1. |
|
|
2. |
|
|
3. |
- Allen, Naomi E, et al.
(author)
-
Endogenous sex hormones and endometrial cancer risk in women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
- 2008
-
In: Endocrine-Related Cancer. - 1351-0088 .- 1479-6821. ; 15:2, s. 485-497
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Epidemiological data show that reproductive and hormonal factors are involved in the etiology of endometrial cancer, but there is little data on the association with endogenous sex hormone levels. We analyzed the association between prediagnostic serum concentrations of sex steroids and endometrial cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition using a nested case-control design of 247 incident endometrial cancer cases and 481 controls, matched on center, menopausal status, age, variables relating to blood collection, and, for premenopausal women, phase of menstrual cycle. Using conditional regression analysis, endometrial cancer risk among postmenopausal women was positively associated with increasing levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, estrone, total estradiol, and free estradiol. The odds ratios (ORs) for the highest versus lowest tertile were 2.66 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.50-4.72; P=0.002 for a continuous linear trend) for estrone, 2.07 (95% CI 1.20-3.60; P=0.001) for estradiol, and 1.66 (95% CI 0.98-2.82; P=0.001) for free estradiol. For total and free testosterone, ORs for the highest versus lowest tertile were 1.44 (95% CI 0.88-2.36; P=0.05) and 2.05 (95% CI 1.23-3.42; P=0.005) respectively. Androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were not associated with risk. Sex hormone-binding globulin was significantly inversely associated with risk (OR for the highest versus lowest tertile was 0.57, 95% CI 0.34-0.95; P=0.004). In premenopausal women, serum sex hormone concentrations were not clearly associated with endometrial cancer risk, but numbers were too small to draw firm conclusions. In conclusion, relatively high blood concentrations of estrogens and free testosterone are associated with an increased endometrial cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
- Cust, Anne E., et al.
(author)
-
Metabolic syndrome, plasma lipid, lipoprotein and glucose levels, and endometrial cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
- 2007
-
In: Endocrine-Related Cancer. - 1479-6821 .- 1351-0088. ; 14:3, s. 755-767
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To clarify the role of metabolic factors in endometrial carcinogenesis, we conducted a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), and examined the relation between prediagnostic plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and glucose, the metabolic syndrome (MetS; a cluster of metabolic factors) and endometrial cancer risk. Among pre- and postmenopausal women, 284 women developed endometrial cancer during follow-up. Using risk set sampling, 546 matched control subjects were selected. From conditional logistic regression models, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were inversely associated with risk body mass index (BMI)-adjusted relative risk (FR) for top versus bottom quartile 0.61 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.38-0.97), P-trend= 0.02). Glucose levels were positively associated with risk (BMI-adjusted RR top versus bottom quartile 1.69 (95% Cl 0.99-2.90), P-trend, = 0.03), which appeared stronger among postmenopausal women (BMI-adjusted RR top versus bottom tertile 2.61 (95% Cl 1.46-4.66), P-trend=0.0006, P-heterogeneity=0.13) and never-users of exogenous hormones (P-heterogeneity=0-005 for oral contraceptive (OC) use and 0.05 for hormone replacement therapy-use). The associations of HDL-C and glucose with risk were no longer statistically significant after further adjustment for obesity-related hormones. Plasma total cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides were not significantly related to overall risk. The presence of MetS was associated with risk (RR 2.12 (95% CI 1.51-2.97)), which increased with the number of MetS factors (P-trend=0.02). An increasing number of MetS factors other than waist circumference, however, was marginally significantly associated with risk only in women with waist circumference above the median (P-interaction=0-01). None of the associations differed significantly by fasting status. These findings suggest that metabolic abnormalities and obesity may act synergistically to increase endometrial cancer risk.
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
- Dossus, Laure, et al.
(author)
-
Obesity, inflammatory markers, and endometrial cancer risk : a prospective case-control study
- 2010
-
In: Endocrine-Related Cancer. - 1351-0088 .- 1479-6821. ; 17:4, s. 1007-1019
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Obesity, a major risk factor for endometrial cancer, is a low-grade inflammatory state characterized by elevated concentrations of cytokines and acute phase reactants. The current study had two aims: first to investigate the associations of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 6 (IL6), and IL1 receptor antagonist (IL1Ra) with endometrial cancer risk and second to examine to which extent these markers can influence the association between obesity and endometrial cancer. We conducted a case-control study, nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, which comprised 305 incident cases of endometrial cancer and 574 matched controls. CRP, IL6, and IL1Ra were measured in prospectively collected blood specimens by immunoassays. Data were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. All statistical tests were two-sided, and P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. We observed a significant increase in risk of endometrial cancer with elevated levels of CRP (odds ratio (OR) for top versus bottom quartile: 1.58, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-2.41, P(trend)=0.02), IL6 (OR for top versus bottom quartile: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.08-2.54, P(trend)=0.008), and IL1Ra (OR for top versus bottom quartile: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.22-2.73, P(trend)=0.004). After adjustment for body mass index (BMI), the estimates were strongly reduced and became non-significant. The association between BMI and endometrial cancer was also substantially attenuated (∼10-20%) after adjustment for inflammatory markers, even when the effects of C-peptide or estrone had already been taken into account. We provided epidemiological evidence that chronic inflammation might mediate the association between obesity and endometrial cancer and that endometrial carcinogenesis could be promoted by an inflammatory milieu.
|
|
8. |
- Dossus, Laure, et al.
(author)
-
Reproductive risk factors and endometrial cancer : the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition
- 2010
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 127:2, s. 442-451
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Endometrial cancer risk has been associated with reproductive factors (age at menarche, age at menopause, parity, age at first and last birth, time since last birth and use of oral contraceptives (OCs)]. However, these factors are closely interrelated and whether they act independently still requires clarification. We conducted a study to examine the association of menstrual and reproductive variables with the risk of endometrial cancer among the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Among the 302,618 women eligible for the study, 1,017 incident endometrial cancer cases were identified. A reduction in endometrial cancer risk was observed in women with late menarche, early menopause, past OC use, high parity and a shorter time since last full-term pregnancy (FTP). No association was observed for duration of breast feeding after adjustment for number of FTP or for abortion (spontaneous or induced). After mutual adjustment, late age at menarche, early age at menopause and duration of OC use showed similar risk reductions of 7-8% per year of menstrual life, whereas the decreased risk associated with cumulative duration of FTPs was stronger (22% per year). In conclusion, our findings confirmed a reduction in risk of endometrial cancer with factors associated with a lower cumulative exposure to estrogen and/or higher exposure to progesterone, such as increasing number of FTPs and shorter menstrual lifespan and, therefore, support an important role of hormonal mechanisms in endometrial carcinogenesis.
|
|
9. |
- Dossus, Laure, et al.
(author)
-
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, soluble TNF receptors and endometrial cancer risk : the EPIC study
- 2011
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - Geneve : International union against cancer. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 129:8, s. 2032-2037
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chronic inflammation has been hypothesized to play a role in endometrial cancer development. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), one of the major pro-inflammatory cytokines, has also been implicated in endometrial physiology. We conducted a case-control study nested within the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC) to examine the association of TNF-α and its two soluble receptors (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2) with endometrial cancer risk. Two-hundred-seventy cases and 518 matched controls were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. All statistical tests were two-sided. We observed an increased risk of endometrial cancer among women in the highest versus lowest quartile of TNF-α (odds ratio [OR]: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.09-2.73, Ptrend = 0.01), sTNFR1 (OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 0.99-2.86, Ptrend = 0.07) and sTNFR2 (OR: 1.53, 95%CI: 0.92-2.55, Ptrend = 0.03) after adjustment for body-mass-index, parity, age at menopause and previous postmenopausal hormone therapy use. Further adjustments for estrogens and C-peptide had minor effect on risk estimates. Our data show that elevated prediagnostic concentrations of TNF-α and its soluble receptors are related to a higher risk of endometrial cancer, particularly strong in women diagnosed within 2 years of blood donation. This is the first study of its kind and therefore deserves replication in further prospective studies.
|
|
10. |
- Fedirko, Veronika, et al.
(author)
-
Alcohol drinking and endometrial cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study
- 2013
-
In: Annals of Epidemiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1047-2797 .- 1873-2585. ; 23:2, s. 93-98
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Alcohol intake may adversely affect the concentrations of endogenous sex hormones, and thus increase the risk of endometrial cancer. However, epidemiologic studies have provided conflicting results. Therefore, we investigated the association between alcohol intake and endometrial cancer risk a large, multicenter, prospective study. Methods: From 1992 through 2010, 301,051 women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort were followed for incident endometrial cancer (n = 1382). Baseline alcohol consumption was assessed by country-specific, validated dietary questionnaires. Information on past alcohol consumption was collected by lifestyle questionnaires. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from Cox proportional hazard models. Results: The multivariable HRs (and 95% CIs) compared with light drinkers (0.1-6 g/d) were 1.03(0.88-1.20) for 0 g of alcohol per day at baseline, 1.01 (0.86-1.17) for 6.1-12 g/d, 1.03 (0.87-1.22) for 12.1-24 g/d, 1.07(0.87-1.38) for 241-36 g/d, and 0.85(0.61-1.18) for more than 36 g/d (p(trend) = 0.77). No association was observed among former drinkers (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.98-1.68 compared with light drinkers). Null associations were also found between alcohol consumption at age 20 years, lifetime pattern of alcohol drinking, and baseline alcohol intake from specific alcoholic beverages and endometrial cancer risk. Conclusions: Our findings suggest no association between alcohol intake and endometrial cancer risk.
|
|
11. |
- Fernlund, Eva, et al.
(author)
-
Novel Mutation in the KCNJ2 Gene Is Associated with a Malignant Arrhythmic Phenotype of Andersen-Tawil Syndrome.
- 2013
-
In: Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology. - : Wiley. - 1082-720X. ; 18:5, s. 471-478
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Andersen-Tawil syndrome (ATS) is a rare inherited multisystem disorder associated with mutations in KCNJ2 and low prevalence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Our aim was to describe the clinical course of ATS in a family, in which the proband survived aborted cardiac arrest (ACA) and genetic screening revealed a previously unknown mutation (c.271_282del12[p.Ala91_Leu94del]) in the KCNJ2 gene.
|
|
12. |
- Fortner, Renee T., et al.
(author)
-
Endometrial cancer risk prediction including serum-based biomarkers : results from the EPIC cohort
- 2017
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 140:6, s. 1317-1323
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Endometrial cancer risk prediction models including lifestyle, anthropometric and reproductive factors have limited discrimina-tion. Adding biomarker data to these models may improve predictive capacity; to our knowledge, this has not been investigat-ed for endometrial cancer. Using a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, we investigated the improvement in discrimination gained by adding serum biomarker concentrations to risk estimates derived from an existing risk prediction model based on epidemiologic factors. Serum concentrations of sex steroid hormones, metabolic markers, growth factors, adipokines and cytokines were evaluated in a step-wise backward selec-tion process; biomarkers were retained at p < 0.157 indicating improvement in the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Improvement in discrimination was assessed using the C-statistic for all biomarkers alone, and change in C-statistic from addition of biomarkers to preexisting absolute risk estimates. We used internal validation with bootstrapping (1000-fold) to adjust for over-fitting. Adiponectin, estrone, interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and triglycerides were select-ed into the model. After accounting for over-fitting, discrimination was improved by 2.0 percentage points when all evaluated biomarkers were included and 1.7 percentage points in the model including the selected biomarkers. Models including eti-ologic markers on independent pathways and genetic markers may further improve discrimination.
|
|
13. |
- Fortner, Renée T., et al.
(author)
-
Ovarian cancer early detection by circulating CA125 in the context of anti-CA125 autoantibody levels : Results from the EPIC cohort
- 2018
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 142:7, s. 1355-1360
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CA125 is the best ovarian cancer early detection marker to date; however, sensitivity is limited and complementary markers are required to improve discrimination between ovarian cancer cases and non-cases. Anti-CA125 autoantibodies are observed in circulation. Our objective was to evaluate whether these antibodies (1) can serve as early detection markers, providing evidence of an immune response to a developing tumor, and (2) modify the discriminatory capacity of CA125 by either masking CA125 levels (resulting in lower discrimination) or acting synergistically to improve discrimination between cases and non-cases. We investigated these objectives using a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort (EPIC) including 250 cases diagnosed within 4 years of blood collection and up to four matched controls. Circulating CA125 antigen and antibody levels were quantified using an electrochemiluminescence assay. Adjusted areas under the curve (aAUCs) by 2-year lag-time intervals were calculated using conditional logistic regression calibrated toward the absolute risk estimates from a pre-existing epidemiological risk model as an offset-variable. Anti-CA125 levels alone did not discriminate cases from controls. For cases diagnosed <2 years after blood collection, discrimination by CA125 antigen was suggestively higher with higher anti-CA125 levels (aAUC, highest antibody tertile: 0.84 [0.76-0.92]; lowest tertile: 0.76 [0.67-0.86]; p(het)=0.06). We provide the first evidence of potentially synergistic discrimination effects of CA125 and anti-CA125 antibodies in ovarian early detection. If these findings are replicated, evaluating CA125 in the context of its antibody may improve ovarian cancer early detection. What's new? Although CA125, a mucin produced in epithelial cells, is a known marker for ovarian cancer, complementary biomarkers are necessary for reliable early cancer detection. Here, the authors examined autoantibodies against CA125 as potential pre-diagnosis markers. Although anti-CA125 levels did not discriminate between ovarian cases and controls, discrimination of CA125 differed by levels of its antibody, with the highest discrimination among women with the highest antibody levels. The authors propose that CA125 and anti-CA125 may act synergistically for ovarian cancer early detection.
|
|
14. |
- Fortner, Renee T., et al.
(author)
-
Reproductive and hormone-related risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer by histologic pathways, invasiveness and histologic subtypes: Results from the EPIC cohort
- 2015
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 137:5, s. 1196-1208
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Whether risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) differ by subtype (i.e., dualistic pathway of carcinogenesis, histologic subtype) is not well understood; however, data to date suggest risk factor differences. We examined associations between reproductive and hormone-related risk factors for EOC by subtype in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Among 334,126 women with data on reproductive and hormone-related risk factors (follow-up: 1992-2010), 1,245 incident cases of EOC with known histology and invasiveness were identified. Data on tumor histology, grade, and invasiveness, were available from cancer registries and pathology record review. We observed significant heterogeneity by the dualistic model (i.e., type I [low grade serous or endometrioid, mucinous, clear cell, malignant Brenner] vs. type II [high grade serous or endometrioid]) for full-term pregnancy (p(het)=0.02). Full-term pregnancy was more strongly inversely associated with type I than type II tumors (ever vs. never: type I: relative risk (RR) 0.47 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33-0.69]; type II, RR: 0.81 [0.61-1.06]). We observed no significant differences in risk in analyses by major histologic subtypes of invasive EOC (serous, mucinous, endometrioid, clear cell). None of the investigated factors were associated with borderline tumors. Established protective factors, including duration of oral contraceptive use and full term pregnancy, were consistently inversely associated with risk across histologic subtypes (e.g., ever full-term pregnancy: serous, RR: 0.73 [0.58-0.92]; mucinous, RR: 0.53 [0.30-0.95]; endometrioid, RR: 0.65 [0.40-1.06]; clear cell, RR: 0.34 [0.18-0.64]; p(het)=0.16). These results suggest limited heterogeneity between reproductive and hormone-related risk factors and EOC subtypes. What's new? Reproductive and hormone-related risk factors for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) have been extensively investigated. However, EOC is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous disease and risk factor differences across EOC subtypes, as defined by the recently proposed dualistic pathway of ovarian carcinogenesis and histological characteristics, are not well understood. Here, the authors present a detailed prospective investigation on reproductive and hormone-related risk factors for borderline tumors and epithelial ovarian cancer by main histological subtypes and, for the first time, by the types defined by the dualistic pathway. The results suggest limited heterogeneity between reproductive and hormone-related risk factors and EOC subtypes.
|
|
15. |
- Hartell, Eva, 1973-, et al.
(author)
-
Informerat samtycke i flerspråkig skolmiljö
- 2021
-
In: Lärarnas forskningskonferens 2021. ; , s. 45-
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Bedömning av transversella färdigheter i STEM (ATSSTEM) är ett innovativt utveckling- och forskningsprojekt med en experimentell design, som syftar till att förbättra digitala bedömningsformer av elevers kunskaper och ämnesövergripande färdigheter inom STEM [matematik, naturvetenskap och teknik]. Detta Erasmus+ projekt bedrivs i grundskolor och gymnasieskolor runt om i Europa och pågår mellan 2019–2022. Haninge kommun och Institutionen för lärande vid Kungliga Tekniska högskolan deltar i ATSSTEM-partnernätverket tillsammans med 11 andra utbildningsinstitutioner som befinner sig på olika nivåer av utbildningssystemet i åtta europeiska länder. Ämnesövergripande undervisningsupplägg med fokus på Agenda 2030 utvecklas och prövas tillsammans med lärare från skolor runt om i Europa. Från Sverige deltar sju grundskolor i Haninge kommun. Frågeställningar - Hur kommunicerar vi informerat samtycke i en flerspråkig miljö? - Hur kan vi kommunicera med vårdnadshavare på andra språk än svenska om potentiella fördelarna och risker med praktiknära skolforskning för deras barn? - Hur kan vi engagera vårdnadshavare med olika språkbakgrund för att få dem att känna sig del av forskningen och förklara vårdnadshavarnas och elevernas rättigheter och de garantier de kan förvänta sig? - Vilka logistik- och kostnadskrav ställer detta på forskargrupper? - Hur resurssätter vi lärare och forskare att kommunicera med vårdnadshavare i flerspråkiga miljöer med avseende på informerat samtycke? Resultat och diskussion I syfte att säkerställa att vårdnadshavare och elever på pilotskolorna kunde tillgodogöra sig innehållet i samtyckesformuläret beslutade projektgruppen att översätta dokumentet till några av de mest förekommande språken i Haninge engelska, arabiska, polska, ryska och turkiska. Vi vill till detta seminarium bjuda in publiken till en dialog där vi diskuterar och delar erfarenheter i den etiskt utmanande frågan om hur man kommunicerar informerat samtycke i en flerspråkig skolmiljö.
|
|
16. |
- Hartell, Eva, 1973-, et al.
(author)
-
Seeking informed consent in a multilingual school environment : ATSSTEM - project
- 2021
-
In: PATT38 Book of Abstracts. - Turku, Finland. ; , s. 29-30
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Assessment of Transversal Skills in STEM (ATSSTEM) is an innovative policy experimentation project, which aims to enhance digital assessment of students’ transversal skills in STEM. This Erasmus+ project is situated in primary and secondary schools in and run between 2019– 2022. The Department of Education in Haninge municipality and the Department of Learning at KTH Royal Institute of Technology partake in the ATSSTEM partner network together with 11 other educational institutions, operating on different levels of the educational system across 8 European countries. Integrated STEM learning activities focusing Agenda 2030 is developed and piloted together with teachers in 7 primary and secondary schools in Haninge municipality in Sweden. Following regular ethical requirements for educational research projects; the research team seeks informed consent from the students’ guardians as the students involved are underaged. The pilot schools in municipality of Haninge are fortunate to have students from all over the world, and a number of families have recently immigrated to Sweden. STEM education has a strong policy focus at European and national levels on widening opportunities for under-represented groups. With the purpose to emphasis informed, we therefore decided to translate the informed consent form to a number of languages [e.g. Arabic, Spanish and Polish] spoken at home in our pilot schools. We would like to invite audience to discuss and share experience in the ethically challenging matter of communicating informed consent in a multilingual school environment with the following suggested prompts.How can we communicate with parents in other languages (and with different cultural expectations) about the potential benefits of research to their children?How can we engage parents from different backgrounds to make them feel part of research and explain the rights of parents and students and the safeguards they can expect?What logistic and costs requirements does this place on research teams? How do we resource teachers and researchers to communicate with parents in multi-lingual environments?
|
|
17. |
|
|
18. |
- Israelsson, Pernilla, et al.
(author)
-
Assessment of cytokine mRNA expression profiles in tumor microenvironment and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with high-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Cancer Science & Therapy. - : OMICS Publishing Group. - 1948-5956. ; 9:5, s. 422-429
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Tumor establishment, metastatic spreading and poor survival in ovarian cancer is strongly associated with progressive derangement of the patient’s immune system. Accumulating evidence suggests that immune impairment is influenced by the production and presence of cytokines in the tumor microenvironment. Methods: Cytokine mRNA profiles in tumor tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were analyzed in patients with high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) of the ovary and compared it to patients with benign ovarian conditions and controls with normal ovaries. Cytokine assessment was done by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and specific primers and probes for 12 cytokines-IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, TNF-α, TNF-β/LTA, TGF-β1, and GM-CSF chosen to distinguish between cytotoxic Th1, humoral Th2, regulatory Th3/Tr1 and inflammatory responses. Results: The cytokine mRNA response in the HGSC patients was significantly up regulated compared to patients with benign ovarian conditions and normal ovary controls confirming the immunogenicity of HGSC and implying immune recognition and reaction locally in the tumor microenvironment and systemically in the peripheral blood.There was an up-regulation of inflammatory and inhibitory cytokine mRNA promoting tumor progression, T-regulatory cell priming and T-regulatory cell-mediated immune suppression. In contrast, there was an inability to mount the crucially important IFN gamma response needed for upregulation of the cytotoxic anti-tumor response in the local microenvironment. In addition, systemic IL-4- mediated Th2 response prevailed in the peripheral blood deviating the systemic defense towards humoral immunity. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest local and systemic cytokine cooperation promoting tumor survival, progression and immune escape. Our study confirms and extends previous investigations and contributes to the evaluation of potential cytokine candidates for diagnostic cytokine mRNA profiles and for future therapeutic interventions based on cytokine inhibition.
|
|
19. |
- Israelsson, Pernilla, et al.
(author)
-
Assessment of cytokine mRNA expression profiles in tumor microenvironment and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with high-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary
- 2019
-
In: International Journal of Gynecological Cancer. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 1048-891X .- 1525-1438. ; 29, s. A138-A138
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduction/Background Tumor establishment, metastatic spreading and poor survival in ovarian cancer is strongly associated with progressive derangement of the patient‘s immune system. Accumulating evidence suggests that immune impairment is influenced by the production and presence of cytokines in the tumor microenvironment.Methodology Cytokine mRNA profiles in tumor tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were analyzed in patients with high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) of the ovary and compared it to patients with benign ovarian conditions and controls with normal ovaries. Cytokine assessment was done by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and specific primers and probes for 12 cytokines-IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, TNF-α, TNF-β/LTA, TGF-β1, and GM-CSF chosen to distinguish between cytotoxic Th1, humoral Th2, regulatory Th3/Tr1 and inflammatory responses.Results The cytokine mRNA response in the HGSC patients was significantly up regulated compared to patients with benign ovarian conditions and normal ovary controls confirming the immunogenicity of HGSC and implying immune recognition and reaction locally in the tumor microenvironment and systemically in the peripheral blood.There was an up-regulation of inflammatory and inhibitory cytokine mRNA promoting tumor progression, T-regulatory cell priming and T-regulatory cell-mediated immune suppression. In contrast, there was an inability to mount the crucially important IFN gamma response needed for upregulation of the cytotoxic anti-tumor response in the local microenvironment. In addition, systemic IL-4- mediated Th2 response prevailed in the peripheral blood deviating the systemic defense towards humoral immunity.Conclusion Taken together, these results suggest local and systemic cytokine cooperation promoting tumor survival, progression and immune escape. Our study confirms and extends previous investigations and contributes to the evaluation of potential cytokine candidates for diagnostic cytokine mRNA profiles and for future therapeutic interventions based on cytokine inhibition.
|
|
20. |
- Israelsson, Pernilla, et al.
(author)
-
Cytokine mRNA and protein expression by cell cultures of epithelial ovarian cancer : Methodological considerations on the choice of analytical method for cytokine analyses
- 2020
-
In: American Journal of Reproductive Immunology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1046-7408 .- 1600-0897. ; 84:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Problem: To get a comprehensive picture of cytokine expression in health and disease is difficult, cytokines are transiently and locally expressed, and protein analyses are burdened by biological modifications, technical issues, and sensitivity to handling of samples. Thus, alternative methods, based on molecular techniques for cytokine mRNA analyses, are often used. We compared cytokine mRNA and protein expression to evaluate whether cytokine mRNA profiles can be used instead of protein analyses.Method of study: In kinetic experiments, cytokine mRNA and protein expression of IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, and TNF-beta/LTA were studied using real-time RT-qPCR and Luminex(R) microarrays in the ovarian cancer cell lines OVCAR-3, SKOV-3 and the T-cell line Jurkat, after activation of transcription by thermal stress. In addition, we analyzed IL-6 and IL-8 mRNA and protein in a small number of ovarian cancer patients.Results: Ovarian cancer cells can express cytokines on both mRNA and protein level, with 1-4 hours' time delay between the mRNA and protein peak and a negative Spearman correlation. The mRNA and protein expression in patient samples was poorly correlated, reflecting previous studies.Conclusion: Cytokine mRNA and protein expression levels show diverging results, depending on the material analyzed and the method used. Considering the high sensitivity and reproducibility of real-time RT-qPCR, we suggest that cytokine mRNA profiles could be used as a proxy for protein expression for some specific purposes, such as comparisons between different patient groups, and in defining mechanistic pathways involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and other pathological conditions.
|
|
21. |
- Kaaks, Rudolf, et al.
(author)
-
Tumor-associated autoantibodies as early detection markers for ovarian cancer? : A prospective evaluation
- 2018
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 143:3, s. 515-526
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immuno-proteomic screening has identified several tumor-associated autoantibodies (AAb) that may have diagnostic capacity for invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, with AAbs to P53 proteins and cancer-testis antigens (CTAGs) as prominent examples. However, the early detection potential of these AAbs has been insufficiently explored in prospective studies. We performed ELISA measurements of AAbs to CTAG1A, CTAG2, P53 and NUDT11 proteins, for 194 patients with ovarian cancer and 705 matched controls from the European EPIC cohort, using serum samples collected up to 36 months prior to diagnosis under usual care. CA125 was measured using electrochemo-luminiscence. Diagnostic discrimination statistics were calculated by strata of lead-time between blood collection and diagnosis. With lead times 6 months, ovarian cancer detection sensitivity at 0.98 specificity (SE98) varied from 0.19 [95% CI 0.08-0.40] for CTAG1A, CTAG2 and NUDT1 to 0.23 [0.10-0.44] for P53 (0.33 [0.11-0.68] for high-grade serous tumors). However, at longer lead-times, the ability of these AAb markers to distinguish future ovarian cancer cases from controls declined rapidly; at lead times >1 year, SE98 estimates were close to zero (all invasive cases, range: 0.01-0.11). Compared to CA125 alone, combined logistic regression scores of AAbs and CA125 did not improve detection sensitivity at equal level of specificity. The added value of these selected AAbs as markers for ovarian cancer beyond CA125 for early detection is therefore limited. What's new? Could autoantibodies against tumor antigens provide an early warning system for ovarian cancer? These authors tested how well certain antibodies detected ovarian cancer. They selected four candidate antibodies, to p53, CTAG1A, CTAG2 and NUDT11 proteins, which appear in elevated levels in cancer patients. None of them performed well as a herald of burgeoning cancer. They did not perform any better than the best currently available biomarker, CA125, and as lead times increased past 6 months prediagnosis, the effectiveness diminished. Surprisingly, elevated antibodies appeared in quite a few of the control samples, suggesting they might not be as cancer-specific as expected.
|
|
22. |
- Labani-Motlagh, Alireza, et al.
(author)
-
Differential expression of ligands for NKG2D and DNAM-1 receptors by epithelial ovarian cancer-derived exosomes and its influence on NK cell cytotoxicity
- 2016
-
In: Tumor Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1010-4283 .- 1423-0380. ; 37:4, s. 5455-5466
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancers constitutively produce and secrete into the blood and other biofluids 30-150 nm-sized endosomal vehicles called exosomes. Cancer-derived exosomes exhibit powerful influence on a variety of biological mechanisms to the benefit of the tumors that produce them. We studied the immunosuppressive ability of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) exosomes on two cytotoxic pathways of importance for anticancer immunity-the NKG2D receptor-ligand pathway and the DNAM-1-PVR/nectin-2 pathway. Using exosomes, isolated from EOC tumor explant and EOC cell-line culture supernatants, and ascitic fluid from EOC patients, we studied the expression of NKG2D and DNAM-1 ligands on EOC exosomes and their ability to downregulate the cognate receptors. Our results show that EOC exosomes differentially and constitutively express NKG2D ligands from both MICA/B and ULBP families on their surface, while DNAM-1 ligands are more seldom expressed and not associated with the exosomal membrane surface. Consequently, the NKG2D ligand-bearing EOC exosomes significantly downregulated the NKG2D receptor expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) while the DNAM-1 receptor was unaffected. The downregulation of NKG2D receptor expression was coupled to inhibition of NKG2D receptor-ligand-mediated degranulation and cytotoxicity measured in vitro with OVCAR-3 and K562 cells as targets. The EOC exosomes acted as a decoy impairing the NKG2D mediated cytotoxicity while the DNAM-1 receptor-ligand system remained unchanged. Taken together, our results support and explain the mechanism behind the recently reported finding that in EOC, NK-cell recognition and killing of tumor cells was mainly dependent on DNAM-1 signaling while the contribution of the NKG2D receptor-ligand pathway was complementary and uncertain.
|
|
23. |
- Lahmann, Petra H., et al.
(author)
-
Anthropometric measures and epithelial ovarian cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
- 2010
-
In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 126:10, s. 2404-2415
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We examined the associations of measured anthropometric factors, including general and central adiposity and height, with ovarian cancer risk. We also investigated these associations by menopausal status and for specific histological subtypes. Among 226,798 women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, there were 611 incident cases of primary, malignant, epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed during a mean 8.9 years of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (as), adjusted for potential confounders. Compared to women with body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m(2), obesity (BMI >= 30 kg/m(2)) was associated with excess ovarian cancer risk for all women combined (HR = 1.33, 95% Cl = 1.05-1.68; p(trend) = 0.02) and postmenopausal women (HR = 1.59, 95% Cl = 1.20-2.10; p(trend) = 0.001), but the association was weaker for premenopausal women (HR = 1.16, 95% Cl = 0.65-2.06; p(trend) = 0.65). Neither height or weight gain, nor BMI-adjusted measures of fat distribution assessed by waist circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR) or hip circumference were associated with overall risk. WHR was related to increased risk of mucinous tumors (BMI-adjusted HR per 0.05 unit increment = 1.17, 95% Cl = 1.00-1.38). For all women combined, no other significant associations with risk were observed for specific histological subtypes. This large, prospective study provides evidence that obesity is an important modifiable risk factor for epithelial ovarian cancer, particularly among postmenopausal women.
|
|
24. |
- Lundin Gurné, Frida, et al.
(author)
-
Striving to be in close proximity to the patient: An interpretive descriptive study of nursing practice from the perspectives of clinically experienced registered nurses
- 2021
-
In: Nursing Inquiry. - : Wiley. - 1320-7881 .- 1440-1800. ; 28:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- © 2020 The Authors. Nursing Inquiry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd This paper explores essential characteristics of current nursing practice from the perspectives of clinically experienced registered nurses in various fields of health care in Sweden. Nursing practice has been the subject of much debate in the past and because of its complexity as well as continuous changes in society it is important to continue the debate. A qualitative study, including 16 group interviews with altogether 74 participants, was conducted. Nursing practice was viewed as a multifaceted field. The participants struggled to define nursing but were able to describe it using concrete examples. The analysis, using interpretive description, identified current practice as essentially consisting of: ‘A practice pervaded by comprehensive responsibility’, ‘A practice that recognises a patient's unique needs’, ‘A practice based on multifaceted knowledge’ and ‘A practice that mediates between traditional values and changing demands’. Current nursing practice can be understood as striving to be in close proximity to the patient, but in tension with pervasive requirements and societal changes. Going forward, it is necessary to continue to reflect on and discuss the nature of nursing practice in an interprofessional context. Studies from primary and home care are also needed to broaden the understanding of nursing practice.
|
|
25. |
- Merritt, Melissa A., et al.
(author)
-
Dietary fat intake and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
- 2014
-
In: Cancer Epidemiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-7821 .- 1877-783X. ; 38:5, s. 528-537
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There are inconsistent and limited data available to assess the relationship between fat intake and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We examined the consumption of total fat, fat sources and fat subtypes in relation to risk of EOC and its major histologic subtypes in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition which includes incident invasive (n = 1095) and borderline (n = 96) EOC. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In multivariate models, we observed no association with consumption of total fat, animal or plant fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, monounsaturated fat, or fatty fish and risk of invasive EOC. There was, however, an increased risk of invasive EOC in the highest category of intake (Quartile 4 vs. Quartile 1) of polyunsaturated fat (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.02-1.48, P-trend = 0.02). We did not observe heterogeneity in the risk associations in comparisons of serous and endometrioid histologic subtypes. This study does not support an etiological role for total fat intake in relation to EOC risk; however, based on observations of a positive association between intake of polyunsaturated fat and invasive EOC risk in the current and previous studies, this fat subtype warrants further investigation to determine its potential role in EOC development.
|
|
26. |
|
|
27. |
- Mukama, Trasias, et al.
(author)
-
Prospective evaluation of 92 serum protein biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer
- 2022
-
In: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Nature. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 126, s. 1301-1309
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: CA125 is the best available yet insufficiently sensitive biomarker for early detection of ovarian cancer. There is a need to identify novel biomarkers, which individually or in combination with CA125 can achieve adequate sensitivity and specificity for the detection of earlier-stage ovarian cancer.Methods: In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, we measured serum levels of 92 preselected proteins for 91 women who had blood sampled ≤18 months prior to ovarian cancer diagnosis, and 182 matched controls. We evaluated the discriminatory performance of the proteins as potential early diagnostic biomarkers of ovarian cancer.Results: Nine of the 92 markers; CA125, HE4, FOLR1, KLK11, WISP1, MDK, CXCL13, MSLN and ADAM8 showed an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of ≥0.70 for discriminating between women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and women who remained cancer-free. All, except ADAM8, had shown at least equal discrimination in previous case-control comparisons. The discrimination of the biomarkers, however, was low for the lag-time of >9–18 months and paired combinations of CA125 with any of the 8 markers did not improve discrimination compared to CA125 alone.Conclusion: Using pre-diagnostic serum samples, this study identified markers with good discrimination for the lag-time of 0–9 months. However, the discrimination was low in blood samples collected more than 9 months prior to diagnosis, and none of the markers showed major improvement in discrimination when added to CA125.
|
|
28. |
- Nyqvist, Johanna, et al.
(author)
-
Differences in health related quality of life in the randomised ARTSCAN study; accelerated vs. conventional radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. A five year follow up
- 2016
-
In: Radiotherapy and Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-8140 .- 1879-0887. ; 118:2, s. 335-341
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and purpose: Health related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed in the randomised, prospective ARTSCAN study comparing conventional radiotherapy (CF) with accelerated radiotherapy (AF) for head and neck cancer. Material and methods: 750 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (of any grade and stage) in the oral cavity, oro-, or hypopharynx or larynx (except T1-2, NO glottic carcinoma) without distant metastases were randomised to either conventional fractionation (2 Gy/day, 5 days/week in 49 days, total dose 68 Gy) or accelerated fractionation (1.1 + 2.0 Gy/day, 5 days/week in 35 days, total dose 68 Gy). HRQoL was assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-H&N35 and HADS at baseline, at end of radiotherapy (eRT) and at 3 and 6 months and 1, 2 and 5 years after start of treatment. Results: The AF group reported HRQoL was significantly lower at eRT and at 3 months for most symptoms, scales and functions. Few significant differences were noted between the groups at 6 months and 5 years. Scores related to functional oral intake never reached baseline. Conclusion: In comparison to CF, AF has a stronger adverse effect on HRQoL in the acute phase.
|
|
29. |
- Obon-Santacana, Mireia, et al.
(author)
-
Acrylamide and Glycidamide Hemoglobin Adducts and Epithelial Ovarian Cancer : A Nested Case-Control Study in Nonsmoking Postmenopausal Women from the EPIC Cohort
- 2016
-
In: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 25:1, s. 127-134
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Acrylamide was classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans (group 2A)” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the fourth cause of cancer mortality in women. Five epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between EOC risk and dietary acrylamide intake assessed using food frequency questionnaires, and one nested case–control study evaluated hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (HbAA) and its metabolite glycidamide (HbGA) and EOC risk; the results of these studies were inconsistent.Methods: A nested case–control study in nonsmoking postmenopausal women (334 cases, 417 controls) was conducted within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between HbAA, HbGA, HbAA+HbGA, and HbGA/HbAA and EOC and invasive serous EOC risk.Results: No overall associations were observed between biomarkers of acrylamide exposure analyzed in quintiles and EOC risk; however, positive associations were observed between some middle quintiles of HbGA and HbAA+HbGA. Elevated but nonstatistically significant ORs for serous EOC were observed for HbGA and HbAA+HbGA (ORQ5vsQ1, 1.91; 95% CI, 0.96–3.81 and ORQ5vsQ1, 1.90; 95% CI, 0.94–3.83, respectively); however, no linear dose–response trends were observed.Conclusion: This EPIC nested case–control study failed to observe a clear association between biomarkers of acrylamide exposure and the risk of EOC or invasive serous EOC.Impact: It is unlikely that dietary acrylamide exposure increases ovarian cancer risk; however, additional studies with larger sample size should be performed to exclude any possible association with EOC risk.
|
|
30. |
- Ose, Jennifer, et al.
(author)
-
Inflammatory markers and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer by tumor subtypes: the EPIC cohort.
- 2015
-
In: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. - 1538-7755 .- 1055-9965. ; 24:6, s. 951-961
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Evidence suggests an etiologic role for inflammation in ovarian carcinogenesis and heterogeneity between tumor subtypes and anthropometric indices. Prospective studies on circulating inflammatory markers and epithelial invasive ovarian cancer (EOC) have predominantly investigated overall risk; data characterizing risk by tumor characteristics (histology, grade, stage, dualistic model of ovarian carcinogenesis) and anthropometric indices are sparse.
|
|
31. |
|
|
32. |
|
|
33. |
|
|
34. |
- Terry, Kathryn L., et al.
(author)
-
A Prospective Evaluation of Early Detection Biomarkers for Ovarian Cancer in the European EPIC Cohort
- 2016
-
In: Clinical Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 22:18, s. 4664-4675
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: About 60% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at late stage, when 5-year survival is less than 30% in contrast to 90% for local disease. This has prompted search for early detection biomarkers. For initial testing, specimens taken months or years before ovarian cancer diagnosis are the best source of information to evaluate earlydetection biomarkers. Here we evaluate the most promising ovarian cancer screening biomarkers in prospectively collected samples from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Experimental Design: We measured CA125, HE4, CA72.4, and CA15.3 in 810 invasive epithelial ovarian cancer cases and 1,939 controls. We calculated the sensitivity at 95% and 98% specificity as well as area under the receiver operator curve (C-statistic) for each marker individually and in combination. In addition, we evaluated marker performance by stage at diagnosis and time between blood draw and diagnosis. Results: We observed the best discrimination between cases and controls within 6 months of diagnosis for CA125 (C-statistic = 0.92), then HE4 (0.84), CA72.4 (0.77), and CA15.3 (0.73). Marker performance declined with longer time between blood draw and diagnosis and for earlier staged disease. However, assessment of discriminatory ability at early stage was limited by small numbers. Combinations of markers performed modestly, but significantly better than any single marker. Conclusions: CA125 remains the single best marker for the early detection of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, but can be slightly improved by combining with other markers. Identifying novel markers for ovarian cancer will require studies including larger numbers of early-stage cases.
|
|
35. |
- Yammine, Sahar, et al.
(author)
-
Dietary and Circulating Fatty Acids and Ovarian Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
- 2020
-
In: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - Philadelphia : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 29:9, s. 1739-1749
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Fatty acids impact obesity, estrogens, and inflammation, which are risk factors for ovarian cancer. Few epidemiologic studies have investigated the association of fatty acids with ovarian cancer.Methods: Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), 1,486 incident ovarian cancer cases were identified. Cox proportional hazard models with adjustment for ovarian cancer risk factors were used to estimate HRs of ovarian cancer across quintiles of intake of fatty acids. False discovery rate was computed to control for multiple testing. Multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate ORs of ovarian cancer across tertiles of plasma fatty acids among 633 cases and two matched controls in a nested case-control analysis.Results: Apositive association was found between ovarian cancer and intake of industrial trans elaidic acid [HR comparing fifth with first quintile(Q5-Q1) = 1.29; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.62; P-trend = 0.02, q-value = 0.06]. Dietary intakes of n-6 linoleic acid (HRQ5-Q1 = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.01-1.21; P-trend = 0.03) and n-3 alpha-linolenic acid (HRQ5-Q1 = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.05-1.34; P-trend = 0.007) from deep-frying fats were also positively associated with ovarian cancer. Suggestive associations were reported for circulating elaidic (OR comparing third with first tertile(T3-T1) = 1.39; 95% CI = 0.99-1.94; P-trend = 0.06) anda-linolenic acids (ORT3-T1 = 1.30; 95% CI = 0.98-1.72; P-trend = 0.06).Conclusions: Our results suggest that higher intakes and circulating levels of industrial trans elaidic acid, and higher intakes of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid from deep-frying fat, may be associated with greater risk of ovarian cancer.Impact: If causal, eliminating industrial trans-fatty acids could offer a straightforward public health action for reducing ovarian cancer risk.
|
|
36. |
|
|
37. |
|
|
38. |
|
|
39. |
|
|
40. |
|
|
41. |
- Acuña Mora, Mariela, 1990, et al.
(author)
-
The longitudinal association between patient empowerment and patient-reported outcomes: What is the direction of effect?
- 2022
-
In: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 17:11
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Theoretical literature and cross-sectional studies suggest empowerment is associated with other patient-reported outcomes (PROs). However, it is not known if patient empowerment is leading to improvements in other PROs or vice versa.The present study aimed to examine the direction of effects between patient empowerment and PROs in young persons with congenital heart disease (CHD).As part of the STEPSTONES-CHD trial, adolescents with CHD from seven pediatric cardiology centers in Sweden were included in a longitudinal observational study (n = 132). Data were collected when patients were 16 (T0), 17 (T1) and 18 ½ years old (T2). The Gothenburg Young Persons Empowerment Scale (GYPES) was used to measure patient empowerment. Random intercepts cross-lagged panel models between patient empowerment and PROs (communication skills; patient-reported health; quality of life; and transition readiness) were undertaken.We found a significant cross-lagged effect of transition readiness over patient empowerment between T1 and T2, signifying that a higher level of transition readiness predicted a higher level of patient empowerment. No other significant cross-lagged relationships were found.Feeling confident before the transition to adult care is necessary before young persons with CHD can feel in control to manage their health and their lives. Clinicians interested in improving patient empowerment during the transitional period should consider targeting transition readiness.
|
|
42. |
- Acuña Mora, Mariela, 1990, et al.
(author)
-
The Scope of Research on Transfer and Transition in Young Persons With Chronic Conditions
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Adolescent Health. - : Elsevier BV. - 1054-139X .- 1879-1972. ; 65:5, s. 581-589
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose To determine the amount, type, and evidence level of published literature on transfer and/or transition of young people with chronic conditions (CCs) and to describe the characteristics of such studies. Methods Databases including PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for publications in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, or Swedish. Included publications were related to transfer and/or transition of young persons (10–25 years) with a CC. Grey literature was excluded. Region and country where the study was performed, type of study design, study population (i.e., type of CC, sample size, group), and data collection methods were extracted from the studies. Results We included 952 publications for data analysis, of which 790 were quantitative, 128 qualitative, and 34 multimethods or mixed methods studies. Only seven studies were experimental designs, and the majority (n = 341) were categorized as expert opinion or narrative reviews. Endocrinology and neurology were the most common medical specialties involved in the studies, and young persons were the most represented group, while health-care providers were involved the least. Conclusions The majority of publications are categorized at the lowest evidence level. Furthermore, evidence is limited to a certain group of medical specialties.
|
|
43. |
- Adhikari, Deepak, et al.
(author)
-
Disruption of Tsc2 in oocytes leads to overactivation of the entire pool of primordial follicles
- 2009
-
In: Molecular human reproduction. - : Oxford University Press. - 1360-9947 .- 1460-2407. ; 15:12, s. 765-770
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To maintain the length of reproductive life in a woman, it is essential that most of her ovarian primordial follicles are maintained in a quiescent state to provide a continuous supply of oocytes. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control the quiescence and activation of primordial follicles is still in its infancy. In this study, we provide some genetic evidence to show that the tumor suppressor tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (Tsc2), which negatively regulates mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), functions in oocytes to maintain the dormancy of primordial follicles. In mutant mice lacking the Tsc2 gene in oocytes, the pool of primordial follicles is activated prematurely due to elevated mTORC1 activity in oocytes. This results in depletion of follicles in early adulthood, causing premature ovarian failure (POF). Our results suggest that the Tsc1-Tsc2 complex mediated suppression of mTORC1 activity is indispensable for maintenance of the dormancy of primordial follicles, thus preserving the follicular pool, and that mTORC1 activity in oocytes promotes follicular activation. Our results also indicate that deregulation of Tsc/mTOR signaling in oocytes may cause pathological conditions of the ovary such as infertility and POF.
|
|
44. |
- Ahl, Matilda, et al.
(author)
-
Immune response in blood before and after epileptic and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures
- 2023
-
In: Heliyon. - : Elsevier. - 2405-8440. ; 9:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inflammatory processes may provoke epileptic seizures and seizures may promote an immune reaction. Hence, the systemic immune reaction is a tempting diagnostic and prognostic marker in epilepsy. We explored the immune response before and after epileptic and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). Serum samples collected from patients with videoEEG-verified temporal or frontal lobe epilepsy (TLE or FLE) or TLE + PNES showed increased interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in between seizures (interictally), compared to controls. Patients with PNES had no increase in IL-6. The IL-6 levels increased transiently even further within hours after a seizure (postictally) in TLE but not in FLE patients. The postictal to interictal ratio of additionally five immune factors were also increased in TLE patients only. We conclude that immune factors have the potential to be future biomarkers for epileptic seizures and that the heterogeneity among different epileptic and non-epileptic seizures may be disclosed in peripheral blood sampling independent of co-morbidities.
|
|
45. |
- Allahverdiyeva, Yagut, et al.
(author)
-
Comparison of the electron transport properties of the psbo1 and psbo2 mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana
- 2009
-
In: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0005-2728 .- 1879-2650. ; 1787:10, s. 1230-1237
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genome sequence of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) revealed two psbO genes (At5g66570 and At3g50820) which encode two distinct PsbO isoforms: PsbO1 and PsbO2, respectively. To get insights into the function of the PsbO1 and PsbO2 isoforms in Arabidopsis we have performed systematic and comprehensive investigations of the whole photosynthetic electron transfer chain in the T-DNA insertion mutant lines, psbO1 and psbo2. The absence of the PsbO1 isoform and presence of only the PsbO2 isoform in the psbo1 mutant results in (i) malfunction of both the donor and acceptor sides of Photosystem (PS) 11 and (ii) high sensitivity of PSII centers to photodamage, thus implying the importance of the PsbO1 isoform for proper structure and function of PSII. The presence of only the PsbO2 isoform in the PSII centers has consequences not only to the function of PSII but also to the PSI/PSII ratio in thylakoids. These results in modification of the whole electron transfer chain with higher rate of cyclic electron transfer around PSI, faster induction of NPQ and a larger size of the PQ-pool compared to WT, being in line with apparently increased chlororespiration in the psbo1 mutant plants. The presence of only the PsbO1 isoform in the psbo2 mutant did not induce any significant differences in the performance of PSII under standard growth conditions as compared to WT. Nevertheless, under high light illumination, it seems that the presence of also the PsbO2 isoform becomes favourable for efficient repair of the PSII complex.
|
|
46. |
- Andersson, Charlotta, et al.
(author)
-
Prognostic significance of specific anti-WT1 IgG antibody level in plasma in patients with ovarian carcinoma
- 2014
-
In: Cancer Medicine. - : Wiley. - 2045-7634. ; 3:4, s. 909-918
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ovarian carcinoma (OC) has a poor prognosis and lack early effective screening markers. Wilm's tumor gene 1 (WT1) is overexpressed in OCs. Therefore, it is of great interest to investigate whether WT1-specific antibody (Ab) measurements in plasma can serve as a biomarker of anti-OC response, and is of importance in relation to patient prognosis. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from a total of 103 women with ovarian tumors with median being 1 day (range 0-48 days) before operation. WT1 IgG Ab levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunohistochemical analysis of WT1 protein expression was performed on OC tissue samples. We found that low-WT1 Ab level in plasma was related to improved survival in patients diagnosed at stages III-IV and grade 3 carcinomas. Positive WT1 protein staining on OC tissue samples had a negative impact on survival in the entire cohort, both overall survival (OS) (P = 0.046) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.006), but not in the serous OC subtype. Combining WT1 IgG Ab levels and WT1 staining, patients with high-WT1 IgG Ab levels in plasma and positive WT1 protein staining in cancer tissues had shorter survival, with a significant association in PFS (P = 0.016). These results indicated that WT1 Ab measurements in plasma and WT1 staining in tissue specimens could be useful as biomarkers for patient outcome in the high-risk subtypes of OCs for postoperative individualized therapy.
|
|
47. |
- Andersson, Charlotta, 1976-
(author)
-
Significance of Wilms’ tumor gene 1 as a biomarker in acute leukemia and solid tumors
- 2016
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Wilms’ tumor gene 1 (WT1) is a zinc finger transcriptional regulator with crucial functions in embryonic development. Originally WT1 was described as a tumor suppressor gene, but later studies have shown oncogenic properties of WT1 in a variety of tumors. Because of its dual functions in tumorigenesis, WT1 has been described as a chameleon gene. In this thesis, the significance of WT1 as a biomarker was investigated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), ovarian carcinoma (OC) and childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL).Previous studies have suggested that expression of WT1 is a potential marker for detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in AML. We aimed to define expression of WT1 as an MRD marker in AML. In adult AML patients, we found that a reduction of WT1 expression in bone marrow (≥ 1-log) detected less than 1 month after diagnosis was associated with an improved overall survival (OS) and freedom from relapse (FFR). In peripheral blood, a reduction of WT1 expression (≥ 2-log) detected between 1 and 6 months after treatment initiation was associated with an improved OS and FFR.WT1 harbor pathogenic genetic variants in a considerable proportion of AML and T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), but mutations have not been reported in BCP-ALL. We aimed to evaluate the clinical impact of WT1 mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BCP-ALL. Pathogenic mutations in the WT1 gene were rarely seen in childhood BCP-ALL. However, five WT1 SNPs were identified. In survival analyses, WT1 SNP rs1799925 was found to be associated with worse OS, indicating that WT1 SNP rs1799925 may be a useful marker for clinical outcome in childhood BCP-ALL. We also explored whether WT1 mutations and SNPs in ccRCC could be used as biomarkers for risk and treatment stratification. We therefore examined whether SNPs or mutations in WT1 were associated with WT1 expression and clinical outcome. Sequencing analysis revealed that none of the previously reported WT1 mutations were found in ccRCC; however, we identified six different WT1 SNPs. Our data suggest that pathogenic WT1 mutations are not involved in ccRCC, and the prognostic significance of WT1 SNPs in ccRCC is considerably weak. However, a favorable OS and disease-specific survival were found in the few cases harboring the homozygous minor allele.OC has a poor prognosis, and early effective screening markers are lacking. Serous OCs are known to express the WT1 protein. Overexpressed oncogenic proteins can be considered potential candidate antigens for cancer vaccines and T-cell therapy. It was therefore of great interest to investigate whether anti-WT1 IgG antibody (Ab) measurements in plasma could serve as biomarkers of anti-OC response. We found limited prognostic impact, but the results indicated that anti-WT1 IgG Ab measurements in plasma and WT1 staining in tissue specimens could be potential biomarkers for patient outcome in the high-risk subtypes of OCs.In conclusion, the results of this thesis indicate that WT1 gene expression can provide information about MRD of patients with AML, and WT1 SNP rs1799925 may be used as a biomarker for predicting clinical outcome in childhood BCP-ALL. In ccRCC, the prognostic significance of WT1 SNPs is weak and limited to the subgroup of patients that are homozygous for the minor allele. In OCs anti-WT1 IgG Ab measurement in plasma and WT1 staining in tissue specimens could possibly be used as biomarkers for predicting patient outcome in the high-risk subtypes of OCs.
|
|
48. |
- Arab, Khelifa, et al.
(author)
-
Long Noncoding RNA TARID Directs Demethylation and Activation of the Tumor Suppressor TCF21 via GADD45A
- 2014
-
In: Molecular Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1097-2765 .- 1097-4164. ; 55:4, s. 604-614
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- DNA methylation is a dynamic and reversible process that governs gene expression during development and disease. Several examples of active DNA demethylation have been documented, involving genome-wide and gene-specific DNA demethylation. How demethylating enzymes are targeted to specific genomic loci remains largely unknown. We show that an antisense lncRNA, termed TARID (for TCF21 antisense RNA inducing demethylation), activates TCF21 expression by inducing promoter demethylation. TARID interacts with both the TCF21 promoter and GADD45A (growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible, alpha), a regulator of DNA demethylation. GADD45A in turn recruits thymine-DNA glycosylase for base excision repair-mediated demethylation involving oxidation of 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in the TCF21 promoter by ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase proteins. The results reveal a function of lncRNAs, serving as a genomic address label for GADD45A-mediated demethylation of specific target genes.
|
|
49. |
- Arslan, Alan A., et al.
(author)
-
Circulating Estrogen Metabolites and Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women
- 2014
-
In: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 23:7, s. 1290-1297
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: It has been hypothesized that predominance of the 2-hydroxylation estrogen metabolism pathway over the 16 alpha-hydroxylation pathway may be inversely associated with breast cancer risk. Methods: We examined the associations of invasive breast cancer risk with circulating 2-hydroxyestrone (2-OHE1), 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone (16 alpha-OHE1), and the 2-OHE1: 16 alpha-OHE1 ratio in a case-control study of postmenopausal women nested within two prospective cohorts: the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS) and the Northern Sweden Mammary Screening Cohort (NSMSC), with adjustment for circulating levels of estrone, and additional analyses by tumor estrogen receptor (ER) status. Levels of 2-OHE1 and 16 alpha-OHE1 were measured using ESTRAMET 2/16 assay in stored serum or plasma samples from 499 incident breast cancer cases and 499 controls, who were matched on cohort, age, and date of blood donation. Results: Overall, no significant associations were observed between breast cancer risk and circulating levels of 2-OHE1, 16 alpha-OHE1, or their ratio in either cohort and in combined analyses. For 2-OHE1, there was evidence of heterogeneity by ER status in models adjusting for estrone (P <= 0.03). We observed a protective association of 2-OHE1 with ER + breast cancer [multivariate-adjusted OR for a doubling of 2-OHE1, 0.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48-0.94; P = 0.02)]. Conclusions: In this study, higher levels of 2-OHE1 were associated with reduced risk of ER + breast cancer in postmenopausal women after adjustment for circulating estrone. Impact: These results suggest that taking into account the levels of parent estrogens and ER status is important in studies of estrogen metabolites and breast cancer.
|
|
50. |
- Arslan, Alan A, et al.
(author)
-
Circulating vitamin d and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer
- 2009
-
In: Journal of oncology. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1687-8450 .- 1687-8469. ; 2009, s. 672492-672500
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We conducted a nested case-control study within two prospective cohorts, the New York University Women's Health Study and the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study, to examine the association between prediagnostic circulating levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) and the risk of subsequent invasive epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). The 25(OH)D levels were measured in serum or plasma from 170 incident cases of EOC and 373 matched controls. Overall, circulating 25(OH)D levels were not associated with the risk of EOC in combined cohort analysis: adjusted OR for the top tertile versus the reference tertile, 1.09 (95% CI, 0.59-2.01). In addition, there was no evidence of an interaction effect between VDR SNP genotype or haplotype and circulating 25(OH)D levels in relation to ovarian cancer risk, although more complex gene-environment interactions may exist.
|
|