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- Abe, O, et al.
(author)
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Effects of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy for early breast cancer on recurrence and 15-year survival: an overview of the randomised trials
- 2005
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In: The Lancet. - 1474-547X. ; 365:9472, s. 1687-1717
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Quinquennial overviews (1985-2000) of the randomised trials in early breast cancer have assessed the 5-year and 10-year effects of various systemic adjuvant therapies on breast cancer recurrence and survival. Here, we report the 10-year and 15-year effects. Methods Collaborative meta-analyses were undertaken of 194 unconfounded randomised trials of adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy that began by 1995. Many trials involved CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil), anthracycline-based combinations such as FAC (fluorouracil, doxombicin, cyclophosphamide) or FEC (fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide), tamoxifen, or ovarian suppression: none involved taxanes, trastuzumab, raloxifene, or modem aromatase inhibitors. Findings Allocation to about 6 months of anthracycline-based polychemotherapy (eg, with FAC or FEC) reduces the annual breast cancer death rate by about 38% (SE 5) for women younger than 50 years of age when diagnosed and by about 20% (SE 4) for those of age 50-69 years when diagnosed, largely irrespective of the use of tamoxifen and of oestrogen receptor (ER) status, nodal status, or other tumour characteristics. Such regimens are significantly (2p=0 . 0001 for recurrence, 2p<0 . 00001 for breast cancer mortality) more effective than CMF chemotherapy. Few women of age 70 years or older entered these chemotherapy trials. For ER-positive disease only, allocation to about 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen reduces the annual breast cancer death rate by 31% (SE 3), largely irrespective of the use of chemotherapy and of age (<50, 50-69, &GE; 70 years), progesterone receptor status, or other tumour characteristics. 5 years is significantly (2p<0 . 00001 for recurrence, 2p=0 . 01 for breast cancer mortality) more effective than just 1-2 years of tamoxifen. For ER-positive tumours, the annual breast cancer mortality rates are similar during years 0-4 and 5-14, as are the proportional reductions in them by 5 years of tamoxifen, so the cumulative reduction in mortality is more than twice as big at 15 years as at 5 years after diagnosis. These results combine six meta-analyses: anthracycline-based versus no chemotherapy (8000 women); CMF-based versus no chemotherapy (14 000); anthracycline-based versus CMF-based chemotherapy (14 000); about 5 years of tamoxifen versus none (15 000); about 1-2 years of tamoxifen versus none (33 000); and about 5 years versus 1-2 years of tamoxifen (18 000). Finally, allocation to ovarian ablation or suppression (8000 women) also significantly reduces breast cancer mortality, but appears to do so only in the absence of other systemic treatments. For middle-aged women with ER-positive disease (the commonest type of breast cancer), the breast cancer mortality rate throughout the next 15 years would be approximately halved by 6 months of anthracycline-based chemotherapy (with a combination such as FAC or FEC) followed by 5 years of adjuvant tamoxifen. For, if mortality reductions of 38% (age <50 years) and 20% (age 50-69 years) from such chemotherapy were followed by a further reduction of 31% from tamoxifen in the risks that remain, the final mortality reductions would be 57% and 45%, respectively (and, the trial results could well have been somewhat stronger if there had been full compliance with the allocated treatments). Overall survival would be comparably improved, since these treatments have relatively small effects on mortality from the aggregate of all other causes. Interpretation Some of the widely practicable adjuvant drug treatments that were being tested in the 1980s, which substantially reduced 5-year recurrence rates (but had somewhat less effect on 5-year mortality rates), also substantially reduce 15-year mortality rates. Further improvements in long-term survival could well be available from newer drugs, or better use of older drugs.
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- Sherratt, K., et al.
(author)
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Predictive performance of multi-model ensemble forecasts of COVID-19 across European nations
- 2023
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In: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Methods: We used open-source tools to develop a public European COVID-19 Forecast Hub. We invited groups globally to contribute weekly forecasts for COVID-19 cases and deaths reported by a standardised source for 32 countries over the next 1–4 weeks. Teams submitted forecasts from March 2021 using standardised quantiles of the predictive distribution. Each week we created an ensemble forecast, where each predictive quantile was calculated as the equally-weighted average (initially the mean and then from 26th July the median) of all individual models’ predictive quantiles. We measured the performance of each model using the relative Weighted Interval Score (WIS), comparing models’ forecast accuracy relative to all other models. We retrospectively explored alternative methods for ensemble forecasts, including weighted averages based on models’ past predictive performance.Results: Over 52 weeks, we collected forecasts from 48 unique models. We evaluated 29 models’ forecast scores in comparison to the ensemble model. We found a weekly ensemble had a consistently strong performance across countries over time. Across all horizons and locations, the ensemble performed better on relative WIS than 83% of participating models’ forecasts of incident cases (with a total N=886 predictions from 23 unique models), and 91% of participating models’ forecasts of deaths (N=763 predictions from 20 models). Across a 1–4 week time horizon, ensemble performance declined with longer forecast periods when forecasting cases, but remained stable over 4 weeks for incident death forecasts. In every forecast across 32 countries, the ensemble outperformed most contributing models when forecasting either cases or deaths, frequently outperforming all of its individual component models. Among several choices of ensemble methods we found that the most influential and best choice was to use a median average of models instead of using the mean, regardless of methods of weighting component forecast models.Conclusions: Our results support the use of combining forecasts from individual models into an ensemble in order to improve predictive performance across epidemiological targets and populations during infectious disease epidemics. Our findings further suggest that median ensemble methods yield better predictive performance more than ones based on means. Our findings also highlight that forecast consumers should place more weight on incident death forecasts than incident case forecasts at forecast horizons greater than 2 weeks.
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- Windahl, Sara H, 1971, et al.
(author)
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Estrogen Receptor-alpha is required for the Osteogenic Response to mechanical loading in a Ligand-Independent manner involving its activation function 1 but Not 2
- 2013
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In: Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. - : Wiley. - 0884-0431 .- 1523-4681. ; 28:2, s. 291-301
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Estrogen receptor-alpha (ER alpha) is crucial for the adaptive response of bone to loading but the role of endogenous estradiol (E2) for this response is unclear. To determine in vivo the ligand dependency and relative roles of different ERa domains for the osteogenic response to mechanical loading, gene-targeted mouse models with (1) a complete ERa inactivation (ER alpha(-/-)), (2) specific inactivation of activation function 1 (AF-1) in ER alpha (ER alpha AF-1(0)), or (3) specific inactivation of ER alpha AF-2 (ER alpha AF- 2(0)) were subjected to axial loading of tibia, in the presence or absence (ovariectomy [ovx]) of endogenous E2. Loading increased the cortical bone area in the tibia mainly as a result of an increased periosteal bone formation rate (BFR) and this osteogenic response was similar in gonadal intact and ovx mice, demonstrating that E2 (ligand) is not required for this response. Female ER alpha(-/-) mice displayed a severely reduced osteogenic response to loading with changes in cortical area (-78% +/- 15%, p < 0.01) and periosteal BFR (-81% +/- 9%, p < 0.01) being significantly lower than in wild-type (WT) mice. ER alpha AF-1(0) mice also displayed a reduced response to mechanical loading compared with WT mice (cortical area -40% +/- 11%, p < 0.05 and periosteal BFR -41% +/- 8%, p < 0.01), whereas the periosteal osteogenic response to loading was unaffected in ER alpha AF-2(0) mice. Mechanical loading of transgenic estrogen response element (ERE)-luciferase reporter mice did not increase luciferase expression in cortical bone, suggesting that the loading response does not involve classical genomic ERE-mediated pathways. In conclusion, ERa is required for the osteogenic response to mechanical loading in a ligand-independent manner involving AF-1 but not AF-2. (C) 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
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- Bratt, Anna S., 1969-, et al.
(author)
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Relatives' lived experiences of losing a loved one to COVID-19 : an interpretative phenomenological analysis
- 2024
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In: Nordic Psychology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1901-2276 .- 1904-0016. ; 76:3, s. 395-410
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions to prevent its spread were formed, thereby hindering patients’ relatives from maintaining contact with and visiting their loved ones, even saying goodbye at the end of life. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of bereaved relatives’ experiences of losing a loved one to COVID-19. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. The results revealed two superordinate themes: (a) the lonely and painful loss and (b) the double crises. The relatives were oscillating between hope and despair. During the time of their loved one’s illness, they felt powerless, excluded, lonely and vulnerable. The death was unexpected, and it was painful to not be able to say goodbye in person or when the life support was terminated. Furthermore, the relatives were in crisis at the same time as the health care system was in crisis. Sometimes the relatives did not receive information, and they felt like bystanders waiting for answers. The health care professionals’ attitudes were of importance in supporting the relatives. If there was a lack of empathy and understanding for the relative’s situation, feelings of frustration and not being respected emerged. To meet relatives’ needs when losing a loved one during circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare system needs to develop routines pertaining to providing adequate information, supporting relatives’ need to say goodbye, and coping with ethical dilemmas, such as when there are insufficient life support machines for patients.
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- Meakin, L. B., et al.
(author)
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Parathyroid hormone's enhancement of bones' osteogenic response to loading is affected by ageing in a dose- and time-dependent manner
- 2017
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In: Bone. - : Elsevier BV. - 8756-3282. ; 98, s. 59-67
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Decreased effectiveness of bones' adaptive response to mechanical loading contributes to age-related bone loss. In young mice, intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone (iPTH) at 20-80 mu g/kg/day interacts synergistically with artificially applied loading to increase bone mass. Here we report investigations on the effect of different doses and duration of iPTH treatment on mice whose osteogenic response to artificial loading is impaired by age. One group of aged, 19-month-old female C57BL/6 mice was given 0, 25, 50 or 100 mu g/kg/day iPTH for 4 weeks. Histological and mu CT analysis of their tibiae revealed potent iPTH dose-related increases in periosteally-enclosed area, cortical area and porosity with decreased cortical thickness. There was practically no effect on trabecular bone. Another group was given a submaximal dose of 50 mu g/kg/day iPTH or vehicle for 2 or 6 weeks with loading of their right tibia three times per week for the final 2 weeks. In the trabecular bone of these mice the loading-related increase in BV/TV was abrogated by iPTH primarily by reduction of the increase in trabecular number. In their cortical bone, iPTH treatment time-dependently increased cortical porosity. Loading partially reduced this effect. The osteogenic effects of iPTH and loading on periosteally-enclosed area and cortical area were additive but not synergistic. Thus in aged, unlike young mice, iPTH and loading appear to have separate effects. iPTH alone causes a marked increase in cortical porosity which loading reduces. Both iPTH and loading have positive effects on cortical periosteal bone formation but these are additive rather than synergistic. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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- Todd, H., et al.
(author)
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Wnt16 Is Associated with Age-Related Bone Loss and Estrogen Withdrawal in Murine Bone
- 2015
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In: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Genome Wide Association Studies suggest that Wnt16 is an important contributor to the mechanisms controlling bone mineral density, cortical thickness, bone strength and ultimately fracture risk. Wnt16 acts on osteoblasts and osteoclasts and, in cortical bone, is predominantly derived from osteoblasts. This led us to hypothesize that low bone mass would be associated with low levels of Wnt16 expression and that Wnt16 expression would be increased by anabolic factors, including mechanical loading. We therefore investigated Wnt16 expression in the context of ageing, mechanical loading and unloading, estrogen deficiency and replacement, and estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) depletion. Quantitative real time PCR showed that Wnt16 mRNA expression was lower in cortical bone and marrow of aged compared to young female mice. Neither increased nor decreased (by disuse) mechanical loading altered Wnt16 expression in young female mice, although Wnt16 expression was decreased following ovariectomy. Both 17 beta-estradiol and the Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator Tamoxifen increased Wnt16 expression relative to ovariectomy. Wnt16 and ER beta expression were increased in female ER alpha(-/-) mice when compared to Wild Type. We also addressed potential effects of gender on Wnt16 expression and while the expression was lower in the cortical bone of aged males as in females, it was higher in male bone marrow of aged mice compared to young. In the kidney, which we used as a non-bone reference tissue, Wnt16 expression was unaffected by age in either males or females. In summary, age, and its associated bone loss, is associated with low levels of Wnt16 expression whereas bone loss associated with disuse has no effect on Wnt16 expression. In the artificially loaded mouse tibia we observed no loading-related up-regulation of Wnt16 expression but provide evidence that its expression is influenced by estrogen receptor signaling. These findings suggest that while Wnt16 is not an obligatory contributor to regulation of bone mass per se, it potentially plays a role in influencing pathways associated with regulation of bone mass during ageing and estrogen withdrawal.
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