness, also asked about motives to participate or not and basic characteristics. The main reason for approving inclusion was to contribute to research (n = 328, 83.9%). The main reason for declining inclusion was concerns regarding testing the drug treatment (n = 6, 30%).ConclusionAmong hospitalized patients the vast majority gave informed consent to inclusion in an ongoing randomized cardiac arrest drug trial. The main reason for approving inclusion was to contribute to research.
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| 28. |
- Aleman, Soo, et al.
(author)
-
Health check-ups and family screening allow detection of hereditary hemochromatosis with less advanced liver fibrosis and survival comparable with the general population
- 2011
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In: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 46:9, s. 1118-1126
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective. The information concerning the morbidity and mortality of hereditary hemochromatosis is based primarily on clinical cohorts of symptomatic patients. The major aim of this study was to analyze the long-term prognosis for Swedish patients with this condition, with respect to both clinical features and survival, in relation to the route by which the disease was detected. Patients and methods. 373 patients with hemochromatosis detected through routine health checkups (n = 153), family screening (n = 44), symptoms of arthralgia (n = 23), investigation of other diseases/symptoms (n = 108) or signs of liver disease (n = 45) were monitored for a mean period of 11.9 +/- 5.8 years. The degree of liver fibrosis and survival were analyzed. Results. Overall survival among these patients was not significantly different from that of a matched normal population. The patients diagnosed through health check-ups and family screening were detected at an earlier age and had the highest rate of survival. Liver biopsy at the time of diagnosis revealed cirrhosis in 9% of those detected through the health check-ups and 5% in the case of family screening, compared with 13% for the group with arthralgia, 17% for other diseases/symptoms and 42% for liver disease. Conclusion. Health check-ups and family screening allow detection of hereditary hemochromatosis at an earlier age and with less advanced liver fibrosis, although a few of these patients have already developed cirrhosis. Our study indicates that iron indices should be included in health check-ups, and if abnormal, should lead to further investigation.
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| 29. |
- Almstrand, Robert, et al.
(author)
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Dynamics of specific ammonia-oxidizing bacterial populations and nitrification in response to controlled shifts of ammonium concentrations in wastewater
- 2013
-
In: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. - : Springer Verlag (Germany). - 0175-7598 .- 1432-0614. ; 97:5, s. 2183-2191
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are essential for the nitrification process in wastewater treatment. To retain these slow-growing bacteria in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), they are often grown as biofilms, e.g., on nitrifying trickling filters (NTFs) or on carriers in moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs). On NTFs, a decreasing ammonium gradient is formed because of the AOB activity, resulting in low ammonium concentrations at the bottom and reduced biomass with depth. To optimize the NTF process, different ammonium feed strategies may be designed. This, however, requires knowledge about AOB population dynamics. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and confocal laser scanning microscopy, we followed biomass changes during 6 months, of three AOB populations on biofilm carriers. These were immersed in aerated MBBR tanks in a pilot plant receiving full-scale wastewater. Tanks were arranged in series, forming a wastewater ammonium gradient mimicking an NTF ammonium gradient. The biomass of one of the dominating Nitrosomonas oligotropha-like populations increased after an ammonium upshift, reaching levels comparable to the high ammonium control in 28 days, whereas a Nitrosomonas europaea-like population increased relatively slowly. The MBBR results, together with competition studies in NTF systems fed with wastewater under controlled ammonium regimes, suggest a differentiation between the two N. oligotropha populations, which may be important for WWTP nitrification.
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| 30. |
- Andersson, Martin O., et al.
(author)
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Molecular detection of Babesia capreoli and Babesia venatorum in wild Swedish roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
- 2016
-
In: Parasites & Vectors. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1756-3305. ; 9:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The epidemiology of the zoonotic tick-transmitted parasite Babesia spp. and its occurrence in wild reservoir hosts in Sweden is unclear. In European deer, several parasite species, including Babesia capreoli and the zoonotic B. venatorum and B. divergens has been reported previously. The European roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, is an important and common part of the indigenous fauna in Europe, as well as an important host for Ixodes ricinus ticks, the vector of several Babesia spp. in Europe. Here, we aimed to investigate the occurrence of Babesia spp. in roe deer in Sweden. Findings: Roe deer (n = 77) were caught and sampled for blood. Babesia spp. was detected with a PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene. The prevalence of Babesia spp. was 52 %, and two species were detected; B. capreoli and B. venatorum in 44 and 7.8 % of the individuals, respectively. Infection occurred both in summer and winter. Conclusions: We showed that roe deer in Sweden, close to the edge of their northern inland distributional range, are infected with Babesia spp. The occurrence of B. venatorum in roe deer imply that it is established in Sweden and the zoonotic implication of this finding should be regarded to a greater extent in future.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Angelison, Leif, et al.
(author)
-
Short and long-term efficacy of adalimumab in ulcerative colitis : a real-life study
- 2020
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5521 .- 1502-7708. ; 55:2, s. 154-162
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Randomized controlled trials have shown the effectiveness of Adalimumab in ulcerative colitis. However, real-life data is scarce. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and predictive factors of effectiveness in a large Swedish cohort. Methods: Retrospective capture of data from local registries at five Swedish IBD centers. Clinical response and remission rates were assessed at three months after starting adalimumab treatment and patients were followed until colectomy or need for another biological. Bio-naive patients were compared to bio experienced patients. Factors associated with short term responses were assessed using logistic regression model. Failure on drug was assessed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: 118 patients (59 males, 59 females) with median age 34.4 years (IQR 27.0–51.4) were included. Median disease duration was 4.3 years (IQR 2.0–9.0) and follow-up 1.27 years (IQR 0.33–4.1). A clinical corticosteroid-free remission was achieved by 38/118 (32.2%) and response by 91/118 (77%) after three months. CRP >3 mg/l at baseline was predictive of short-term failure to reach corticosteroid-free remission. Factors associated with survival on the drug were male gender, CRP <3 mg/l and absence of primary sclerosing cholangitis. Patients >42 years of age at diagnosis were more likely to respond to adalimumab and remain on treatment compared to patients <20 years. Conclusions: An elevated CRP-level, primary sclerosing cholangitis and female gender were predictors of treatment failure. In contrast older age at diagnosis was a predictor of short-term clinical response and drug survival. Prior infliximab failure, regardless of cause, did not influence the outcome of adalimumab treatment.
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| 33. |
- Antoni, Per, et al.
(author)
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Europium confined cyclen dendrimers with photophysically active triazoles
- 2008
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 0959-9428 .- 1364-5501. ; 18:22, s. 2545-2554
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dendrimers up to the fourth generation (G1-G4) were successfully synthesized via the efficient copper catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between primary alkynes and azides (CuAAC), also referred to as a click reaction. The synthetic protocol involved the preparation of presynthesized dendron wedges that subsequently were attached to a tetra-valent alkyne functional cyclen core. These constructed structures integrated stable triazole groups "intra-locked'' between the cyclen and dendron wedges. The incorporation of a lanthanide metal ion, europium, into the interior of all cyclen dendrimers was monitored by FT-IR. Interestingly, the photophysical results showed that the proximate triazole not only acts as a stable linker but also as a sensitizers, transferring its singlet-singlet excitation in the ultraviolet region (270-290 nm) to the partially filled luminescent lanthanide 4f shell. An increase of luminescence decay time from the lanthanide D-5(0) -> F-7(2) emission was observed with increasing dendrimer size, indicating that the shielding effect of the dendron wedges is important for the relaxation of the photo-excitation and energy transfer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a set of dendron wedges have successfully been attached to a cyclen metal ion cage via the versatile click reaction. Furthermore, the produced triazoles intra-locked in close proximity to the macrocycle core elucidated an interesting photophysical function.
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| 34. |
- Aparicio Rivera, Jorge, et al.
(author)
-
Heapless : Dynamic Data Structures without Dynamic Heap Allocator for Rust
- 2018
-
In: 2018 IEEE 16TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRIAL INFORMATICS (INDIN). - Piscataway, NJ : IEEE. - 9781538648292 ; , s. 87-94
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dynamic memory management is typically implemented using a global memory allocator, which may negatively impact the performance, reliability, and predictability of a program; in effect standards around safety-critical applications often discourage or even disallow dynamic memory management. This paper presents heapless, a collection of dynamic data structures (for vectors, strings, and circular buffers) that can be either stack or statically allocated, thus free of global allocator dependencies. The proposed data structures for vectors and strings closely mimic the Rust standard library implementations while adding support to gracefully handling cases of capacity exceedance. Our circular buffers act as queues and allowing channel like usage (by splitting). The Rust memory model together with the ability of local reasoning on memory requirements (brought by heapless) facilitates establishing robustness/safety guarantees and minimize attack surfaces of (industrial) IoT systems. We show that the heapless data structures are highly efficient and have predictable performance, thus suitable for hard real-time applications. Moreover, in our implementation heapless data structures are non-relocatable allowing mapping to hardware, useful, e.g., to DMA transfers. The feasibility, performance, and advantages of heapless are demonstrated by implementing a JSON serialization and de-serialization library for an ARM Cortex-M based IoT platform.
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| 35. |
- Arja, Katriann, et al.
(author)
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Enhanced Fluorescent Assignment of Protein Aggregates by an Oligothiophene-Porphyrin-Based Amyloid Ligand
- 2013
-
In: Macromolecular rapid communications. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 1022-1336 .- 1521-3927. ; 34:9, s. 723-730
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fluorescent probes identifying protein aggregates are of great interest, as deposition of aggregated proteins is associated with many devastating diseases. Here, we report that a fluorescent amyloid ligand composed of two distinct molecular moieties, an amyloidophilic pentameric oligothiophene and a porphyrin, can be utilized for spectral and lifetime imaging assessment of recombinant A 1-42 amyloid fibrils and A deposits in brain tissue sections from a transgenic mouse model with Alzheimers disease pathology. The enhanced spectral range and distinct lifetime diversity of this novel oligothiopheneporphyrin-based ligand allow a more precise assessment of heterogeneous amyloid morphology compared with the corresponding oligothiophene dye.
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Asghar, Naveed, et al.
(author)
-
Tick-borne encephalitis virus sequenced directly from questing and blood-feeding ticks reveals quasispecies variance.
- 2014
-
In: PLOS ONE. - San Francisco, USA : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The increased distribution of the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) in Scandinavia highlights the importance of characterizing novel sequences within the natural foci. In this study, two TBEV strains: the Norwegian Mandal 2009 (questing nymphs pool) and the Swedish Saringe 2009 (blood-fed nymph) were sequenced and phylogenetically characterized. Interestingly, the sequence of Mandal 2009 revealed the shorter form of the TBEV genome, similar to the highly virulent Hypr strain, within the 3' non-coding region (3'NCR). A different genomic structure was found in the 3'NCR of Saringe 2009, as in-depth analysis demonstrated TBEV variants with different lengths within the poly(A) tract. This shows that TBEV quasispecies exists in nature and indicates a putative shift in the quasispecies pool when the virus switches between invertebrate and vertebrate environments. This prompted us to further sequence and analyze the 3'NCRs of additional Scandinavian TBEV strains and control strains, Hypr and Neudoerfl. Toro 2003 and Habo 2011 contained mainly a short (A)3C(A)6 poly(A) tract. A similar pattern was observed for the human TBEV isolates 1993/783 and 1991/4944; however, one clone of 1991/4944 contained an (A)3C(A)11 poly(A) sequence, demonstrating that quasispecies with longer poly(A) could be present in human isolates. Neudoerfl has previously been reported to contain a poly(A) region, but to our surprise the re-sequenced genome contained two major quasispecies variants, both lacking the poly(A) tract. We speculate that the observed differences are important factors for the understanding of virulence, spread, and control of the TBEV.
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Augustinsson (Nilsdotter-Augustinsson), Åsa, 1962-, et al.
(author)
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Interaction of staphylococcus epidermidis from infected hip prostheses with neutrophil granulocytes
- 2001
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 33:6, s. 408-412
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study focuses on the interaction of Staphylococcus epidermis isolated from granulation tissue covering infected hip prostheses and neutrophil granulocytes. Bacterial strains isolated from normal flora were used as controls. The bacteria were well characterized with routine methods and further characterized with random amplified polymorphic DNA analyses and slime tests. Phagocytosis and chemiluminescence (CL) assays were used in the neutrophil interaction studies. The prostheses strains were ingested to a lesser extent than strains from normal flora (p ≤ 0.001). There was no significant difference between the prostheses strains and the normal flora strains in terms of total CL response. However, the extracellular CL response from the neutrophils was lower in comparison with the normal flora when interacting with the prostheses strains. The results of this study support the notion that S. epidermidis strains isolated from infected hip prostheses have an enhanced capacity to resist phagocytosis and that most of these strains elicit a reduced inflammatory response, measured as the production of extracellular oxidative metabolites from the neutrophils, compared to normal flora.
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
- Azizoğlu, Yağız, 1986-
(author)
-
Modeling of Cold Pilgering of Stainless Steel Tubes
- 2023
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Cold pilgering is a complex forming process used to produce seamless tubes in terms of modeling due to the complexity in kinematic of tools, friction condition and material behavior. The process development has mostly been based on simple formulas and costly full-scale tryouts. The aim in this study is to develop validated Finite element models of cold pilgering to support design of a robust process.A three-dimensional thermo-mechanical Finite element models of cold pilgering has been developed in the course of the work leading to this thesis. The commercial code MSC. Marcwas used in the simulations. General 3D models are needed to be able to capture asymmetric deformation in cold pilgering. Elastic deflections of tools and roll stand were included in the model via linear and nonlinear springs that were calibrated versus experiments. A temperature dependent Chaboche type plasticity model was employed in this simulation to mimic strain hardening and softening behavior under multidirectional loading. The model parameters were optimized using multi-directional compression and uni-directional tensile tests. Heat exchange between tools and lubricant was included in the simulation via heat convection films on the surfaces. The film parameters were calibrated using experimental data. Simulation predictions for hardening, rolling force, process temperature and geometry were compared with experiments for validation purposes. The predictions showed overall good agreement with validation experiments enabling the use of this model for understanding and improving the process.
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| 42. |
- Bader, Dan, et al.
(author)
-
Laboratory measurement of the interface pressures applied by active therapy support surfaces : A consensus document
- 2010
-
In: Journal of Tissue Viability. - : Elsevier BV. - 0965-206X. ; 19:1, s. 2-6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A key element in pressure ulcer prevention and management is the selection of appropriate pressure redistributing (PR) patient support surfaces for use while seated and in bed. However little explicit guidance exists allowing standardised quantitative comparison of different PR surfaces based upon their ability to redistribute pressure from anatomical landmarks such as the heels and sacrum. In 2008 a working group was established in Europe through the US National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) support surface standardisation initiative (S3I) and under the aegis of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel with the specific remit of developing test methods for the evaluation of active therapy support surfaces (alternating pressure air mattresses). This report describes a consensus development process to agree test methods appropriate to compare active therapy surfaces based upon their ability to redistribute pressure from the sacrum and the heels.
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| 43. |
- Berglund, Björn, et al.
(author)
-
Abundance and dynamics of antibiotic resistance genes and integrons in lake sediment microcosms
- 2014
-
In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Antibiotic resistance in bacteria causing disease is an ever growing threat to the world. Recently, environmental bacteria have become established as important both as sources of antibiotic resistance genes and in disseminating resistance genes. Low levels of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals are regularly released into water environments via wastewater, and the concern is that such environmental contamination may serve to create hotspots for antibiotic resistance gene selection and dissemination. In this study, microcosms were created from water and sediments gathered from a lake in Sweden only lightly affected by human activities. The microcosms were exposed to a mixture of antibiotics of varying environmentally relevant concentrations (i.e., concentrations commonly encountered in wastewaters) in order to investigate the effect of low levels of antibiotics on antibiotic resistance gene abundances and dynamics in a previously uncontaminated environment. Antibiotic concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Abundances of seven antibiotic resistance genes and the class 1 integron integrase gene, intL1, were quantified using real-time PCR. Resistance genes sulI and ermB were quantified in the microcosm sediments with mean abundances 5 and 15 gene copies/10(6) 16S rRNA gene copies, respectively. Class 1 integrons were determined in the sediments with a mean concentration of 3.86x10(4) copies/10(6) 16S rRNA gene copies. The antibiotic treatment had no observable effect on antibiotic resistance gene or integron abundances.
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| 44. |
- Berglund, Björn, 1983-
(author)
-
Deliberations on the impact of antibiotic contamination on dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in aquatic environments
- 2014
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The great success of antibiotics in treating bacterial infectious diseases has been hampered by the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Not only does antibiotic resistance threaten to increase the difficulty in treating bacterial infectious diseases, but it could also make medical procedures such as routine surgery and organ transplantations very dangerous to perform. Traditionally, antibiotic resistance has been regarded as a strictly clinical problem and studies of the problem have mostly been restricted to a clinical milieu. Recently, non-clinical environments, and in particular aquatic environments, have been recognised as important factors in development and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Elevated concentrations of antibiotics in an environment are likely to drive a selection pressure which favours resistant bacteria, and are also believed to promote horizontal gene transfer among the indigenous bacteria. Antibiotic resistance genes are often located on mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and integrons, which have the ability to disseminate among taxonomically unrelated species. The environmental bacteria can thus serve as both reservoirs for resistance and hot spots for the development of new antibiotic resistance determinants.There is still a lack of data pertaining to how high antibiotic concentrations are necessary to drive a selection pressure in aquatic environments. The aim of this thesis is to determine the effect of high and low concentrations of antibiotics on environmental bacterial communities from different aquatic environments. In the studies performed, antibiotics were measured using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Bacterial diversity and evenness were assessed using molecular fingerprints obtained with 16S rRNA gene-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons were quantified using real-time PCR.Water and sediment samples were collected from different rivers and canals in Pakistan. The environments differed in anthropogenic exposure from undisturbed to heavily contaminated. A general trend could be observed of high concentrations of antibiotics correlating to elevated concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes and integrons. Extremely high concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes and integrons were found in the sediments downstream of an industrial drug formulation site, which likely correlated to the high load of antibiotics found in the water. Antibiotic and antibiotic resistance gene concentrations were also shown to increase downstream of Ravi river, which flows through Lahore, a city of more than 10 million inhabitants. Rivers not impacted by anthropogenic contamination were found to contain antibiotics and resistance gene concentrations of similar levels as in Europe and the U.S. Similar measurements were performed in the Swedish river Stångån. The concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons were shown to increase in the river after it had passed, and received urban wastewater effluent from the city of Linköping.A series of constructed wetlands were exposed to a mixture of different antibiotics at environmentally relevant concentrations over a few weeks. The antibiotic exposure did not observably affect the bacterial diversity or integron concentrations. Antibiotic resistance genes were found at low background concentrations, but the antibiotic exposure did not observably affect the concentrations. The constructed wetlands were also found to reduce most antibiotics at levels comparable to conventional wastewater treatment schemes, suggesting that constructed wetlands may be useful supplementary alternatives to conventional wastewater treatment.To investigate the effect of antibiotics on an uncontaminated aquatic environment in a more controlled setting, microcosms were constructed from lake water and sediments and subsequently exposed to varying concentrations of antibiotics (ranging from wastewater-like concentrations to 1,000 times higher). The water and sediments were gathered from the lake Nydalasjön, near Umeå, which is not exposed to urban waste. While antibiotic resistance genes and class 1 integrons were found in the lake sediments, no increase in the concentrations of these genes could be observed due to the antibiotic additions.In conclusion, although antibiotic resistance genes and integrons are part of the environmental gene pool, low concentrations of antibiotics do not seem to immediately impact their prevalence. However, aquatic environments exposed to anthropogenic waste do exhibit elevated levels of antibiotic resistance genes and integrons. Aquatic environments heavily polluted with antibiotics also clearly display correspondingly high concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes and integrons. These results clearly indicate the necessity to keep down pollution levels as well as the need to establish the range of antibiotic concentrations which do promote resistance. This must be done in order to enable risk assessments and to establish acceptable levels of antibiotic pollution. It should also be stressed that more research is required to elucidate what effect low levels of antibiotic exposure has on environmental bacterial communities.
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| 45. |
- Berglund, Björn, et al.
(author)
-
Detection and Quantification of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Stångån River, Sweden
- 2014
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Antibiotic resistant bacteria are an emerging global problem which threatens to undermine important advances in modern medicine. It is becoming increasingly clear that the dynamics of antibiotic resistance are not confined to clinical settings. The environment is likely to play an important role in dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes from and to both environmental and pathogenic bacteria. Wastewater treatment plants accumulate both chemical and biological waste from the surrounding urban milieu and have therefore been viewed as potential hotspots for dissemination and development of antibiotic resistance. To assess the effect of wastewater effluent on a river which flows through a Swedish city, sediment and water samples were collected from Stångån River, both upstream and downstream of an adjacent wastewater treatment plant over three months. Seven antibiotic resistance genes and the integrase gene on class 1 integrons were quantified in the collected sediment using realtime PCR. Furthermore, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to assess the abundance of ten different antibiotics in the water phase of the samples. The results showed an increase in ARGs and integrons downstream of the wastewater treatment plant as compared to upstream. The measured concentrations of antibiotics were low in the water samples from Stångån River, suggesting that selection for antibiotic resistance genes did not occur in the surface water. Instead, the downstream increase in antibiotic resistance genes is likely to be due to accumulation of genes present in the treated effluent discharged from the wastewater treatment plant.
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| 46. |
- Berglund, Björn, et al.
(author)
-
Occurrence and removal efficiency of parasitic protozoa in Swedish wastewater treatment plants
- 2017
-
In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 598, s. 821-827
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Giardia intestinalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba histolytica and Dientamoeba fragilis are parasitic protozoa and causative agents of gastroenteritis in humans. G. intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. in particular are the most common protozoa associated with waterborne outbreaks in high-income countries. Surveillance of protozoan prevalence in wastewater and evaluation of wastewater treatment removal efficiencies of protozoan pathogens is therefore imperative for assessment of human health risk. In this study, influent and effluent wastewater samples from three wastewater treatment plants in Sweden were collected over nearly one year and assessed for prevalence of parasitic protozoa. Quantitative real-time PCR using primers specific for the selected protozoa Cryptosporidium spp., G. intestinalis, E. histolytica, Entamoeba dispar and D. fragilis was used for protozoan DNA detection and assessment of wastewater treatment removal efficiencies. Occurrence of G. intestinalis, E. dispar and D. fragilis DNA was assessed in both influent (44, 30 and 39 out of 51 samples respectively) and effluent wastewater (14, 9 and 33 out of 51 samples respectively) in all three wastewater treatment plants. Mean removal efficiencies of G. intestinalis, E. dispar and D. fragilis DNA quantities, based on all three wastewater treatment plants studied varied between 67 and 87%, 37–75% and 20–34% respectively. Neither E. histolytica nor Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in any samples. Overall, higher quantities of protozoan DNA were observed from February to June 2012. The high prevalence of protozoa in influent wastewater indicates the need for continued monitoring of these pathogens in wastewater-associated aquatic environments to minimise the potential risk for human infection.
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| 47. |
- Berglund, Björn, et al.
(author)
-
Urban wastewater effluent increases antibiotic resistance gene concentrations in a receiving northern european river
- 2015
-
In: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 34:1, s. 192-196
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are an emerging global problem that threatens to undermine important advances in modern medicine. The environment is likely to play an important role in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) among both environmental and pathogenic bacteria. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) accumulate both chemical and biological waste from the surrounding urban milieu and have therefore been viewed as potential hotspots for dissemination and development of antibiotic resistance. To assess the effect of wastewater effluent on a river that flows through a Swedish city, sediment and water samples were collected from Stangan River, both upstream and downstream of an adjacent WWTP over 3 mo. Seven ARGs and the integrase gene on class 1 integrons were quantified in the collected sediment using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to assess the abundance of 10 different antibiotics in the water phase of the samples. The results showed an increase in ARGs and integrons downstream of the WWTP. The measured concentrations of antibiotics were low in the water samples from the Stangan River, suggesting that selection for ARGs did not occur in the surface water. Instead, the downstream increase in ARGs is likely to be attributable to accumulation of genes present in the treated effluent discharged from the WWTP. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:192-196. (c) 2014 SETAC
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| 48. |
- Bergman, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
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
-
In: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 74
-
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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| 49. |
- Berndt, Sonja I., et al.
(author)
-
Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies 11 new loci for anthropometric traits and provides insights into genetic architecture
- 2013
-
In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 45:5, s. 501-U69
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Approaches exploiting trait distribution extremes may be used to identify loci associated with common traits, but it is unknown whether these loci are generalizable to the broader population. In a genome-wide search for loci associated with the upper versus the lower 5th percentiles of body mass index, height and waist-to-hip ratio, as well as clinical classes of obesity, including up to 263,407 individuals of European ancestry, we identified 4 new loci (IGFBP4, H6PD, RSRC1 and PPP2R2A) influencing height detected in the distribution tails and 7 new loci (HNF4G, RPTOR, GNAT2, MRPS33P4, ADCY9, HS6ST3 and ZZZ3) for clinical classes of obesity. Further, we find a large overlap in genetic structure and the distribution of variants between traits based on extremes and the general population and little etiological heterogeneity between obesity subgroups.
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| 50. |
- Birk, Wolfgang, et al.
(author)
-
Road surface networks technology enablers for enhanced ITS
- 2010
-
In: 2010 IEEE Vehicular Networking Conference, VNC 2010. - Piscataway, NJ : IEEE Communications Society. - 9781424495269 ; , s. 152-159
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The increased need for mobility has led to transportation problems like congestion, accidents and pollution. In order to provide safe and efficient transport systems great efforts are currently being put into developing Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and cooperative systems. In this paper we extend proposed solutions with autonomous on-road sensors and actuators forming a wireless Road Surface Network (RSN). We present the RSN architecture and design methodology and demonstrate its applicability to queue-end detection. For the use case we discuss the requirements and technological solutions to sensor technology, data processing and communication. In particular the MAC protocol is detailed and its performance assessed through theoretical verification. The RSN architecture is shown to offer a scalable solution, where increased node density offers more precise sensing as well as increased redundancy for safety critical applications. The use-case demonstrates that RSN solutions may be deployed as standalone systems potentially integrated into current and future ITS. RSN may provide both easily deployable and cost effective alternatives to traditional ITS (with a direct impact independent of penetration rate of other ITS infrastructures - i.e., smart vehicles, safe spots etc.) as well as provide fine grain sensory information directly from the road surface to back-end and cooperative systems, thus enabling a wide range of ITS applications beyond current state of the art.
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