| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Gilles, Stefanie, et al.
(author)
-
Pollen exposure weakens innate defense against respiratory viruses.
- 2020
-
In: Allergy. - : Wiley. - 1398-9995 .- 0105-4538. ; 75:3, s. 576-587
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hundreds of plant species release their pollen into the air every year during early spring. During that period, pollen allergic as well as non-allergic patients frequently present to doctors with severe respiratory tract infections.To assess whether pollen may interfere with antiviral immunity.We combined data from real life human exposure cohorts, a mouse model and human cell culture to test our hypothesis.Pollen significantly diminished interferon-λ and pro-inflammatory chemokine responses of airway epithelia to rhinovirus and viral mimics and decreased nuclear translocation of interferon regulatory factors. In mice infected with respiratory syncytial virus, co-exposure to pollen caused attenuated antiviral gene expression and increased pulmonary viral titers. In non-allergic human volunteers, nasal symptoms were positively correlated with airborne birch pollen abundance, and nasal birch pollen challenge led to down-regulation of type I and -III interferons in nasal mucosa. In a large patient cohort, numbers of rhinovirus-positive cases were correlated with airborne birch pollen concentrations.The ability of pollen to suppress innate antiviral immunity, independent of allergy, suggests that high-risk population groups should avoid extensive outdoor activities when pollen and respiratory virus seasons coincide.
|
|
| 3. |
- Hegmar, Hannes, et al.
(author)
-
Liver stiffness predicts progression to liver-related events in patients with chronic liver disease - A cohort study of 14 414 patients
- 2024
-
In: Liver international. - : WILEY. - 1478-3223 .- 1478-3231.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background & Aims: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of liver fibrosis. It is uncertain if LSM can predict risk for future liver-related outcomes in large, heterogenous populations. Methods: This Swedish multi-centre cohort study included patients (n = 14 414) from 16 sites who underwent LSM by VCTE between 2008 and 2020. Outcomes were ascertained from national registers. We investigated progression to cirrhosis with portal hypertension or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), separately. Cox regression was used to obtain hazard ratios (HRs). Harrel's C-index was used to measure discrimination of VCTE. Results: Included patients had a median age of 46 (interquartile range 34-57), median LSM of 5.9 kPa (4.6-8.0), 59% were male, and the majority had hepatitis C (50.1%). During a median follow-up of 5.9 (4.3-8.0) years, 402 patients (2.7%) developed cirrhosis with portal hypertension. In patients with an LSM >= 25 kPa, 28.7% developed cirrhosis with portal hypertension within 5 years of follow-up, while only .6% of patients with an LSM <10 kPa did. This translated to a HR of 48.3 (95% confidence interval = 37.6-62.0). VCTE had a high discriminative ability, with C-indices above .80 for most liver diseases, including .82 for MASLD. Similar findings were seen for incident HCC. Conclusions: Increased LSM by VCTE was associated with an increased risk of progression to both cirrhosis with portal hypertension, and to HCC, and had a high discriminative ability across different aetiologies of chronic liver diseases. These results support the use of VCTE to guide follow-up and treatment decisions.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Lindström, Johan, 1984, et al.
(author)
-
Assessment of the FilmArray ME panel in 4199 consecutively tested cerebrospinal fluid samples
- 2022
-
In: Clinical Microbiology and Infection. - : Elsevier BV. - 1198-743X. ; 28:1, s. 79-84
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: In central nervous system infections, early and correct management is of utmost importance. Rapid syndromic panel testing can potentially provide valuable guidance. The FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis (ME) panel detects 14 pathogens through multiplex PCR. Our study objectives were to assess its performance compared with established diagnostic procedures, especially real-time quantitative PCR for detection of viruses, and to determine the diagnostic and clinical significance of discrepant results. Methods: All cerebrospinal fluid samples sent for viral diagnostics to our microbiological laboratory over 34 months were analysed with the ME panel and in-house real-time PCR for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), HSV-2, varicella zoster virus and enteroviruses. Other pathogens detected by the panel were confirmed by routine diagnostic procedures. Discrepant results were analysed through interpretation of biological and clinical data, and performance data were calculated for individual pathogens. Results: Altogether, 315 pathogens were detected by the ME panel in 4199 cerebrospinal fluid samples (7.5%) and an additional 21 viral targets were identified using real-time PCR. Thirty-four ME panel detections were not confirmed, totalling 55 discrepant results. After discrepancy analysis, 20 false-positive and 21 false-negative ME panel results remained. Performance varied between pathogens. Sensitivity for HSV-1 was calculated at 82.4% (59.0%–93.8%) with three false-negative results. Also noteworthy were 13 false-negative enterovirus and eight false-positive Streptococcus pneumoniae results. Conclusions: Our analysis shows good performance for the ME panel in diagnosing central nervous system infection. The risk of false-negative HSV-1 results, however, warrants additional testing when encephalitis is suspected. Uncertainties in interpretation of enterovirus and S. pneumoniae results represent other limitations. © 2021 The Author(s)
|
|
| 6. |
- Myhrman, Sofia, et al.
(author)
-
Unexpected details regarding nosocomial transmission revealed by whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2
- 2022
-
In: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0899-823X .- 1559-6834. ; 43:10, s. 1403-1407
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are key for protecting patients from nosocomial infections and require knowledge of transmission mechanisms in different settings. We performed a detailed outbreak analysis of the transmission and outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a geriatric ward by combining whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with epidemiological data. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary care hospital. Participants: Patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) from the ward with a nasopharyngeal sample (NPS) positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA during the outbreak period. Methods: Patient data regarding clinical characteristics, exposure and outcome were collected retrospectively from medical records. Stored NPS from 32 patients and 15 HCWs were selected for WGS and phylogenetic analysis. Results: Median patient age was 84 years and 17/32 (53%) were male. Fourteen patients (44%) died within 30 days after sampling. Viral load was significantly higher among the deceased. WGS was successful in 28/32 (88%) patient samples and 14/15 (93%) HCW samples. Three separate viral clades were identified, whereof one clade and two subclades among both patient and HCW samples. Integrated epidemiological and genetic analysis revealed six probable transmission events between patients and supported hospital-acquired COVID-19 in 25/32 patients. Conclusion: WGS provided a deep insight into the outbreak dynamics and true extent of nosocomial COVID-19. The extensive transmission between patients and HCWs indicated that current IPC measures were insufficient. We suggest increased use of WGS in outbreak investigations for identification of otherwise unknown transmission links and evaluation of IPC measures.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Thalén, Niklas, 1985-, et al.
(author)
-
Systems biology greatly improve activity of secreted therapeutic sulfatase in CHO bioprocess
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Rare diseases are, despite their name, collectively common and millions of people are affected daily of conditions where treatment often is unavailable. Sulfatases are a large family of activating enzymes related to several of these diseases. Heritable genetic variations in sulfatases may lead to impaired activity and a reduced macromolecular breakdown within the lysosome, with several severe and lethal conditions as a consequence. While therapeutic options are scarce, treatment for some sulfatase deficiencies by recombinant enzyme replacement are available. However, such recombinant production of sulfatases suffers greatly from low product activity and yield, further limiting accessibility for patient groups. Here, we have addressed this problem by defining key-proteins necessary for active sulfatase secretion by comparison of CHO clones with different levels of production of active sulfatase. Quantitative transcriptomic analysis highlighted 14 key genes associated with sulfatase production, and experimental validation by co-expression improved the sulfatase enzyme activity by up to 150-fold. Furthermore, a correlation between product mRNA levels and sulfatase activity were observed and expression with lower activity promoters showed an increased in sulfatase activity. The workflow devised is general and we propose it to be useful for resolving bottlenecks in cellular machineries for improvement of cell factories for other biologics as well.
|
|
| 11. |
- Westelius, Carl-Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Phase-based Disparity Estimation
- 1995
-
In: Vision as Process. - Berlin : Springer-Verlag. - 354058143X - 038758143X ; , s. 157-178
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The problem of estimating depth information from two or more images of a scene is one which has received considerable attention over the years and a wide variety of methods have been proposed to solve it [Barnard and Fichsler, 1982; Fleck, 1991]. Methods based on correlation and methods using some form of feature matching between the images have found most widespread use. Of these, the latter have attracted increasing attention since the work of Marr [Marr, 1982], in which the features are zero-crossings on varying scales. These methods share an underlying basis of spatial domain operations.In recent years, however, increasing interest has been shown in computational models of vision based primarily on a localized frequency domain representation - the Gabor representation [Gabor, 1946; Adelson and Bergen, 1985], first suggested in the context of computer vision by Granlund [Granlund, 1978].
|
|
| 12. |
- Westelius, Carl-Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Prototyping, Visualization and Simulation Using the Application Visualization System
- 1994
-
In: Experimental Environments for Computer Vision and Image Processing. - Singapore : World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.. - 981021510X ; , s. 33-62
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The Application Visualization System software from Advanced Visual Systems Inc is an interactive visualization environment for scientists, engineers and technical professionals. This report contains a short overview of the AVS software packages and a discussion about its general performance. The software package has actively been used at the Computer Vision Laboratory, Linköping University, during the last three years. The AVS package has been used in many applications. Examples are generating images from a virtual environment, simulation of a controllable robot with a stereo camera head and visualization of multidimensional data structures. Lately we also have used AVS for handling communication between different processes which may be distributed on different machines. AVS was primarily developed as a tool for visualization of complex data sets. However, another important aspect of the software is that it can be used as an advanced workbench for controlling networks of Unix processes (including external ones on different machine types) using simple visual programming.
|
|
| 13. |
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
- Alestig, Erik, 1973, et al.
(author)
-
Core mutations, IL28B polymorphisms and response to peginterferon/ribavirin treatment in Swedish patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection
- 2011
-
In: BMC Infectious Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2334. ; 11
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 respond poorly to standard treatment with 50% or less achieving sustained virologic response. Predicting outcome is essential and could help avoid unnecessary treatment and reduce health cost. Recently, an association of amino acid substitutions in the core region and treatment outcome was observed in Japanese patients. In the present study, the impact of these mutations on response kinetics and treatment outcome was explored in Caucasian patients. Methods: The core region of HCV pre-treatment samples obtained from 50 patients treated with peginterferon/ribavirin in a previous Swedish clinical trial with genotype 1 infection were sequenced. The alleles at rs12979860, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), were assessed in order to identify any co-association with this strong response predictor. Results: No association between treatment response and substitutions of core residue 91 was found. In contrast, substitutions of core residue 70 were observed in 6/21 (29%) non-responders, but only in one of 29 responders (p = 0.03), and were more common in subgenotype 1b (R70Q in 6 of 13 strains) than in 1a (R70P in 1 of 37 strains, p = 0.004). The rs12979860 SNP upstream of the IL28B gene was overall the strongest response predictor (p = 0.0001). Core 70 substitutions were associated with poorer response kinetics in patients carrying the CT genotype at rs12979860. Conclusions: The results indicate that substitutions of core residue 70 are related to treatment response in Caucasian patients with HCV-1b infection, but are of less importance than IL28B polymorphism.
|
|
| 16. |
- Alsiö, Åsa, 1965, et al.
(author)
-
Early quantification of HCV core antigen may help to determine the duration of therapy for chronic genotype 2 or 3 HCV infection
- 2012
-
In: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0934-9723 .- 1435-4373. ; 31:7, s. 1631-1635
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen (coreAg) assessment for the identification of candidates for short-term therapy. Plasma samples from HCV genotype 2 or 3-infected patients participating in the NORDynamIC trial (n = 382) comparing 12 and 24 weeks of combination treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha 2a and a fixed dose of 800 mg ribavirin daily were analyzed for coreAg. Among the 126 patients (33% of the intention-to-treat population) achieving HCV coreAg levels in plasma below 0.2 pg/mL when assayed on treatment day 3, sustained viral response (SVR) rates of 86% and 84% were achieved in the 12- and 24-week arms, respectively. Similarly, among patients having received at least 80% of the target dose of both pegylated interferon alpha-2a and of ribavirin for at least 80% of the target treatment duration (per-protocol analysis), the SVR rates were 89% and 95%, respectively. Twelve weeks of combination treatment may be sufficient for genotype 2 or 3-infected patients achieving HCV coreAg levels below 0.2 pg/mL by day 3, signaling a rapid clearance of HCV viremia.
|
|
| 17. |
|
|
| 18. |
- Alsiö, Åsa, 1965, et al.
(author)
-
Nonresponder patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2/3 infection: a question of low systemic interferon concentrations?
- 2010
-
In: Clinical infectious diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1537-6591 .- 1058-4838. ; 50:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Twelve of 303 per-protocol patients were nonresponders in a 12-week versus 24-week treatment study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2/3 infection. The nonresponders had significantly lower interferon concentrations, as well as significantly greater mean age, body mass index, and viral load. Suboptimal drug concentrations may thus contribute to lack of response to therapy in patients with infection due to HCV genotype 2/3.
|
|
| 19. |
- Andersson, Johan, 1986-, et al.
(author)
-
Askfilter för rening av svavelväte i deponigas
- 2017
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Deponigas bildas under syrefria förhållanden i deponier genom mikrobiell nedbrytning av organiskt material. Gasens sammansättning kan variera mycket, men från svenska deponier brukar den generellt bestå av 40-60 % metan, 30-40 % koldioxid och 5-20 % kvävgas. Svavelväte (H2S) är en mycket giftig och korrosiv gas som finns i deponigas i varierande omfattning, från 10 till 30 000 ppm (motsvarar 0,001-3,0 %). Det är önskvärt att deponigas används för el och/eller värmeproduktion, men för att detta ska vara möjligt behöver H2S-halten renas till låga nivåer (< 200 ppm). Höga halter H2S ökar slitaget på motor/panna och därmed frekvensen på servicetillfällen. Det leder till dyra underhållskostnader och i slutändan till förkortad livslängd för anläggningen. För att minska korrosionen är det vanligt att rökgastemperaturen justeras upp, men det leder samtidigt till lägre verkningsgrad och därmed till sämre energiutnyttjande av gasen. I en del fall bedöms gasens innehåll av H2S vara för högt för att kunna användas för energiproduktion. Under 2015 facklades 53 GWh deponigas i Sverige, vilket i många fall beror på problem med höga halter H2S. Rening av deponigas från H2S leder således till flera nyttigheter; gasens energiinnehåll används effektivare, underhålls- och servicekostnaderna för förbränningsanläggningarna minskar och utsläpp av försurande svaveldioxid från förbränning av deponigas reduceras. Det finns kommersiell reningsteknik för H2S men den är dyr, både vad gäller kapitalkostnad och driftkostnad. Därmed finns ett behov av att ta fram nya billigare reningstekniker som förbättrar driftekonomin vid deponierna och som möjliggör att även deponigas med höga H2S-halter kan utnyttjas för nyttig energiomvandling. RISE (f.d. JTI - Inst. för jordbruks och miljöteknik) utvecklar tillsammans med SLU nya, potentiellt kostnadseffektiva metoder för att uppgradera biogas till drivmedelskvalité. En av metoderna baseras på att gasen får passera en bädd av fuktig aska (ett s.k. askfilter) varvid koldioxid och H2S fixeras. Hypotesen i det här projektet var att askor med ursprung från förbränning av avfall, RT-flis eller liknande kan användas för att rena bort höga halter H2S från deponigas. Denna typ av askor ska i regel ändå avsättas på deponier och om reningseffekten är god skulle det ge synergieffekter i form av att askan först används för att rena deponigas från svavel innan den avsätts som konstruktionsmaterial på deponier. I det här projektet utfördes två försök i pilotskala vid en svensk deponi med mycket höga halter H2S, ca 15 000 ppm. Olika gasflöden studerades (0,7-7,6 m3/h) medan askvolymen var lika i de båda försöken, 0,37 m3. Halten H2S i den renade gasen var genomgående mycket låg under behandling, < 10 ppm vid låga gasflöden och < 200 ppm vid höga gasflöden. Två asktyper undersöktes och båda visade sig ha mycket god förmåga att fixera H2S, 44-61 g H2S/kg torr aska. Vid jämförelse med litteraturvärden är det bara en studie som visar upptag i samma storleksordning, övriga studier ligger ca en tiopotens lägre i upptag. Utifrån försöksresultaten bestämdes den tekniska och ekonomiska potentialen för askfilter som reningsmetod. Beräkningarna gjordes för olika typanläggningar för att på så sätt täcka in vanligt förekommande deponier. För normalstora deponier med gasflöden på 100-1 000 m3/h och H2S-halter mellan 100 och 1 000 ppm uppgår askbehovet till 10-130 ton torr aska per år. För specialfallet där halten H2S är extremt hög ökar askbehovet och för en anläggning med 15 000 ppm H2S och ett gasflöde på 200 m3/h krävs det ca 800 ton torr aska per år. Överlag är det emellertid beskedliga mängder aska som krävs och skulle t.ex. samtliga svenska deponier använda aska för gasrening skulle askbehovet endast vara 0,2-0,3 % av den årliga svenska askproduktionen. De ekonomiska beräkningarna visar att askfilter är en konkurrenskraftig metod för att rena bort H2S. För specialfallet med extremt höga halter H2S visade det sig att kostnaden för askfilter är drygt 20 % lägre jämfört med den för ändamålet billigaste konventionella reningstekniken på marknaden. Även vid rening av deponigas med mer normala halter H2S står sig askfilter väl. Vid låga flöden kring 100 m3/h är askfilter klart billigare jämfört med litteraturvärden för konventionell reningsteknik. Skalfördelarna tycks dock vara större för de konventionella reningsteknikerna och därför blir skillnaden mellan reningskostnaden för askfilter jämfört med annan teknik mindre vid högre gasflöden. De låga reningskostnaderna för askfilter kan öppna upp möjligheter för deponier som idag inte renar gas från H2S. Under projektet kontaktades 15 svenska deponier och ingen av dessa hade någon form av H2S-rening. Med rening kan deponigas däremot användas effektivare, t.ex. genom minskad fackling, ökad verkningsgrad för el- och värmeproduktion samt minskat slitage på pannor och förbränningsutrustning. Dessutom minskar emissioner av svavel till atmosfären, vilket även minskar potentiella luktproblem kring deponin. För fortsatt utveckling är utformning och design av en prototyp av en askfiltermodul i fullskala en central del. Vidare måste den behandlade askan undersökas vad gäller urlakningsegenskaper, lagringsbarhet och användbarhet som konstruktionsmaterial på deponier tillsammans med en bedömning av de samlade miljökonsekvenserna. Försök i fullskala bör även göras vid fler deponier med olika gasflöden och H2S-halter i deponigasen för att verifiera prestanda från de genomförda pilotförsöken.Deponigas bildas under syrefria förhållanden i deponier genom mikrobiell nedbrytning av organiskt material. Gasens sammansättning kan variera mycket, men från svenska deponier brukar den generellt bestå av 40-60 % metan, 30-40 % koldioxid och 5-20 % kvävgas. Svavelväte (H2S) är en mycket giftig och korrosiv gas som finns i deponigas i varierande omfattning, från 10 till 30 000 ppm (motsvarar 0,001-3,0 %). Det är önskvärt att deponigas används för el och/eller värmeproduktion, men för att detta ska vara möjligt behöver H2S-halten renas till låga nivåer (< 200 ppm). Höga halter H2S ökar slitaget på motor/panna och därmed frekvensen på servicetillfällen. Det leder till dyra underhållskostnader och i slutändan till förkortad livslängd för anläggningen. För att minska korrosionen är det vanligt att rökgastemperaturen justeras upp, men det leder samtidigt till lägre verkningsgrad och därmed till sämre energiutnyttjande av gasen. I en del fall bedöms gasens innehåll av H2S vara för högt för att kunna användas för energiproduktion. Under 2015 facklades 53 GWh deponigas i Sverige, vilket i många fall beror på problem med höga halter H2S. Rening av deponigas från H2S leder således till flera nyttigheter; gasens energiinnehåll används effektivare, underhålls- och servicekostnaderna för förbränningsanläggningarna minskar och utsläpp av försurande svaveldioxid från förbränning av deponigas reduceras. Det finns kommersiell reningsteknik för H2S men den är dyr, både vad gäller kapitalkostnad och driftkostnad. Därmed finns ett behov av att ta fram nya billigare reningstekniker som förbättrar driftekonomin vid deponierna och som möjliggör att även deponigas med höga H2S-halter kan utnyttjas för nyttig energiomvandling. RISE (f.d. JTI - Inst. för jordbruks och miljöteknik) utvecklar tillsammans med SLU nya, potentiellt kostnadseffektiva metoder för att uppgradera biogas till drivmedelskvalité. En av metoderna baseras på att gasen får passera en bädd av fuktig aska (ett s.k. askfilter) varvid koldioxid och H2S fixeras. Hypotesen i det här projektet var att askor med ursprung från förbränning av avfall, RT-flis eller liknande kan användas för att rena bort höga halter H2S från deponigas. Denna typ av askor ska i regel ändå avsättas på deponier och om reningseffekten är god skulle det ge synergieffekter i form av att askan först används för att rena deponigas från svavel innan den avsätts som konstruktionsmaterial på deponier. I det här projektet utfördes två försök i pilotskala vid en svensk deponi med mycket höga halter H2S, ca 15 000 ppm. Olika gasflöden studerades (0,7-7,6 m3/h) medan askvolymen var lika i de båda försöken, 0,37 m3. Halten H2S i den renade gasen var genomgående mycket låg under behandling, < 10 ppm vid låga gasflöden och < 200 ppm vid höga gasflöden. Två asktyper undersöktes och båda visade sig ha mycket god förmåga att fixera H2S, 44-61 g H2S/kg torr aska. Vid jämförelse med litteraturvärden är det bara en studie som visar upptag i samma storleksordning, övriga studier ligger ca en tiopotens lägre i upptag. Utifrån försöksresultaten bestämdes den tekniska och ekonomiska potentialen för askfilter som reningsmetod. Beräkningarna gjordes för olika typanläggningar för att på så sätt täcka in vanligt förekommande deponier. För normalstora deponier med gasflöden på 100-1 000 m3/h och H2S-halter mellan 100 och 1 000 ppm uppgår askbehovet till 10-130 ton torr aska per år. För specialfallet där halten H2S är extremt hög ökar askbehovet och för en anläggning med 15 000 ppm H2S och ett gasflöde på 200 m3/h krävs det ca 800 ton torr aska per år. Överlag är det emellertid beskedliga mängder aska som krävs och skulle t.ex. samtliga svenska deponier använda aska för gasrening skulle askbehovet endast vara 0,2-0,3 % av den årliga svenska askproduktionen. De ekonomiska beräkningarna visar att askfilter är en konkurrenskraftig metod för att rena bort H2S. För specialfallet med extremt höga halter H2S visade det sig att kostnaden för askfilter är drygt 20 % lägre jämfört med den för ändamålet bill
|
|
| 20. |
|
|
| 21. |
- Andreasson, Thomas, et al.
(author)
-
Evaluation of anamnestic criteria for the identification of patients with acute community onset viral gastroenteritis in the emergency department-A prospective observational study.
- 2014
-
In: Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-1980 .- 0036-5548. ; 46:8, s. 561-565
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: To our knowledge no clinical criteria for the identification of community onset viral gastroenteritis in individual patients have been evaluated systematically with modern PCR-based diagnostic assays as gold standard. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify factors independently associated with the detection of virus by PCR in rectal swab samples from patients with acute community onset gastroenteritis. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted from December 2010 through March 2011 at the emergency department (ED) of a large teaching hospital. All patients who reported vomiting and/or diarrhoea up to 48 h prior to their visit to the ED were asked to participate. A rectal swab sample was obtained from each patient. Symptoms, date of onset, and epidemiological data were recorded. Samples were analysed with a multiple real-time PCR targeting 6 viral agents (astrovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus, sapovirus, and norovirus GI and GII). Results: Two hundred and five patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria, of whom 66 agreed to participate; their median (IQR) age was 65 (38-84) y and 43 (65%) were females. Thirty-one (47%) were positive by PCR for at least 1 of the agents examined (26 norovirus, 2 sapovirus, 2 rotavirus, and 1 adenovirus). Diarrhoea and a short duration of symptoms (≤ 2 days) were independently associated with a positive rectal swab sample, with odds ratios of 7.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.0-28) and 10.4 (95% CI 1.9-56), respectively (p < 0.01 for both). A multivariate model including these 2 variables had a sensitivity of 81% (25/31) and a specificity of 69% (24/35). Conclusions: Diarrhoea and a short duration of symptoms were the only anamnestic criteria independently associated with acute community onset viral gastroenteritis confirmed by PCR.
|
|
| 22. |
- Andreen, Niklas, et al.
(author)
-
Mortality of COVID-19 is associated with comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- 2022
-
In: Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2374-4235 .- 2374-4243. ; 54:7, s. 508-513
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with the outcome in matched COVID-19 patients without COPD. Methods Sixty-three COPD patients hospitalised for acute COVID-19 from March through August 2020 were retrospectively identified and 63 hospitalised COVID-19 patients without COPD were selected and matched for age, gender and month of hospital admission. Results COPD patients had a higher rate of comorbidities, especially cardiovascular disease, and a trend towards a higher 30-day mortality than control patients (35% vs. 22%). In the COPD group, high Charlson comorbidity index (p = 0.03) and previous cerebrovascular disease (p = 0.04) were associated with 30-day mortality in univariate analysis. Inhaled corticosteroids maintenance therapy was not associated with lower mortality. Conclusion COPD patients hospitalised for acute COVID-19 disease had significantly more comorbidities and a high risk of severe outcome and death within 30 days. Comorbidity, especially cardiovascular diseases, was associated with mortality among COPD patients.
|
|
| 23. |
- Askarieh, Galia, 1983, et al.
(author)
-
Systemic and intrahepatic interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10 kDa predicts the first-phase decline in hepatitis C virus RNA and overall viral response to therapy in chronic hepatitis C.
- 2010
-
In: Hepatology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 1527-3350 .- 0270-9139. ; 51:5, s. 1523-1530
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High systemic levels of interferon-gamma-inducible protein 10 kDa (IP-10) at onset of combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection predict poor outcome, but details regarding the impact of IP-10 on the reduction of HCV RNA during therapy remain unclear. In the present study, we correlated pretreatment levels of IP-10 in liver biopsies (n = 73) and plasma (n = 265) with HCV RNA throughout therapy within a phase III treatment trial (DITTO-HCV). Low levels of plasma or intrahepatic IP-10 were strongly associated with a pronounced reduction of HCV RNA during the first 24 hours of treatment in all patients (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.002, respectively) as well as when patients were grouped as genotype 1 or 4 (P = 0.0008 and P = 0.01) and 2 or 3 (P = 0.002, and P = 0.02). Low plasma levels of IP-10 also were predictive of the absolute reduction of HCV RNA (P < 0.0001) and the maximum reduction of HCV RNA in the first 4 days of treatment (P < 0.0001) as well as sustained virological response (genotype 1/4; P < 0.0001). To corroborate the relationship between early viral decline and IP-10, pretreatment plasma samples from an independent phase IV trial for HCV genotypes 2/3 (NORDynamIC trial; n = 382) were analyzed. The results confirmed an association between IP-10 and the immediate reduction of HCV RNA in response to therapy (P = 0.006). In contrast, pretreatment levels of IP-10 in liver or in plasma did not affect the decline of HCV RNA between days 8 and 29, i.e., the second-phase decline, or later time points in any of these cohorts. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic hepatitis C, low levels of intrahepatic and systemic IP-10 predict a favorable first-phase decline of HCV RNA during therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for genotypes of HCV.
|
|
| 24. |
- Beck-Friis, Thomas, et al.
(author)
-
Burden of rotavirus infection in hospitalized elderly individuals prior to the introduction of rotavirus vaccination in Sweden
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Clinical Virology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1386-6532. ; 119, s. 1-5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Rotavirus gastroenteritis (GE) in the elderly has been much less studied than in children. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the morbidity and mortality for elderly hospitalized patients with rotavirus GE prior to the introduction of rotavirus vaccination in Sweden, and to investigate the epidemiology of rotavirus genotypes in these patients. Study design: All patients 60 years or older who were hospitalized at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden, and were rotavirus positive in a clinical diagnostic test from 2009 to 2016, were included. Medical records were reviewed and rotavirus genotyping real-time PCR was performed. Results: One hundred and fifty-nine patients were included, corresponding to an annual incidence of hospitalization due to rotavirus GE of 16/100 000 inhabitants aged 60 years or older. G2P[4] was the most common genotype, followed by G1P[8] and G4P[8]. The majority of patients had community-onset of symptoms and no or few pre-existing health disorders. Four patients (2.5%) died within 30 days of sampling. Patients with hospital-onset rotavirus GE had a longer median length of stay following diagnosis compared with patients with community-onset of symptoms (19 vs. 5 days, p = 0.001) and higher 30-day mortality (8.6% (3/35) vs. < 1% (1/124), p = 0.03). Conclusions: Hospitalization due to rotavirus GE among the elderly seems to mainly affect otherwise healthy individuals and is associated with low 30-day mortality.
|
|
| 25. |
- Beck-Friis, Thomas, et al.
(author)
-
Outdoor Absolute Humidity Predicts the Start of Norovirus GII Epidemics
- 2023
-
In: Microbiology Spectrum. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 2165-0497. ; 11:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Seasonal variation of viral gastroenteritis is related to weather conditions, but the relationship with the incidence of viral gastroenteritis (GE) is not fully understood. This study examined the impact of outdoor climate factors on seasonal variation in detection rates of gastroenteritis viruses, with emphasis on norovirus. Weekly detection rates of norovirus genogroup I (GI) and II (GII), rotavirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, and sapovirus were analyzed in relation to average weekly means of meteorological parameters. Associations between rates of PCR detection of the viral GE pathogens and climate factors were investigated with generalized linear models. Low absolute humidity was correlated with increased detection of adenovirus (P = 0.007), astrovirus (P = 0.005), rotavirus (P = 0.004), norovirus GI (P = 0.001), and sapovirus (P = 0.002). In each investigated season, a drop in absolute humidity preceded the increase in norovirus GII detections. We found a correlation between declining absolute humidity and increasing norovirus GII detection rate. Absolute humidity was a better predictor of gastrointestinal virus seasonality compared to relative humidity.IMPORTANCE Viral gastroenteritis causes considerable morbidity, especially in vulnerable groups such as the elderly and chronically ill. Predicting the beginning of seasonal epidemics is important for the health care system to withstand increasing demands. In this paper we studied the association of outdoor climate factors on the detection rates of gastrointestinal viruses and the association between these factors and the onset of annual norovirus epidemics. Declining absolute humidity preceded the increase in diagnosed norovirus GII cases by approximately 1 week. These findings contribute to the understanding of norovirus epidemiology and allow health care services to install timely preventive measures and can help the public avoid transmission. Viral gastroenteritis causes considerable morbidity, especially in vulnerable groups such as the elderly and chronically ill. Predicting the beginning of seasonal epidemics is important for the health care system to withstand increasing demands.
|
|
| 26. |
- Benavides, Raquel, et al.
(author)
-
The GenTree Leaf Collection : Inter- and intraspecific leaf variation in seven forest tree species in Europe
- 2021
-
In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 30:3, s. 590-597
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Motivation Trait variation within species can reveal plastic and/or genetic responses to environmental gradients, and may indicate where local adaptation has occurred. Here, we present a dataset of rangewide variation in leaf traits from seven of the most ecologically and economically important tree species in Europe. Sample collection and trait assessment are embedded in the GenTree project (EU-Horizon 2020), which aims at characterizing the genetic and phenotypic variability of forest tree species to optimize the management and sustainable use of forest genetic resources. Our dataset captures substantial intra- and interspecific leaf phenotypic variability, and provides valuable information for studying the relationship between ecosystem functioning and trait variability of individuals, and the response and resilience of species to environmental changes. Main types of variable contained We chose morphological and chemical characters linked to trade-offs between acquisition and conservation of resources and water use, namely specific leaf area, leaf size, carbon and nitrogen content and their ratio, and the isotopic signature of stable isotope C-13 and N-15 in leaves. Spatial location and grain We surveyed between 18 and 22 populations per species, 141 in total, across Europe. Time period Leaf sampling took place between 2016 and 2017. Major taxa and level of measurement We sampled at least 25 individuals in each population, 3,569 trees in total, and measured traits in 35,755 leaves from seven European tree species, i.e. the conifers Picea abies, Pinus pinaster and Pinus sylvestris, and the broadleaves Betula pendula, Fagus sylvatica, Populus nigra and Quercus petraea. Software format The data files are in ASCII text, tab delimited, not compressed.
|
|
| 27. |
- Bergbrant, Susanna, et al.
(author)
-
Syndromic testing for respiratory pathogens but not National Early Warning Score can be used to identify viral cause in hospitalised adults with lower respiratory tract infections
- 2024
-
In: INFECTIOUS DISEASES. - 2374-4235 .- 2374-4243. ; 56:7
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundCommunity-acquired lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a common reason for hospitalisation. Antibiotics are frequently used while diagnostic microbiological methods are underutilised in the acute setting.ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the relative proportion of viral and bacterial infections in this patient group and explore methods for proper targeting of antimicrobial therapy.MethodsWe collected nasopharyngeal samples prospectively from adults hospitalised with LRTIs during three consecutive winter seasons (2016-2019). Syndromic nasopharyngeal testing was performed using a multiplex PCR panel including 16 viruses and four bacteria. Medical records were reviewed for clinical data.ResultsOut of 220 included patients, a viral pathogen was detected in 74 (34%), a bacterial pathogen in 63 (39%), both viral and bacterial pathogens in 49 (22%), while the aetiology remained unknown in 34 (15%) cases. The proportion of infections with an identified pathogen increased from 38% to 85% when syndromic testing was added to standard-of-care testing. Viral infections were associated with a low CRP level and absence of pulmonary infiltrates. A high National Early Warning Score did not predict bacterial infections.ConclusionsSyndromic testing by a multiplex PCR panel identified a viral infection or viral/bacterial coinfection in a majority of hospitalised adult patients with community-acquired LRTIs.
|
|
| 28. |
|
|
| 29. |
- Bern, Sofia, et al.
(author)
-
Mobilitet och tillgänglighet – framtidens resande
- 2016
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Trafikverket har gett TRUM (Transportforskningsenheten vid Umeå Universitet) i uppdrag att utreda framtidens mobilitet innefattande frågor såsom privatpersoners attityder och normer till resande med bil och däribland självkörande bilar, betalningsvilja, syn på ägande inställning till individuellt resande gentemot kollektivt resande, samt intressenters förväntningar på ett framtida tillgängligt transportsystem. Därutöver önskar Trafikverket ökad förståelse kring arbetssätt och metoder för att möta teknikutveckling och framtida mobilitet. Syftet med föreliggande rapport är att svara på dessa frågeställningar utifrån litteraturstudier och intervjuer.Det huvudsakliga underlaget för rapporten är en genomgång av litteratur relaterad till transporter, mobilitet och historiska såväl som framtida trender. Fokus har varit på persontransporter kopplat till människors beteende, samt vad privatpersoner, framtidsspanare och företrädare för bil- och teknikbranschen tror kommer att hända med personresande i framtiden. Utöver litteraturstudien genomfördes sex intervjuer under januari och februari 2016. Intervjuerna gjordes med syfte att öka förståelsen för hur människor resonerar kring mobilitet och transporter i dagsläget och hur de tror att vi kommer att resa i framtiden. Utifrån litteraturgenomgången och intervjuerna kan konstateras att attityder till elbilar generellt sett är positiva. Hinder för ett bredare genombrott utgörs av uppfattade prisskillnader, räckviddsångest och uppfattad brist på laddinfrastruktur. Som drivkrafter kan nämnas ökat miljömedvetande och alltmer positiva attityder bland flera olika aktörer, till exempel teknikutvecklare. När det gäller självkörande bilar är attityderna mer varierande. Bland annat lyfts säkerhetsfaktorer, tillgänglighet och det faktum att flera bilmodeller redan idag utrustas med olika typer av autonomifunktioner. Enligt olika bedömningar kommer koncept såsom Mobility as a Service och liknande att leda till förändrade attityder och normer när det gäller både privat och kollektivt resande. Avslutningsvis lämnas förslag på hur dessa och andra förändringar kan följas och förstås utifrån ett planeringsperspektiv. Olika metoder och perspektiv är viktiga för att skapa en bild över framtida utveckling redan idag, framförallt kopplat till de miljöutmaningar samhället står inför.
|
|
| 30. |
- Bjarnason, A., et al.
(author)
-
Incidence, etiology, and outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia: A population-based study
- 2018
-
In: Open Forum Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2328-8957. ; 5:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. The microbial etiology of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is often unclear in clinical practice, and previous studies have produced variable results. Population-based studies examining etiology and incidence are lacking. This study examined the incidence and etiology of CAP requiring hospitalization in a population-based cohort as well as risk factors and outcomes for specific etiologies. Methods. Consecutive admissions due to CAP in Reykjavik, Iceland were studied. Etiologic testing was performed with cultures, urine-antigen detection, and polymerase chain reaction analysis of airway samples. Outcomes were length of stay, intensive care unit admission, assisted ventilation, and mortality. Results. The inclusion rate was 95%. The incidence of CAP requiring hospitalization was 20.6 cases per 10 000 adults/year. A potential pathogen was detected in 52% (164 of 310) of admissions and in 74% (43 of 58) with complete sample sets. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen (61 of 310, 20%; incidence: 4.1/10 000). Viruses were identified in 15% (47 of 310; incidence: 3.1/10 000), Mycoplasma pneumoniae were identified in 12% (36 of 310; incidence: 2.4/10 000), and multiple pathogens were identified in 10% (30 of 310; incidence: 2.0/10 000). Recent antimicrobial therapy was associated with increased detection of M pneumoniae (P ≤ .001), whereas a lack of recent antimicrobial therapy was associated with increased detection of S pneumoniae (P = .02). Symptoms and outcomes were similar irrespective of microbial etiology. Conclusions. Pneumococci, M pneumoniae, and viruses are the most common pathogens associated with CAP requiring hospital admission, and they all have a similar incidence that increases with age. Symptoms do not correlate with specific agents, and outcomes are similar irrespective of pathogens identified. © The Author(s) 2018.
|
|
| 31. |
- Bjarnason, A, et al.
(author)
-
Utility of oropharyngeal real-time PCR for S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae for diagnosis of pneumonia in adults.
- 2017
-
In: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1435-4373. ; 36:3, s. 529-536
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A lack of sensitive tests and difficulties obtaining representative samples contribute to the challenge in identifying etiology in pneumonia. Upper respiratory tract swabs can be easily collected and analyzed with real-time PCR (rtPCR). Common pathogens such as S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae can both colonize and infect the respiratory tract, complicating the interpretation of positive results. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected (n=239) prospectively from adults admitted to hospital with pneumonia. Analysis with rtPCR targeting S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae was performed and results compared with sputum cultures, blood cultures, and urine antigen testing for S. pneumoniae. Different Ct cutoff values were applied to positive tests to discern colonization from infection. Comparing rtPCR with conventional testing for S. pneumoniae in patients with all tests available (n=57) resulted in: sensitivity 87%, specificity 79%, PPV 59% and NPV 94%, and for H. influenzae (n=67): sensitivity 75%, specificity 80%, PPV 45% and NPV 94%. When patients with prior antimicrobial exposure were excluded sensitivity improved: 92% for S. pneumoniae and 80% for H. influenzae. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated for S. pneumoniae: AUC=0.65 (95% CI 0.51-0.80) and for H. influenzae: AUC=0.86 (95% CI 0.72-1.00). Analysis of oropharyngeal swabs using rtPCR proved both reasonably sensitive and specific for diagnosing pneumonia caused by S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. This method may be a useful diagnostic adjunct to other methods and of special value in patients unable to provide representative lower airway samples.
|
|
| 32. |
- Brabec, Jan, et al.
(author)
-
Histogram analysis of tensor-valued diffusion MRI in meningiomas : Relation to consistency, histological grade and type
- 2022
-
In: NeuroImage: Clinical. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-1582. ; 33
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Preoperative radiological assessment of meningioma characteristics is of value for pre- and post-operative patient management, counselling, and surgical approach.PURPOSE: To investigate whether tensor-valued diffusion MRI can add to the preoperative prediction of meningioma consistency, grade and type.MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 patients with intracranial meningiomas (22 WHO grade I, 8 WHO grade II) underwent MRI prior to surgery. Diffusion MRI was performed with linear and spherical b-tensors with b-values up to 2000 s/mm2. The data were used to estimate mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK) and its components-the anisotropic and isotropic kurtoses (MKA and MKI). Meningioma consistency was estimated for 16 patients during resection based on ultrasonic aspiration intensity, ease of resection with instrumentation or suction. Grade and type were determined by histopathological analysis. The relation between consistency, grade and type and dMRI parameters was analyzed inside the tumor ("whole-tumor") and within brain tissue in the immediate periphery outside the tumor ("rim") by histogram analysis.RESULTS: Lower 10th percentiles of MK and MKA in the whole-tumor were associated with firm consistency compared with pooled soft and variable consistency (n = 7 vs 9; U test, p = 0.02 for MKA 10 and p = 0.04 for MK10) and lower 10th percentile of MD with variable against soft and firm (n = 5 vs 11; U test, p = 0.02). Higher standard deviation of MKI in the rim was associated with lower grade (n = 22 vs 8; U test, p = 0.04) and in the MKI maps we observed elevated rim-like structure that could be associated with grade. Higher median MKA and lower median MKI distinguished psammomatous type from other pooled meningioma types (n = 5 vs 25; U test; p = 0.03 for MKA 50 and p = 0.03 and p = 0.04 for MKI 50).CONCLUSION: Parameters from tensor-valued dMRI can facilitate prediction of consistency, grade and type.
|
|
| 33. |
- Brittain-Long, Robin, 1969, et al.
(author)
-
Access to a polymerase chain reaction assay method targeting 13 respiratory viruses can reduce antibiotics: a randomised, controlled trial.
- 2011
-
In: BMC medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1741-7015. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Viral respiratory infections are common worldwide and range from completely benign disease to life-threatening illness. Symptoms can be unspecific, and an etiologic diagnosis is rarely established because of a lack of suitable diagnostic tools. Improper use of antibiotics is common in this setting, which is detrimental in light of the development of bacterial resistance. It has been suggested that the use of diagnostic tests could reduce antibiotic prescription rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether access to a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay panel for etiologic diagnosis of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) would have an impact on antibiotic prescription rate in primary care clinical settings. METHODS: Adult patients with symptoms of ARTI were prospectively included. Nasopharyngeal and throat swabs were analysed by using a multiplex real-time PCR method targeting thirteen viruses and two bacteria. Patients were recruited at 12 outpatient units from October 2006 through April 2009, and samples were collected on the day of inclusion (initial visit) and after 10 days (follow-up visit). Patients were randomised in an open-label treatment protocol to receive a rapid or delayed result (on the following day or after eight to twelve days). The primary outcome measure was the antibiotic prescription rate at the initial visit, and the secondary outcome was the total antibiotic prescription rate during the study period. RESULTS: A total sample of 447 patients was randomised. Forty-one were excluded, leaving 406 patients for analysis. In the group of patients randomised for a rapid result, 4.5% (9 of 202) of patients received antibiotics at the initial visit, compared to 12.3% (25 of 204) (P = 0.005) of patients in the delayed result group. At follow-up, there was no significant difference between the groups: 13.9% (28 of 202) in the rapid result group and 17.2% (35 of 204) in the delayed result group (P = 0.359), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Access to a rapid method for etiologic diagnosis of ARTIs may reduce antibiotic prescription rates at the initial visit in an outpatient setting. To sustain this effect, however, it seems necessary to better define how to follow and manage the patient according to the result of the test, which warrants further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01133782.
|
|
| 34. |
|
|
| 35. |
- Brittain-Long, Robin, 1969, et al.
(author)
-
Seasonal variations of 15 respiratory agents illustrated by the application of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay.
- 2011
-
In: Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-1980 .- 0036-5548.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Abstract Background: Nucleic acid amplification tests are increasingly being used to diagnose viral and bacterial respiratory tract infections. The high sensitivity of these tests affects our understanding of the epidemiology of respiratory tract infections. We have assessed the detection rate of a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, with emphasis on epidemiology and seasonal distribution of the most common respiratory tract infections. Methods: Seven thousand eight hundred and fifty-three nasopharyngeal samples from 7220 patients (age range 0-98 y, median 22 y) obtained during 36 consecutive months (November 2006-October 2009), were analyzed with a multiplex PCR panel including influenza A (IfA) and B (IfB) virus, parainfluenza virus (PIV) 1-3, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human rhinovirus (HRV), human coronavirus (CoV) OC43, NL63, and 229E, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), adenovirus (AdV), enterovirus (EV), and 2 bacteria - Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Results: Of the total samples, 44.5% (n = 3496) were positive for at least 1 agent, with HRV being the most common (n = 1482, 38.0%), followed by RSV (n = 526, 13.5%) and IfA (n = 403, 10.3%). The diagnostic yield was significantly higher during the winter and early spring compared to the summer (n = 2439 of 4458 samples, 54.7% and n = 1057 of 3395 samples, 31.1%, respectively; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The diagnostic yield was highly dependent on the month of sampling and the age of the patient. However, the overall detection rate per month was above 30%, apart for August and September. Our findings support the use of similar tests in routine clinical care all year round. HRV was the most common finding in the respiratory tract, independent of season.
|
|
| 36. |
- Busch, K., et al.
(author)
-
Sick leave and disability pension in patients with chronic hepatitis C compared with a matched general population: a nationwide register study
- 2020
-
In: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 10:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate sick leave and disability pension in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as compared with a matched general population cohort. Design Retrospective register study. Setting Nationwide in Sweden. Participants This register-based study used the Swedish National Patient Register to identify working-age patients with HCV in 2012 (n=32 021) who were diagnosed between 1999 and 2007 (n=19 362). Sick leave and disability pension data were retrieved from Statistics Sweden (1994-2012), with up to five matched individuals from the general population. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was workdays lost due to sick leave episodes (>14 days) and disability pension overall. The secondary outcome was workdays lost per subgroup of patients with chronic HCV. Results In 2012, 14% of the HCV patients had >= 1 registered sick leave episode compared with 10% in the matched comparator cohort. For disability pension benefits, results were 30% versus 8%, respectively. Overall, in 2012, 57% of patients with HCV did not have any registered workdays lost, whereas 30% were absent >= 360 days compared with 83% and 9% in the matched cohort, respectively. The mean total number of annual workdays lost in 2012 was 126 days in the HCV patient cohort compared with 40 days in the matched general population comparator cohort. Annual days lost increased from a mean of 86 days 5 years before diagnosis to 136 days during the year of diagnosis. Conclusions These results show that Swedish HCV patients used more sick days and have a higher frequency of disability pension compared with a comparator cohort from the general Swedish population. Whether earlier diagnosis of HCV and treatment might impact work absence in Sweden warrants further investigation.
|
|
| 37. |
|
|
| 38. |
- Chen, Zhi-Qiang, et al.
(author)
-
Leveraging breeding programs and genomic data in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) for GWAS analysis
- 2021
-
In: Genome Biology. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1465-6906 .- 1474-760X. ; 22:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identify loci underlying the variation of complex traits. One of the main limitations of GWAS is the availability of reliable phenotypic data, particularly for long-lived tree species. Although an extensive amount of phenotypic data already exists in breeding programs, accounting for its high heterogeneity is a great challenge. We combine spatial and factor-analytics analyses to standardize the heterogeneous data from 120 field experiments of 483,424 progenies of Norway spruce to implement the largest reported GWAS for trees using 134 605 SNPs from exome sequencing of 5056 parental trees.Results: We identify 55 novel quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that are associated with phenotypic variation. The largest number of QTLs is associated with the budburst stage, followed by diameter at breast height, wood quality, and frost damage. Two QTLs with the largest effect have a pleiotropic effect for budburst stage, frost damage, and diameter and are associated with MAP3K genes. Genotype data called from exome capture, recently developed SNP array and gene expression data indirectly support this discovery.Conclusion: Several important QTLs associated with growth and frost damage have been verified in several southern and northern progeny plantations, indicating that these loci can be used in QTL-assisted genomic selection. Our study also demonstrates that existing heterogeneous phenotypic data from breeding programs, collected over several decades, is an important source for GWAS and that such integration into GWAS should be a major area of inquiry in the future.
|
|
| 39. |
|
|
| 40. |
- Ekerfors, Ulrika, et al.
(author)
-
Muscle performance and fatigue in compensated chronic liver disease.
- 2019
-
In: Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1502-7708 .- 0036-5521. ; 54:7, s. 925-933
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: A common and debilitating symptom in patients with chronic liver disease is fatigue (CLD). Muscle dysfunction has been suggested to be a key mechanism of fatigue in CLD. Objective: We aimed to evaluate fatigue and the potential association with muscle performance and physical activity in outpatients with CLD. Methods: Two-hundred seventy outpatients with CLD were included, (52±15years, mean±SD; 151 females) with autoimmune hepatitis (n=49), primary biliary cholangitis (n=45), primary sclerosing cholangitis (n=46), chronic hepatitis B (n=57) or C (n=73). Patients with a Child-Pugh >6 were excluded. The questionnaire Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) was used to evaluate fatigue, and physical activity was evaluated through a self-reported level of physical activity. Muscle function was assessed with four muscle tests, walking speed, handgrip strength, standing heel-rise test (SHT) and 'Timed Up and Go' test (TUG). Results: The median total FIS score was 30 (40% had FIS > 40, considered high-fatigue). Diminished muscle performance was observed in the SHT (% of predicted value: 53±26%) and with maximum grip strength (85±20%). The FIS score was significantly different between groups of CLDs (p=.004). In multivariate analysis the TUG (p=.001), SHT (p=.005), antidepressants (p<.001), and level of physical activity (p=.001) were associated with fatigue (R2=29%). Subjects with higher levels of physical activity had lower FIS (p<.001). Conclusions: In patients with CLD, fatigue was associated with low muscle performance and reduced level of physical activity, which could be a potential therapeutic target.
|
|
| 41. |
|
|
| 42. |
- Eliasson, Johan, et al.
(author)
-
Investigating students' confidence in programming and problem solving
- 2006
-
In: 36th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE2006). ; , s. M4E-22
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many students feel insecure making their first attempts to solve programming problems. Despite finishing the introductory programming course successfully, these students refrain from pursuing their CS studies. Hence, this aversion towards problem solving and programming is not fully explained by lack of subject understanding and performance. In order to better understand the components of students’ comfort, a first attempt to model a student’s confidence regarding problem solving and programming has been made. The model consists of two dimensions; Course topic and Student’s mindset. Two questionnaires have been developed in order to capture if and how students’ confidence is affected by taking the CS1 course. Data has been collected for four course offerings with three different study programmes. Results confirm the suspicion that the confidence is lowered by the course, and that student groups with different ambition and motivation for taking the course seem to be affected by different aspects of the course.
|
|
| 43. |
- Eriksson, Rikard, 1979-, et al.
(author)
-
Umeå universitets betydelse för kompetensförsörjningen i Norr- och Västerbotten : en deskriptiv nulägesbeskrivning
- 2022
-
Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Genom sin geografiska placering har Umeå universitet en viktig roll för kompetensförsörjningen i norra Sverige. Detta inte minst utifrån de stora investeringar som planeras under de kommande decennierna, både inom det privata näringslivet och offentlig verksamhet. Umeå Universitet har långtgående ambitioner att bidra till den utveckling som nu sker i norra Sverige. Samtidigt har Umeå universitet i likhet med övriga svenska lärosäten ett övergripande nationellt utbildningsuppdrag, vilket kanske tydligas illustreras av tandläkarutbildningen som endast ges vid 4 svenska lärosäten (Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö och Umeå), samtliga med uppdrag att tillgodose hela landets behov av tandläkare. För att kunna balansera framtida utbildningssatsningar mellan universitetets nationella utbildningsuppdrag och ambitionen att stödja den regionala utvecklingen krävs en omfattande analys av både utbud och efterfrågan på olika utbildningssatsningar samt vilka faktorer som påverkar individens utbildningsbeslut och val av bostadsort efter examen.Centrum för regionalvetenskap (CERUM) har på uppdrag av Utbildningsstrategiska rådet vid Umeå universitet (USR) analyserat andelen av arbetskraften inom olika yrken och med olika utbildningsinriktningar boende i Norr- och Västerbotten med examen från Umeå universitet. Rapporten är deskriptiv i syfte att ge en övergripande lägesbeskrivning och ska ses som ett första steg i att beskriva och analysera Umeå universitets betydelse för kompetensförsörjningen i norra Sverige. Tillsammans med andra analyser och bakgrundsbeskrivningar syftar rapporten till att ligga till grund för Umeå universitets strategiska arbete kring framtida utbildningsinsatser.Rapporten bygger på registerdata från Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) och omfattar information om samtliga individer med en arbetsinkomst bosatta i Norr- och Västerbotten under 2019. En jämförelse görs mellan andelen med examen från Umeå universitet (Umeå universitet), Luleå tekniska universitet (LTU) samt övriga svenska lärosäten (Övriga). Analysen avgränsas till att omfatta yrken och utbildningar inom naturvetenskap och teknik; hälso- och sjukvård; utbildning; ekonomi och förvaltning; IT; samt samhällsvetenskap. Urvalet spänner över yrken, utbildningar och kompetens som efterfrågas inom både offentlig och privat sektor.Studien ingår som en del i ett forskningsprojekt med syftet att öka kunskapen kring vilka faktorer som påverkar den regionala fördelningen av humankapital. Här utgör kunskap kring nyutexaminerade studenters val av bostadsort efter examen en viktig komponent.
|
|
| 44. |
|
|
| 45. |
- Espefält Westin, Ulrika, et al.
(author)
-
Direct nose-to-brain transfer of morphine after nasal administration to rats
- 2006
-
In: Pharmaceutical research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0724-8741 .- 1573-904X. ; 23:3, s. 565-572
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to quantify the olfactory transfer of morphine to the brain hemispheres by comparing brain tissue and plasma morphine levels after nasal administration with those after intravenous administration. METHODS: Morphine (1.0 mg/kg body weight) was administered via the right nostril or intravenously as a 15-min constant-rate infusion to male rats. The content of morphine and its metabolite morphine-3-glucuronide in samples of the olfactory bulbs, brain hemispheres, and plasma was assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography, and the areas under the concentration-time curves (AUC) were calculated. RESULTS: At both 5 and 15 min after administration, brain hemisphere morphine concentrations after nasal administration were similar to those after i.v. administration of the same dose, despite lower plasma concentrations after nasal administration. The brain hemispheres/plasma morphine AUC ratios for the 0-5 min period were thus approximately 3 and 0.1 after nasal and i.v. administration, respectively, demonstrating a statistically significant early distribution advantage of morphine to the brain hemispheres via the nasal route. CONCLUSION: Morphine is transferred via olfactory pathways to the brain hemispheres, and drug transfer via this route significantly contributes to the early high brain concentrations after nasal administration to rats.
|
|
| 46. |
- Fonseca, Annabelle L, et al.
(author)
-
Comprehensive DNA methylation analysis of benign and malignant adrenocortical tumors
- 2012
-
In: Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1045-2257 .- 1098-2264. ; 51:10, s. 949-960
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The molecular pathogenesis of benign and malignant adrenocortical tumors (ACT) is incompletely clarified. The role of DNA methylation in adrenocortical tumorigenesis has not been analyzed in an unbiased, systematic fashion. Using the Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip, the DNA methylation levels of 27,578 CpG sites were investigated in bisulfite-modified DNA from 6 normal adrenocortical tissue samples, 27 adrenocortical adenomas (ACA), and 15 adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC). Genes involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and transcriptional regulation of known or putative importance in the development of adrenal tumors showed significant and frequent hypermethylation. Such genes included CDKN2A, GATA4, BCL2, DLEC1, HDAC10, PYCARD, and SCGB3A1/HIN1. Comparing benign versus malignant ACT, a total of 212 CpG islands were identified as significantly hypermethylated in ACC. Gene expression studies of selected hypermethylated genes (CDKN2A, GATA4, DLEC1, HDAC10, PYCARD, SCGB3A1/HIN1) in 6 normal and 16 neoplastic adrenocortical tissues (10 ACA and 6 ACC), displayed reduced gene expression in benign and malignant ACT versus normal adrenocortical tissue. Treatment with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine of adrenocortical cancer H-295R cells increased expression of the hypermethylated genes CDKN2A, GATA4, DLEC1, HDAC10, PYCARD, and SCGB3A1/HIN1. In conclusion, the current study represents the first unbiased, quantitative, genome-wide study of adrenocortical tumor DNA methylation. Genes with altered DNA methylation patterns were identified of putative importance to benign and malignant adrenocortical tumor development.
|
|
| 47. |
- Fransson, Jens H.M., et al.
(author)
-
Errors in hot-wire X-probe measurements induced by unsteady velocity gradients
- 2002
-
In: Experiments in Fluids. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0723-4864 .- 1432-1114. ; 32:3, s. 413-415
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Errors in hot-wire X-probe measurements due to unsteady velocity gradients are investigated by a comparison of hot-wire and laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) measurements. The studied flow case is a laminar boundary layer subjected to high levels of free-stream turbulence, and the hot-wire data shows a local maximum in the wall-normal fluctuation velocity inside the boundary layer. The observed maximum is in agreement with existing hot-wire data, but in conflict with the present LDV measurements as well as existing results from numerical simulations. An explanation for the measurement error is suggested in the paper.
|
|
| 48. |
- Fredriksson, Anna, 1979-, et al.
(author)
-
Hur taktisk planering kan underlätta resursplanering i byggbranschen – Processer och IT-verktyg
- 2017
-
Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Syftet med denna artikel är att visa på hur resurser inom byggföretag kan planeras på taktisk nivå med hjälp av optimeringsverktyg. Den rådande högkonjunkturen i Sverige med högre efterfrågan från beställare än vad byggentreprenörerna kan levererar måste entreprenörerna aktivt välja vilka projekt man ska gå in med anbud på. Beslutet måste vara välgrundat på information gällande efterfrågade projekt, tillgängliga resurser och potentiell vinstmarginal på projekten. Det är här taktisk planering kommer in genom att balansera potentiella projekt med den kapacitet byggföretaget har för att kunna gå in med anbud på de projekt som genererar högst vinstmarginal. Genom att studera två byggföretag (NCC och Arcona) presenteras processer och IT-verktyg för taktisk planering inom bygg. I NCC:s fall har fokus legat på att skapa sammanhållna processer och IT-verktyg för att hämta in data om framtida projekt och aktivt välja rätt projekt baserat på vilka reseurs dessa kräver, vilken kapacitet man har tillgängliga när projektet startar och vad vinstmarginalen blir. I Arconas fall har fokus legat på att skapa sammanhållna processer och IT-verktyg för att balanser aktiviteter och materialbehov genom hela byggprojektet. På så sätt kan man i framtiden bättre planera behovet av kapacitet i deras nyutvecklade terminallösning baserat på hur mycket material som kan tänkas flöda genom den mht framtida projekt. Resultatet från studien visar på behovet av taktisk planering bland byggföretagen och hur den planeringen agerar som en länk mellan strategiska beslut och operativt arbete. Detta är ett viktigt bidrag för byggföretagen då de har beslutsstöd för att kunna fatta ett välgrundat beslut på vilka projekt man ska gå in med anbud på.
|
|
| 49. |
- Gedin, David, 1960-
(author)
-
Fältets herrar : Framväxten av en modern författarroll
- 2004
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The dissertation describes a crucial step in the development of a modern writer's identity in Sweden. It applies the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s theories of the autonomous ”literary field” to the development in eighteen-eighties, one of the most important periods in Swedish literary history.During this decade a large group of authors appeared, with August Strindberg in the front. In accordance with the dominating esthetical view of the nineteenth century, ”ideal realism”, the writers had an ethical responsibility. But they differed from their predecessors by not being loyal to the bourgeois society and its values, as codified in the concept of ”decency”, that contained, among other things, rules for what could be said in public. On the contrary, the new generation of authors attacked the bourgeoisie in novels, dramas and articles, especially in the singularly most controversial area, the regulation of sexuality and the ideals of bourgeois women.This study argues that the new authors in their radical criticism aimed at the position of power in society traditionally upheld by the State church, which supervised education and ethical values. They did this by creating a role for themselves as young and oppressed, something that made it possible to deny any responsibility for the present state and furthermore to speak up, despite their own bourgeois background, for other oppressed groups like the working classes, the poor and women. But this also meant that they could not be successful in their ambitions to gain influence without loosing their identity. This was especially the consequence of the fact that an autonomous ”literary field” did not yet exist. That is, there were no internal literary institutions that, seemingly independent of the rest of society, decided what was ”good literature.” Instead, the singularly most important judge of interesting literature was the bourgeois public. Strindberg seems to have realised this early, and achieved an identity as ”uncontrolled”. He thereby lost his intellectual credibility, but gained a much bigger freedom to write and also got the attention of the large audience. At the same time, his writing undermined the values of decency by breaking the bourgeois society’s fundamental wall between the private and the public sphere, not least by writing what was regarded as facts about his own private life.The conservative reaction accelerated towards the end of the decade while the authors grew more and more bitter about the public’s lack of understanding. At this point the author Verner von Heidenstam took the opportunity to declare a new literary era, dissociating his aesthetics from the one of the Eighties and proclaiming the necessity of an aristocratic, ethically indifferent literature (with himself as its leader).Confronted with the new concept of what ought to be regarded as “modern”, the established male authors were generally quick to separate themselves from the female authors, and to identify the attacked literature solely with the one that critically discussed the situation of women in society - a description that has been largely adopted in the history of literature. A number of male authors also wrote novels separating themselves from the Eighties. Thus, they could continue into the new period, while female authors in general were silenced or forced to write in less esteemed genres (”popular literature”, children’s books).Ultimately the result was a more distinct male domination coupled with a growing contempt for the large audience. This, in turn, created a need for internal institutions that could interpret, value and support literature - scholarships, elitist critics, and a writers’ union. These institutions subsequently were founded or developed during the nineties – all of them steps towards autonomy.
|
|
| 50. |
- Gimsing, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Effect of pamidronate 30 mg versus 90 mg on physical function in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (Nordic Myeloma Study Group): a double-blind, randomised controlled trial
- 2010
-
In: LANCET ONCOLOGY. - : Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam.. - 1470-2045 .- 1474-5488. ; 11:10, s. 973-982
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Compared with placebo, prophylactic treatment with bisphosphonates reduces risk of skeletal events in patients with multiple myeloma. However, because of toxicity associated with long-term bisphosphonate treatment, establishing the lowest effective dose is important. This study compared the effect of two doses of pamidronate on health-related quality of life and skeletal morbidity in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Methods This double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial was undertaken at 37 clinics in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Patients with multiple myeloma who were starting antimyeloma treatment were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive one of two doses of pamidronate (30 mg or 90 mg) given by intravenous infusion once a month for at least 3 years. Randomisation was done by use of a central, computerised minimisation system. Primary outcome was physical function after 12 months estimated by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaire (scale 0-100). All patients who returned questionnaires at 12 months and were still on study treatment were included in the analysis of the primary endpoint. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials. gov, number NCT00376883. Findings From January, 2001, until August, 2005, 504 patients were randomly assigned to pamidronate 30 mg or 90 mg (252 in each group). 157 patients in the 90 mg group and 156 in the 30 mg group were included in the primary analysis. Mean physical function at 12 months was 66 points (95% CI 62.9-70.0) in the 90 mg group and 68 points (64.6-71.4) in the 30 mg group (95% CI of difference -6.6 to 3.3; p=0.52). Median time to first skeletal-related event in patients who had such an event was 9.2 months (8.1-10.7) in the 90 mg group and 10-2 months (7.3-14.0) in the 30 mg group (p=0.63). In a retrospective analysis, eight patients in the pamidronate 90 mg group developed osteonecrosis of the jaw compared with two patients in the 30 mg group. Interpretation Monthly infusion of pamidronate 30 mg should be the recommended dose for prevention of bone disease in patients with multiple myeloma.
|
|
